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.
Enjoying this for lunch right now! Delicious 🙂
Yay!! Thank you so much for trying the recipe, Glenda!
This looks awesome! I’ve never had french lentils.
I made it on Tuesday night and enjoyed it yesterday for lunch and now today too! SO yum. Thanks 🙂
I made this Sunday for lunches this week. I substituted red wine vinegar for balsamic and dried cranberries for the raisins since that is what I had on hand. I served it over baby spinach. Delicious recipe! I have been a bit obsessed with lentils lately!
My daughter is a vegetarian so I am also on the lookout for new recipes to try! This one looks delish!
This is such a delicious and easy recipe. I highly recommend it!! This is going to be a new staple in my house!
Hi Natalie, That makes me so happy to hear! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and star rating. It means the world to me! <3
This salad looks amazing! I totally need to make this for lunch this week!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
great . thank you
This looks delicious! Going to make for lunches soon – always looking for new/unique salad ideas. 🙂
Yay! Definitely come back and let me know how it turns out. 🙂
So good! This was so simple and flavorful! I love that you have so many vegetarian options. Just ordered your 6 week meal plan and I am excited to try more of your recipes.
Ahh this makes me so happy to hear, Christina. I’m so glad you enjoyed this salad. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating, I so appreciate it!