If you are someone who LIVES for your meal-prepped salads, then get ready, because this recipe is about to change the game for you! My Mediterranean Lentil Salad is a simple, easy, and DELICIOUS plant-based salad that not only perfect to make in a pinch, but is also great for meal-prepping. Plus, it’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and the salad itself uses only six easy ingredients!
Friends, how many of you (or your kids) are returning back to school this fall?! With back-to-school season right around the corner, my brain is buzzing with recipe ideas that make lunchtime quick, easy, and stress-free. Whether that’s a classic sandwich, a simple and tasty salad, or even an easy pasta recipe, lunches should never be stressful. And if you’re wondering what lunches you can make this back-to-school season, then don’t worry, because I’ve got you!
First up, we have this Mediterranean Lentil Salad, and when I tell you that this salad is SO easy to put together, I mean it! The salad itself comes together with just six, simple, plant-based ingredients, and the dressing is also quick and easy. But don’t think that this salad is boring; in fact, it’s packed with flavors, textures, and colors, to keep your lunch feeling exciting.
Plus, for my plant-based friends, this salad is packed with iron. Lentils are one of the best plant-based sources of iron, making them a should-be staple in plant-based diets! Back in the day, I used to be vegan, and would always find myself feeling lethargic and tired around the mid-afternoon. If this is you, then I highly recommend adding more iron into your diet and seeing if it makes a difference in your energy levels!
But, speaking of energy levels, this is also the perfect recipe to meal-prep, which makes it great for those days where you don’t have any energy to cook. Because this salad doesn’t have lettuce, it doesn’t get soggy over-time, and in fact the flavors taste even better the longer they sit! I’ve been making a big batch of this salad at the beginning of the week and eating it for lunch every-other-day. And truly, I am obsessed.
Making this salad couldn’t be easier! Simply start by preparing your lentils; rinse and drain your lentils thoroughly, then add them to a saucepan with three cups of water and a generous pinch of sea salt. Bring it to a boil, then once it’s boiling, cover the pan, reduce the heat to “low”, and let your lentils simmer for about 25 minutes.
While your lentils are simmering, prepare the rest of your salad. Wash and chop your cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, hearts of palm, and mint, and set them aside. Then, in a separate bowl, add all of your dressing ingredients together and whisk them to combine. Taste and adjust salt and pepper levels as needed / desired.
Once your lentils are finished, strain the water from them and rinse them with cold water to cool. We don’t want hot lentils in our salad!
Then, add your cooled lentils to a large bowl along with the rest of your vegetables. Finally, pour your dressing on top and toss to fully combine.
Once your salad is done, serve it right away, or store any leftovers in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to one week. Enjoy!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a review and rating below! And, since I practically live on Instagram, be sure to tag me in your creations so that I can repost them! xx
I’d love to see what you made – tag @kalejunkie
in your posts and I’ll re-share!
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