Mediterranean Lentil Salad
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Published Dec 23, 2019, Updated Sep 28, 2022
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This Mediterranean lentil salad marries sautéed tomatoes, fresh basil and feta with steamed lentils for a hearty, flavorful vegetarian meal that takes less than 20 minutes to prepare!
I’m really excited because I’ve found another easy weeknight dinner to add to my arsenal! This lentil salad is quick, delicious and perfect for all seasons because it can be served warm or cold.
Pre-Cooked Steamed Lentils
You can totally plan ahead and cook your own lentils, but this dish is an absolute breeze to whip up with pre-cooked, steamed lentils. I’ve seen steamed lentils at different grocery stores in the produce section. Stores like Kroger carry the Melissa’s steamed lentils and steamed lentils are one of my favorite items to buy from Trader Joe’s.
Pre-cooked lentils are perfect for tossing together quick protein-packed vegetarian meals. Usually I just serve them as a side or use them as a salad topper, but recently I decided to spruce them up a little. The result is this lentil salad recipe I’m sharing with you today.
Ingredients in this Mediterranean Lentil Salad
You only need a handful of ingredients to make this lentil salad:
- lentils – again, I love buying pre-cooked lentils, but you can always cook your own too!
- garlic and red onion
- tomatoes
- balsamic vinegar
- olive oil and sea salt
- fresh basil
- feta
- raisins
- avocado
How to Make Lentil Salad
This lentil salad is one of the easiest salad recipes I’ve ever shared, especially if you’re using pre-cooked lentils.
That said, if you aren’t using pre-cooked lentils, cook the lentils according to package directions, until the lentils are tender.
Once lentils are ready, sauté your red onion and garlic until fragrant. Add in the tomatoes and salt and cook for 10 minutes, until tomatoes are softened. Add balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan and then add in the cooked lentils. Stir everything to combine and cook for an additional minute or two. Add in the fresh basil, feta cheese and raisins. Remove from the heat and serve over brown rice or baby spinach.
Top with fresh avocado slices and more cheese! Are you an olive fan? Kalamata olives would be delicious with this as well.
This mediterranean lentil salad recipe is versatile and works great for meal prep because it tastes delicious served hot or cold. The first night I plated the warm lentil mixture over a bed of fresh spinach with a few chunks of avocado on top. And the next day I served it up the same way for lunch — only as a cold salad. I liked it both ways!
If you like lentils and Mediterranean flavors, you’re going to L-O-V-E this quick and easy meal. Trust me. 🙂
Love Mediterranean Recipes? Try These Too:
- Hummus
- Baked Falafel
- Mediterranean Salmon Salad
- Mediterranean Orzo Salad
- Za’atar Chicken
- Vegetable Tagine
More Lentil Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- Vegan Lentil Loaf
- Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Stew
- Cabbage Lentil Soup
- Roasted Garlic Lentil Soup
- Lightened Up Cauliflower Rice Mujadara
- Kale Sweet Potato Lentil Salad
- Lentil Tuna Salad
- Lentil Meatballs
Sautéed Mediterranean Lentil Salad
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cooked French lentils
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup red onion, diced
- 1 cup tomatoes, diced
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1/2 cup crumbed feta
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/2 avocado, sliced
Instructions
- Cook lentils according to package instructions if you didn’t buy prepared lentils.
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Add in onions and garlic and sauté until fragrant and onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and sea salt, cover and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often until tomatoes have softened. Add balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan. Add in cooked lentils, give the mixture a stir and cook for another minute or two — until lentils are just warm.
- Add basil, feta and raisins. Give the mixture a good stir to combine everything, remove from heat and serve.
- Serve lentils over cooked brown rice or baby spinach. Top with fresh avocado slices and an extra sprinkle of feta.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
2/3 of my kids liked this (that’s a win in our house), husband and I loved it. I served it over cooked quinoa and spinach. We will definitely make it again.
That is definitely a win! So glad your family enjoyed this salad, Melanie. Thank you so much for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I so appreciate it! <3
I doubled this for my 3 grown men in my family….they DEVOURED it! I can’t wait to make it again!
Amazing!! That makes me so happy to hear, Lynn. Thanks for trying this recipe and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
This is DELICIOUS! I halved cherry tomatoes. Had to sub whipped cream cheese for the feta & it was amazing! 👅
Ahh yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed this dish! Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it. <3
This recipe is absolutely delectable. Oh my gosh, I cannot thank you enough for this recipe. I have had this bookmarked to make and tonight had the craving, so I went to TJ’s and got the lentils and tomatoes, and got to cooking, and it turned out amazing. I was unsure about the balsamic vinegar component and considered omitting it, but am so glad I didn’t, because it was the thing that really added extra flare and kicked it up several notches and gave it that special element. I didn’t use fresh basil or avocado or feta, and I had used a little bit of white onion as well as the red, b/c I ran out of red, and this literally tasted SO GOOD. One of the best lentil dishes I have ever had, hands down, and I can’t wait to keep making this, and to share the recipe with others who I know will also enjoy it. Thank you!! <3
Ahh this makes me so happy to hear, Beth. I’m so pumped you’re loving this recipe. Thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it!
Great recipe… thank you
This is delicious, quick and easy to make too!
This was simple to make and is really nice served over shredded spinach!
This was a quick, easy, and delicious recipe. Instead, of raisins we used green olives. We also mixed rice in dish and added fresh chopped cucumbers. I loved the taste if the balsamic in the dish. Great recipe!
Woo!! So glad you loved this salad. Thanks so much for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!!
This was very good! I had to sub fresh cilantro as no basil was available but otherwise kept to recipe. The flavors are very balanced and work well together.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Sarah! Thanks for coming back to leave a review. It means the world to me!
Please include the sodium content in the nutrition information. I have high BP and need to keep track of the days sodium.
Hey Carole – Sorry about that, I just updated the nutritional info to include the sodium content.