This Quinoa Lentil Salad is a delicious salad that is perfect for meal prep. With no lettuce, all of the ingredients in this salad will happily sit in the dressing and marinate. It stores well in the fridge for up to 4 days, making it a great salad to prep ahead for healthy lunches.
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With fresh crunchy veggies like cucumber, capsicum and cherry tomatoes paired with fresh parsley, salty olives and feta and punchy red onion, this salad is filled with flavour! If you’re looking for more quinoa salad recipes then you should also try my Quinoa Arugula Salad or my Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad.
What’s to Love About this Salad
- allergy friendly – this salad is gluten-free and egg-free. Easily make this salad nut-free and dairy-free (check the ingredients notes to see how).
- perfect for meal prep – prep ahead of time for 4 days of healthy grab-and-go lunches.
- a complete meal – with protein from lentils, quinoa and feta, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats, this salad can be eaten as a complete meal on it’s own or served as a side to your favourite protein. This salad is loaded with nutrition and provides a really great amount of dietary fibre.
- easy recipe – just chop everything up and throw it together with some cooked quinoa, this salad couldn’t get much easier.
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
Below is a list of all of the ingredients that you will need to make this yummy and healthy salad along with any ingredients notes and possible substitutions. All of these simple ingredients can be found at the grocery store.
Salad Ingredients
- brown lentils – lentils are one of the main ingredients in this salad and a great source of plant-based protein. You can swap the lentils for another cooked legume like chickpeas or butter beans. In this recipe I’ve used tinned lentils (drain and rinse before using).
- quinoa – quinoa is also a great source of protein and a range of other nutrients. It can be swapped for brown rice or millet.
- capsicum (bell pepper) – I’ve used red and yellow capsicums in this recipe but you can use all red, all yellow, red, green and yellow etc. Whatever you can find is fine.
- red onion
- Lebanese cucumber – I’ve used Lebanese cucumber but you can also use English cucumber or whatever cucumber you normally use.
- feta cheese – to make dairy free, swap the feta for a vegan feta or omit from the recipe. You can also swap for goat cheese if preferred, which still has dairy in it but is easier to digest.
- Sicilian green olives – Sicilian green olives are my absolute favourite but you can use Kalamata or any other olive you prefer.
- fresh flat leaf parsley – I prefer flat leaf parsley in this recipe but you can swap for other fresh herbs like fresh cilantro (coriander) or basil.
- grape tomatoes – swap grape tomatoes for your favourite variety of cherry tomatoes.
- currants – I love the little pops of sweetness from the currants in this recipe. You can also use dried cranberries or sultanas.
- pecans – to make nut free, swap the pecans for toasted pepitas and sunflower seeds. You can also swap the pecans for any other preferred nut like toasted almonds, macadamias, Brazil nuts or cashews.
Dressing
- extra virgin olive oil – other oils that would be well suited to this salad dressing include flaxseed oil (linseed oil) or avocado oil.
- lemon juice – for a Mexican twist on this salad, swap the lemon juice for lime juice. You could also swap for apple cider vinegar.
- honey – swap for pure maple syrup.
- dijon mustard
- sea salt flakes
How to Make Lentil Quinoa Salad Recipe
To make this quinoa lentil salad recipe follow the simple steps below.
Cook the Quinoa
First, add the cup quinoa to a large saucepan and top with water. Use your hand to swish the quinoa around to wash it. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and return to the pan. Repeat this process another two times to remove the saponins (anti-nutrients) from the quinoa.
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Return the strained and rinsed quinoa back to the pan along with 1 1/4 cups water. Bring to a high heat and boil with the lid off until most of the water has been absorbed. Turn the heat to low and then place the lid onto the pan. Keep a close eye on the quinoa and once there is no liquid bubbling up through the quinoa, turn off the heat and allow to steam with the lid on for about 15 minutes.
While the quinoa is cooking, prep the rest of the ingredients.
Make the Dressing
To make the lemon vinaigrette, add the olive oil, lemon juice, honey and mustard to a small bowl and whisk until really well combined and smooth. Add salt to taste and stir through. Alternatively, add all of the ingredients to a jar, place the lid on and shake vigorously to combine.
Assemble the Salad
To assemble the salad, add the diced cucumber, capsicum, tomatoes, red onion, strained lentils, halved olives, chopped parsley, currants and chopped pecans to a large salad bowl. Add the quinoa and then feta, drizzle with the dressing and toss well to combine. Top with a bit more crumbled feta to serve.
Storage
Store the leftovers in an airtight container, place the lid on and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Meal Prep It
Divide the salad between four airtight containers, place the lids on and store for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Make it Dairy Free & Vegan
To make this recipe vegan, swap the feta for a vegan feta and swap the honey for pure maple syrup.
Make it Nut Free
Swap the pecans for toasted sunflower seeds and pepitas.
Quinoa Lentil Salad
Equipment
- Chopping Board
- Sharp knife
- Large salad bowl
- Large saucepan
- Fine mesh sieve
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 400 grams canned brown lentils, drained and rinsed
- 1 red capsicum, diced
- 1 yellow capsicum, diced
- ½ red onion, peeled and finely diced
- 2 Lebanese cucumbers, diced
- 200 grams cherry tomatoes, quartered
- handful flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- ½ cup Sicilian green olives, thinly sliced
- ½ cup pecans, toasted, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup currants
- 100 grams Greek feta cheese
Dressing
- 60 mL olive oil, extra virgin
- 40 mL lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- pinch sea salt flakes
Instructions
- First, cook the quinoa. Add the quinoa to a large saucepan and top with water. Use your hands to swish the quinoa around to remove saponins. Strain into a fine mesh sieve and then repeat another two times. Add the strained quinoa back to the pan along with 1 ¼ cups water. Place onto the stovetop and bring to a boil. Boil until most of the water has been absorbed. Place the lid on and turn the heat to low until there is no more liquid bubbling through the quinoa. At this point turn the heat off and set aside to steam for around 15 minutes.
- Use a fork to fluff up the quinoa and cool to room temperature.
- While the quinoa is cooking and cooling, prepare all of your other ingredients and the salad dressing. Dice the capsicum, onion and cucumbers. Quarter the cherry tomatoes, roughly chop the flat leaf parsley, thinly slice the olives and roughly chop the pecans.
- Next make the dressing. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, mustard and sea salt flakes to a small jar, place the lid on and shake to combine.
- To assemble the salad, add the quinoa, strained lentils, capsicum, red onion, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, parsley, olives, pecans and currants to a large salad bowl. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Top with crumbled feta and serve.
Notes
To make dairy-free & vegan:
- swap the feta for a vegan feta or omit.
- swap the honey for pure maple syrup.
To make nut free:
- swap the pecans for toasted sunflower seeds and pepitas
To meal prep:
- divide between four – six airtight containers, place the lids on and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- serve alongside additional protein of choice if desired.
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