A nourishing, zero waste recipe, that options the daring flavours of the Mediterranean in a single hearty salad.
Earthy lentils, salty cheese, tangy lemon and smoky onion, all tied along with a herby inexperienced olive dressing, makes this Mediterranean lentil salad recipe an absolute knockout. Inside the event you’ve bored collectively along with your frequent salads, I can promise that this one is astonishingly tasty.
Serve it up as a aspect dish at your subsequent barbecue or profit from it as weekday dinner on a heat summer season season evening time. It furthermore works very accurately as a do-ahead lunch or pot-luck entree. Leisure assured, I’m furthermore supplying you with a great deal of alternatives for substitutions so you have to take advantage of what you’ve got obtained gotten on the market.
The Versatile Mediterranean Salad…
…and why I am keen on it so. The pliability of a nourishing grain salad won’t ever stop to amaze me. On busy weeknights it rescues dinner, attributable to grains from the freezer, a can of lentils or beans, and bits ‘n bobs from the fridge to constructed it out. Really, that’s how this recipe was born.
How can just some parts ship such a flavourful salad? With a contact of smokiness from the grill (or broiler), newest herbs in abundance, and briny olives paired with peppery olive oil in a punchy French dressing. (Psst: Select massive, meaty inexperienced olives, not a pimento-stuffed cocktail olive.)
This salad was furthermore created to make the most of a surplus of newest yard herbs. Assume Mediterranean do you have to assemble your salad and embrace a mix of flat-leaf parsley, basil, oregano and thyme.
Beneath are examples of the numerous variations this protein-packed lentil salad can take care of. Make it yours.
Mediterranean Lentil Salad Variations
The weather are easy, nonetheless all of them work so accurately collectively. Use these solutions and my recipe system beneath to create a custom-made salad out of your pantry and yard.
Pulses
Inexperienced, Brown, French Inexperienced/du Puy and Black/Beluga all work on this salad. Canned lentils could also be used; I favor to arrange dinner from dry, after an outstanding soak. I similar to the Canadian-grown French Lentils from Flourist.
Full Grains
Bulgur, quinoa, farro, rice, millet, barley…the file of scrumptious historic grains goes on. I’ve chosen to make the most of nutty farro on this salad. Cultivated for 1000’s of years contained in the Mediterranean, I absolutely love one of the best ways it pairs with each olives and lentils.
The type of grain used on this salad will resolve whether or not or not it is gluten free or not. (Gluten-Free: quinoa, rice, millet. Gluten: barley, bulgur, farro). Gluten shouldn’t be a difficulty in our dwelling; really we attempt to make historic grains a limiteless a part of our meals plan.
Grilled Alliums
I’ve used spring onions on this model, nonetheless it’s equally as scrumptious with grilled or charred crimson onion, leeks, shallots or candy onion. Inside the event you’re fortunate sufficient to have entry to wild ramps contained in the spring, by all means, use them.
Cheese
It’s honest to say that Halloumi is having a second. Really it’s such a flexible cheese, terribly satisfying; there’s tons of to like. All summer season season extended I’m throwing hunks of halloumi on the grill, they usually usually find yourself on a salad.
Feta is an in depth second completely different for this hearty salad, every crumbled and tossed with the lentils, or offered as a slab on prime. Use a lightweight hand! An excessive amount of feta could make the salad overly salty. Blue cheese and goat cheese are furthermore two fantastic alternatives. Use what you’ve got obtained gotten.
Add-Ins
This Mediterranean lentil salad is an efficient base for establishing and rising collectively collectively along with your favorite salad parts. Try it with crumbled bacon, halved cherry tomatoes or grilled asparagus spears. Get fruity with grilled peaches or strawberries (constructive undoubtedly!). Garnish with toasted pine nuts or buttery croutons.
Grilling or Charring: An All-Season Salad
Lentils have to be cherished yr spherical, which is why I’ve examined this recipe utilizing an oven along with a grill. Constructive, it is attainable you may nonetheless pay money for a surprising smoky char on the inexperienced onions, lemon and halloumi beneath the broiler. In actuality, it’s an lovely shortcut, should it’s worthwhile to cut back corners.
For pure ease of summertime charcoal grilling, I’ve been loving the mannequin new Konnected Joe that was gifted to me from the Kamado Joe household of grills. I’ve regularly acquired a lot on the go along with grilling (I’m often lifeguarding and entertaining) and I would love SIMPLE. I truly like how simple this ceramic grill is to make the most of. It lights with the push of an computerized starter, and is then managed by an app on my telephone!
Do-Forward and Meal Prep Choices
Because of heartiness of lentils and full grains, this salad holds up terribly accurately contained in the fridge. I examined it as rather a lot as 5 days and -yup- nonetheless scrumptious. It acquired’t remaining that extended as quickly as additional!
Each side may be ready upfront. The salad may be assembled – grains, lentils and a punch inexperienced olive French dressing – after which refrigerated for a day or two earlier than meeting. All it’s a ought to to do is toss the onions, lemon and halloumi on the grill after which costume the salad. It’s really the very best yard barbecue aspect dish or vegetarian obligatory.
This may be oh-so-fabulous with fully completely different Mediterranean-inspired recipes. Serve it with my Grilled Peach and Rooster Kebabs or Sheet Pan Meatballs.
- 1/2 cup pitted inexperienced olives
- 1/2 cup Italian parsley leaves
- 1/2 cup newest basil leaves or fully completely different delicate newest herb such dill, and so forth
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons crimson wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
- 3 Tablespoons additional virgin olive oil plus extra for grilling
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly floor black pepper
- 2 cups cooked French lentils or inexperienced lentils
- 1 cup cooked grains quinoa, rice, farro and so forth
- 1 250g Haloumi cheese or feta
- 1 bunch inexperienced onions or spring onions
- 1 lemon thinly sliced
Make the Inexperienced Olive Dressing
Finely chop the inexperienced olives and updated herbs. Inside the event you make a limiteless batch, save time and use a meals processor.
In a small bowl, stir the minced olives and herbs along with the vinegar, maple syrup and olive oil. Add pepper; stir accurately to mix the dressing.
In an enormous bowl mix the lentils and grains along with the inexperienced olive dressing. At this stage the salad can protect contained in the fridge for as rather a lot as 24 hours.
Get Grilling
Preheat your grill or broiler, relying on the season. Toss the inexperienced onion with a bit olive oil and unfold onto a sheet pan, along with the sliced lemons.
Slice the halloumi into two slabs and rating a crosshatch contained in the prime of every with a knife. Rub olive oil into the cuts on the cheese.
Grill (or broil) onions, halloumi and lemons till they’ve a surprising char. The inexperienced onions will wilt and blister. The halloumi will take care of an excellent making an attempt golden crust.
Finely chop the grilled lemon slices. Roughly chop the inexperienced onion. Slice the halloumi into chunk measurement objects. All of those additions could also be prepped upfront.
Assemble the salad.
Stir the lemon and inexperienced onion into the lentil salad base. Heap onto a plate or platter. Extreme with sliced halloumi. Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with newest herbs. Chive blossoms make a reasonably addition. Serve at room temperature. The salad might be coated, refrigerated, and held for loads of days.
Add a bit warmth to the salad with a minced newest chili.
For a recipe shortcut, use a inexperienced olive tapenade as an alternative of the olive.
Salad may be prepped as rather a lot as 24 hours forward of time. Add the grilled haloumi on prime merely earlier than serving.