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This Mediterranean Lentil Salad is a Greek salad with serious staying power. Quick-cooking lentils, kale, a bounty of vegetables, and a zippy vinaigrette and herbs make this a meal prep recipe you’ll actually look forward to eating.
I adore Greek salad thanks to its briny Kalamata olives, crisp red onion, juicy cherry tomatoes, floral fresh herbs, refreshing cucumbers, and salty feta cheese, not to mention a classic red wine vinaigrette. This Mediterranean Lentil Salad offers all that, minus the lettuce…and with two bonus superfoods in tow: lentils and kale.
Those bonus ingredients lend extra protein, fiber, and vitamins, and hold up well to more extended storage than a typical leafy salad might. Unlike dried beans, you need not pre-soak dried lentils, and they simmer to chewy perfection in a mere 15 minutes.
That means that this entire healthy salad recipe asks for just 45 minutes of your time, and at minute 46, you’ll have enough of the Mediterranean salad to can feed two people for the first four days of the work week. After all the money you’ll save and nutrition you’ll sneak in, Friday calls for takeout.
You can (and should) make this Mediterranean Lentil Salad recipe year-round. The ingredients are easy to find no matter what the season, and besides, we could all use a little Mediterranean sunshine, especially in the dead of winter.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Lentils: For this lentil salad recipe, seek out brown or whole green lentils. Save split lentils such as red lentils for other purposes; they’ll be too mushy to make a good salad. Black lentils work too, but they’re much smaller, so adjust your cooking time to match what’s on the package.
- Kale: Any kale works here. Choose common curly, Lacinato (aka Tuscan or Dinosaur kale), red or Redbor, or Siberian kale. Just be sure to remove the woody stems before tearing the leafy greens into bite-size pieces.
- Cucumbers: If you use hothouse, Persian, or other thin-skinned cucumbers, peeling and seeding is optional.
- Feta cheese: To make this salad vegan, omit the feta or substitute your favorite non-dairy crumbly cheese. Goat cheese is also terrific here, if you prefer it.
Step-by-step instructions
- To make the lentils, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add lentils and simmer until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes (do not overcook). Drain well. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, garlic, and oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper).
- To assemble the salad, in a large bowl, combine cooled lentils, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, red onion, and feta cheese.
- Drizzle with vinaigrette. Toss to combine and garnish with fresh herbs if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This Mediterranean Lentil Salad recipe makes 8 hearty servings, 2 cups each, ideal for a light lunch or dinner side dish.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. To meal prep the salad, omit the feta cheese until the day you plan to eat it.
- Make ahead: Shake or stir together the salad dressing up to 3 days in advance, then store in an airtight container (such as a mason jar) in the refrigerator. Prepare the vegetables the day before, and store each separately in the refrigerator until you’re ready to toss and enjoy.
- How to cook lentils: Add more aromatics to your pot of simmering lentils like carrots, celery, a bay leaf, peppercorns, and parsley stems.
- Shake up your dressing: Modifying salad dressing ingredients is the easiest thing in the world! Just keep the same ratio of 2 parts oil to 1 part acid. The oil can be extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil, and the acid can be any kind of vinegar or lemon juice.
- Customize the salad: A whole grain component like cooked brown rice or quinoa would add a hearty, gluten-free component to your salad. Or try cooked farro or bulgur wheat. You can also add or subtract veggies as you see fit. Just choose a variety of flavors and textures for optimal salad enjoyment.
- Serving suggestions: This Mediterranean Lentil Salad would be ideal at a spring picnic or a summer potluck or barbecue. It’s a tasty, yet light and healthy, side dish option.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’d like to make this more of a dinner recipe or prefer a heartier meal, top your serving with a poached egg, grilled salmon or shrimp, shredded rotisserie chicken, or tuck it inside a pita half or two.
Of course. If you don’t want to mix up this homemade salad dressing, substitute ¾ cup of your favorite bottled balsamic, Greek, or red wine vinaigrette.
There’s no need to soak lentils before cooking, but you will want to “pick them over.” To do so, transfer the lentils to a fine mesh sieve. Run your fingers through the lentils to check for any small rocks (removing any you discover), rinse under running water to remove any dirt, then transfer the whole lentils to your saucepan.
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Mediterranean Lentil Salad
Ingredients
For the lentils:
- 1/2 pound lentils rinsed and picked over (1 ¼ cups dried, see note 1)
For the vinaigrette:
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 clove garlic minced or ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the salad:
- 1 bunch kale stemmed and torn into bite-sized pieces (see note 1)
- 2 cups grape tomatoes halved
- 2 cups hothouse cucumbers halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch pieces (see note 3)
- 1 cup pitted Kalamata olives drained and halved
- 1/2 red onion thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
- 1/4 cup radishes thinly sliced (2 to 3 radishes)
- 8 ounces feta cheese cubed or crumbled (see note 4)
- Fresh herbs such as basil, parsley, thyme, and mint, for garnish
Instructions
- To make the lentils, bring 3 cups water to boil. Add lentils and simmer until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet to cool completely. (Do not overcook.)
- Meanwhile, In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, garlic, and oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper)
- To assemble the salad, in a large bowl, combine cooled lentils, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, red onion, and feta cheese. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Toss to combine and garnish with fresh herbs if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Notes
- Lentils: For this lentil salad recipe, seek out brown or whole green lentils. Save split lentils for other purposes; they’ll break down too much to make a good salad.
- Kale: Any kale works here. Just be sure to remove the woody stems before tearing the leafy greens into bite-size pieces.
- Cucumbers: If you use hothouse, Persian, or other thin-skinned cucumbers, peeling and seeding is optional.
- Feta cheese: To make this salad vegan, omit the feta or substitute your favorite non-dairy crumbly cheese.
- Yield: This Mediterranean Lentil Salad recipe makes 8 hearty servings, 2 cups each, ideal for a light lunch or dinner side dish.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To meal prep the salad, leave out the feta cheese until the day you are going to eat it.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Salad will always be the best way to get a healthy meal. Mediterranean Lentil Salad is tasty and filling way enjoy lunch. Thank you. Zeenat Quaiyum from Bangladesh, South East Asia.
You’re so welcome, Zeenat! I’m so happy you loved it! – Meggan
What is the serving size?
Hi Jacqui, thank you so much for your question! I’m making this today and will write back with the recipe’s yield. – Meggan
Taking this as a gluten free and dairy free picnic item. Doubled the recipe, added 1T of my favorite Greek seasoning blend to the dressing, and added finely chopped red bell pepper and extra olives as a substitute for the feta and also chopped fresh basil leaves and Italian flat-leaf parsley. It received many compliments. As you said, it is a good pot luck take along and is excellent at room temperature.
Sounds amazing JJMSP, so glad it was a hit! – Meggan
Excellent recipe. The whole family loved it!
Thanks Andrea! – Meggan
How many cups is 1/2 lb. want to reduce quantity of salad.
Hi Jackie, it’s 1 1/4 cup lentils in 1/2 pound. Hope this helps! – Meggan
Healthy and delicious