Lentil Salad with Feta — Warm or Cold, Keeps Three Days
Yvonne Ammann VegetarianCook 250 g green or beluga lentils in stock for 20 minutes until just tender — not soft, they should stay whole. Toss while warm with a dressing of balsamic, mustard, olive oil and garlic, then add diced carrot, spring onions, feta and parsley. Red lentils fall apart and are wrong here.
Lentil salad is the salad that comes out of the store cupboard and still fills you up like a proper meal. It costs almost nothing, has as much protein as meat and keeps improving in the fridge for three days. The one thing to know: green lentils, not red. Red ones collapse into mush — they belong in soup.
Ingredients
- 250 g Lentils (green or beluga)
- 6 dl Vegetable stock
- 1 piece Bay leaf
- 2 pieces Carrots
- 3 pieces Spring onions
- 150 g Feta
- ½ bunch Parsley
Dressing
- 3 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- 4 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tbsp Mustard (wholegrain)
- 1 piece Garlic clove
- 1 tsp Honey
- ½ tsp Salt
- Pepper
Method
- 1
Cook the lentils
Rinse the lentils, bring to the boil with the stock and bay leaf and simmer gently for 20 minutes until just tender. Taste from 15 minutes — they should stay whole. Drain, remove the bay leaf.
- 2
Dressing
Whisk the balsamic, mustard, crushed garlic, honey, salt and pepper, beat in the olive oil.
- 3
Dress while warm
Toss the still-warm lentils with the dressing. Warm, they absorb the flavour — cold, the dressing stays on the outside.
- 4
Vegetables and feta
Finely dice the carrots, slice the spring onions, chop the parsley, crumble the feta. Fold everything into the lentils and taste. Serve lukewarm or cold.
Tips
- As a warm supper: the salad lukewarm with a fried egg on top or with pan-fried salmon. As a side for bratwurst or grilled chicken.
- The carrots can also cook 5 minutes with the lentils — then they are soft instead of crunchy. Both are good; raw is fresher.
- Keeps four days in the fridge and is the best lunchbox salad because it does not wilt. Add the feta and parsley in the morning.
What can I substitute?
Saves 20 minutes. Tinned lentils are softer — toss gently, and season the dressing a little more.
Goat's cheese in pieces is creamier. Walnuts make the salad vegan — toasted and roughly chopped.
Brighter and fresher, without the balsamic's sweetness — then double the honey.
Nutrition per serving
Estimated from the ingredients.
Frequently asked questions
Which lentils for lentil salad?
Green lentils, beluga or Puy lentils — they hold their shape when cooked. Red and yellow lentils are hulled and collapse into mush after 10 minutes; they belong in dal or soup. Brown lentils work but soften faster.
Do I need to soak lentils first?
No. Lentils are the only pulses that cook in 20 to 25 minutes without soaking. Just rinse. Salt only at the end — in salted water they stay hard longer.
How long does lentil salad keep?
Four days in the fridge, and it improves until day two. Which is why double the amount is worth it for meal prep — without the feta and herbs, which go in fresh.
How much does lentil salad cost per person?
Under 2 CHF per person with feta, under 1 CHF without. Lentils cost about 4 CHF a kilo at Migros and Coop and 250 g serves four — one of the cheapest protein dishes there is.
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