Marinated Lentil Salad
A refreshing and flavorful Mediterranean-style lentil salad with a zesty lemon garlic dressing, feta cheese, and fresh vegetables.
This Marinated Lentil Salad is perfect for meal prep or as a healthy side dish. The lentils absorb the delicious citrusy dressing, making it even better after chilling.
Instructions
- 1
Gather and prepare all ingredients.
- 2
Cook the lentils according to the package directions. For most brown lentils, bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a pot, add the lentils, and continue boiling for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Drain the lentils in a colander and rinse briefly with cool water until they are cooled.
- 3
Cook the lentils until tender.
- 4
While the lentils are cooking, prepare the lemon garlic dressing. Use a microplane, zester, or small-holed cheese grater to remove about 1 Tbsp of the lemon’s zest (the thin, yellow, outer layer of the peel). Set the zest aside. Juice the lemon and measure ¼ cup of the juice to use for the dressing.
- 5
Prepare the lemon zest and juice.
- 6
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper. Set the dressing aside.
- 7
Whisk together the dressing ingredients.
- 8
Rinse the parsley well, shake off as much water as possible, then pull the leaves from the stems. Roughly chop the parsley leaves. Cut the grape tomatoes in half. Finely dice the red onion.
- 9
Chop the parsley, tomatoes, and onion.
- 10
When the lentils are cooked, cooled, and well drained, transfer them to a large bowl. Add the chopped parsley, tomatoes, red onion, crumbled feta, lemon zest, and the prepared dressing. Stir to combine the ingredients and coat everything in dressing.
- 11
Combine all prepared ingredients in a large bowl.
- 12
Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to eat. Always stir the salad just before serving to redistribute the dressing and flavors.
- 13
Serve immediately or chill until ready to eat.
I personally love how the zesty lemon dressing brightens up the earthy lentils; it's a light yet satisfying dish. This preparation style is very similar to my favorite Mediterranean grain salads, offering a much more vibrant acidity than the heavier lentil stews found in Italian tradition. The combination of salty feta and fresh herbs creates such a wonderful, tangy taste that you'll want to make this every summer.
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