Cold Lentil Salad is incredibly fast and easy to make with only 5 ingredients. This vegan Mediterranean lentil salad is loaded with flavor from sweet sun-dried tomatoes and a hint of citrus. Serve it on a bed of crisp greens for a complete high-protein meal.
This recipe was originally published 6/5/2017.
Lentils
Lentils are a wonderful staple to keep in your kitchen.
Whether you buy them pre-cooked in the produce section or dried from the bulk bins, you can always make a quick and filling meal with this versatile legume.
Some of my favorite ways to enjoy them are in Lentil Meatloaf Muffins and Instant Pot Lentil Soup.
But they are also delicious chilled in dishes like cold lentil salad.
While they come in all different colors from yellow to black, I usually use the brown or green ones.
The yellow and orange ones are better for soups and stews like Red Lentil Potato Soup or Vegan Richa’s Turmeric Spinach Lentil Dal. When cooked, these lentils almost disintegrate.
But the green, brown, and black lentils are firmer and hold their shape when cooked.
So keep this in mind when you shop for lentils.
And to learn more, check out Care2’s Everything to Know About Cooking Lentils.
Cooking lentils
While I usually keep a few bags of lentils in my pantry, when I see a package of steamed lentils in the refrigerated case at the market, I grab it.
Yes, it’s more expensive than cooking my own, but it’s incredibly convenient for quick meals or when it’s too hot to cook.
If you choose to use dried lentils for this cold lentil salad recipe, the best ways to prepare them are on the stove or in a pressure cooker, which is my favorite method.
A cup of dried lentils will yield about 2 1/2 cups cooked.
To cook them on the stove, bring 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil. Add the rinsed lentils and allow them to simmer 20-35 minutes until tender, stirring occasionally.
To cook them in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker, rinse 1 cup lentils and combine them with 2 1/4 cups of water. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally.
Then let the lentils to cool completely before making the Mediterranean lentil salad.
How to make Cold Lentil Salad
To make this lentil salad, simply combine the ingredients in a bowl and serve.
Mediterranean lentil salad ingredients:
- Cooked brown or green lentils (Buy them already cooked or prepare them yourself in advance and allow them to cool.)
- Sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil (Look for ones that are julienne cut.)
- Fresh parsley
- Fresh garlic
- Lemon juice
I like serving this salad on a bed of greens, such as Romaine lettuce or baby spinach. But it’s also delicious on its own.
You can bring it to potlucks, or serve it with other vegan Mediterranean diet dishes.
I love it with Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad and Moroccan Carrot Salad.
Cold Lentil Salad Recipe
This recipe makes 4 servings. The leftovers can be covered and refrigerated for a few days.
If you love this recipe, please give it 5 stars!
Cold Lentil Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked lentils (or a little more if you use a slightly larger package of pre-cooked lentils)
- 1 jar sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil julienne sliced (about 8.5 ounces)
- 1 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, including the olive oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes.
- Enjoy immediately or chill until ready to serve.
Tammy
Thanks for the recipe, this will be great to take to the office for lunch. I’m new to the instant pot scene, how do you cook your dry lentils in the instant pot?
Amy
I cook them for 5 minutes in the IP with natural release. I use the cooking charts in this book: http://amzn.to/2s4CCF8 It’s my favorite resource for pressure cooking.