Greek-Inspired Lentil Salad

Greek lentil salad in a large bowl with sliced cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, olives and herbs.

5 from 1 vote

This fresh, zesty Greek-Inspired Lentil Salad is everything I want for an easy lunch or a colorful side: tender lentils, juicy cherry tomatoes, crisp Persian cucumbers, briny Kalamata olives, creamy feta, and a bright lemon-oregano dressing.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: Servings

Author: Luay Ghafari

Cost: $10

Ingredients

For Cooking the Lentils

1 cup Brown Lentils
3 cups Water

Dressing Ingredients

¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp Lemon juice
1 tbsp Dried oregano
1 tsp Kosher salt
¼ tsp Black pepper

Fresh Ingredients

2 cups Cherry tomatoes (halved)
3 Persian cucumbers (chopped)
1 Small red onion (finely chopped)
½ cup Greek feta (crumbled)
¼ cup Kalamata olives (pitted and chopped)
2 tbsp Fresh dill (chopped)
1 tbsp Fresh mint (chopped)

Instructions

Boil and Drain Lentils. Rinse and pick over 1 cup Brown Lentils, then boil in 3 cups Water until tender but not mushy, about 20-25 minutes. Drain in a fine mesh sieve, run under cold water and let the lentil drain completely.
Make Dressing. In a large serving bowl, whisk together ¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil, 3 tbsp Lemon juice, 1 tbsp Dried oregano, 1 tsp Kosher salt, and ¼ tsp Black pepper until emulsified.
Assemble. Add the cooked and drained lentils, 2 cups Cherry tomatoes (halved), 3 Persian cucumbers (chopped), 1 Small red onion (finely chopped), ½ cup Greek feta (crumbled), ¼ cup Kalamata olives (pitted and chopped), 2 tbsp Fresh dill (chopped) and 1 tbsp Fresh mint (chopped) to the bowl.
Toss and Adjust the Seasoning. Toss to coat evenly, taste, and adjust with more lemon, salt, and pepper as needed. Garnish with fresh dill and serve.

Notes

Refer to the post above for step-by-step recipe photos, helpful tips and advice.

Key Ingredient Information:

Lentils: Green or brown hold their shape best; black beluga also works. Don’t use red lentils, as they turn to mush when cooked.

Tomatoes: Classic Greek Salad ingredient. I am using cherry tomatoes here. They are sweet and easy to work with. You can totally use larger tomatoes, but I would recommend removing some of the seed cavities before chopping them into chunks for the salad.

Feta cheese: Greek Feta Cheese is the only way to go here! But if you want to keep this recipe vegan, use a plant-based feta substitute.

Olives: Greek-Inspired salads call for classic Greek Kalamata olives. But this recipe will also work with green or black olives. Use what you have on hand.

Onion: I am using a small red onion. If raw onion is too sharp for you, soak the chopped onion in cold water to mellow it out. Or use scallions or green onions.

Nutrition