Mediterranean Lentil Salad Recipe | Vegan Salad Recipe

Mediterranean Lentil Salad Recipe | Vegan Salad Recipe

– A lot of people are looking
to add plant-based protein,
fiber, and other
nutrients to their diet.
And a good way to do
that is by using lentils.
And I have just
the recipe for you,
my easy Mediterranean
lentil salad.
Lentils are my favorite
legume if I had to pick one
because they are so
easy to work with.
You don’t have to soak
them overnight or anything.
Just a quick rinse
and you’re good to go.
So we’re gonna go ahead
and add our lentils.
This is just one cup of
black or green lentils
that have been rinsed.
So one cup of lentils.
We’ll need three cups of water.
I usually kind of eyeball it.
You want to cover the lentils
by about one inch at least.
So we’re gonna go
ahead and do that.
(water splashes)
We’re just gonna use a dry
bay leaf, adding that here.
I’m not gonna season yet.
I’m gonna season it when
I’m ready to make the salad.
Lentils are a staple in
my Mediterranean kitchen
because of all their
health benefits,
but also they taste delicious.
So this is already kind
of coming to a boil.
I’m gonna turn it
down and cover it
and just let it simmer until
the lentils are tender.
It should take about
20 minutes or so.
We’re gonna prepare the salad
dressing right in the bowl.
We are gonna start
with the lemons.
Catch the seeds.
Oh yeah, thank you for coming.
A nice lemony
situation right here.
On their own, lentils are
pretty neutral tasting
and a lot of people think
they’re kind of boring
and that’s because
they’ve never tried them
the Mediterranean way, which
means a nice big flavor party.
We’ve got a couple garlic
cloves, minced or pressed.
You can start with
just one garlic clove
if you’re unsure, you know.
And then a nice big pinch of
kosher salt and black pepper.
And one of my favorite
new spices, urfa biber,
urfa pepper, which is
Turkish, and it’s so good.
It’s a deep purple
reddish pepper.
It has a tad of a
smoky scent to it.
It adds just enough heat, but
it has that hint of smokiness
and hint of sweetness.
It’s so delicious.
If you haven’t tried it
yet, you are in for a treat.
So we’re gonna add a nice
big pinch of that urfa biber
or urfa pepper in here.
Biber.
– [David] Justin pepper.
– Yeah, it’s really,
actually, you know what?
Yeah, I guess it’s
Justin Pepper.
I don’t, Justin Bieber.
Urfa biber.
And biber means
pepper in Turkish.
We’re gonna drizzle
the olive oil,
and we’re gonna
whisk as we drizzle.
And this action will
emulsify the dressing.
So it’s nice and rich
and has a little bit of
a thicker consistency.
It smells delicious.
So now we’re kind of ready to
put this whole party together.
Very easy.
Let’s check on our lentils.
Ooh yes.
This is one recipe you
can’t use red lentils for.
The red lentils will
completely collapse
and kind of turn into
mush and kind of soup.
And that’s why we use red
lentils a lot for soup.
But for this recipe, you want
the lentils to be tender,
but they need to still
hold their shape.
That’s why I’m using green
lentils or black lentils.
That would work too.
We’re gonna go ahead
and drain our lentils.
(chef laughs)
Nice facial every day.
Check this out.
So this is one cup of
lentils that we cooked.
You don’t need the
bay leaf anymore.
Thank you for coming.
And we’re gonna just let our
lentils sit for a minute.
They can cool.
I want them to still
be a little bit warm
when they hit my bowl
because then they would
absorb more of the flavor.
So we’re gonna just let
them cool just a tad
before we add everything in.
I’m gonna chop my
beautiful herbs here.
So we’re ready to throw
everything together.
Chop up your fresh mint.
And people forget that in
cooking the Mediterranean way,
our herbs are not
just a little garnish,
they are really a
main ingredient.
And so that every bite
will taste fresh and bold.
Absolute deliciousness.
And we’re going for parsley.
And this is one of those recipes
that are super forgiving.
So if you don’t have mint,
you can just do more parsley.
You can do other
veggies, you know?
So definitely don’t feel like
you couldn’t make it your own.
I do leave some of the
stem on the parsley,
gives it a lot more flavor.
Point your knife down
and chop like a pro.
So we’ve got our fresh mint,
fresh parsley, good things.
Let’s see here.
This is another thing
about this lentil salad
that I absolutely love.
You can make the
lentils ahead of time.
Keep ’em in your fridge.
Work on this whenever.
It’s so easy to prepare ahead.
Great for lunch.
It’s the whole package really.
We’re gonna go in with
our warmish lentils.
Oh yeah.
Toss them in this
delicious dressing.
Going in with the
beautifully chopped veggies.
I like to use a couple
different colors.
So we have yellow
and red bell peppers,
and then we have cucumbers,
and we have a couple
of green onions.
I like to use both the
white and green part.
See this?
I mean, how gorgeous
does it look?
Now we’re gonna go ahead
and add our beautiful herbs.
Nice shower.
– [David] Is that required
that you have to start so high?
– I think, yeah.
I feel like you gotta go here.
It just feels good.
It feels good to shower
your salad with herbs.
I’m gonna toss this
party together.
And this is why I said it’s
great to make the salad ahead
because you can just
leave it in the fridge
a good few minutes,
half hour, overnight.
And the more these
things sit together,
the better it’s gonna taste.
So it’s a great, great one
for those meal prep
mavens out there.
So look at it.
How beautiful does this look?
But it smells great
’cause I’m still smelling
a bit of that urfa
biber or urfa pepper.
The slight smokiness,
slight boldness.
It’s got so much
crunch and flavor
and the lentils with all
the veggies, it’s perfect.
So now that the salad
sat for a few minutes,
I wanna give it a taste
and I think it’s gonna be epic.
All right.
(gentle music)
So good.
No, I’m serious.
So this will feed a crowd.
I usually make it for my
family sometimes for dinner.
No big deal.
And we always have leftovers,
so it’s actually a
good one to make ahead
if you wanna kind of plan
your lunches for the week.
Perfect recipe to do that.
And if you love this one,
make sure you check out
my Mediterranean
chickpea salad next.
Grab the recipe for my
Mediterranean lentil salad
over on
themediterraneandish.com.
I will see you later, ciao.
Jump, jump, jump, ah, ah, ah.
(upbeat music)

Mediterranean Lentil Salad Recipe with Cucumber, Bell Pepper, and Fresh Herbs. People often ask me how to incorporate more heart-healthy, plant-based protein into their diet. I have one word for them: Legumes! And if I had to pick just one favorite legume, it would be lentils–this vegan lentil salad recipe is the whole package: full of delicious flavor and texture, plant-based protein, fresh veggies, and it tastes even better the next day (perfect for meal-prep!)

#lentils #lentilsrecipe #saladrecipe #salads

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🍅INGREDIENTS: 🍅
For the Dressing
🔹 2 large lemons, juiced
🔹 1 to 2 large garlic cloves, pressed or minced
🔹 Kosher salt
🔹 Black pepper
🔹 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Urfa Biber (optional, or use Aleppo pepper/chili flakes)
🔹 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
For the Lentil Salad
🔹 1 cup black or green lentils, rinsed
🔹 1 bay leaf
🔹 1 English cucumber, cut into large pieces
🔹 2 bell peppers, cored and chopped
🔹 2 green onions, trimmed and chopped
🔹 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
🔹 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves

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⏱️CHAPTERS⏱️
00:00​​ – Intro
00:13 – How to prepare lentils
00:32 – How to cook lentils
01:!2 – Making the salad dressing
01:52 – What is Urfa biber?
03:01 – Can you use red lentils?
03:58 – Preparing the herbs
05:04 – Adding the lentils to the salad dressing
05:12 – Adding the vegetables
05:33 – Adding the herbs
05:48 – Combine
06:36 – Taste test

#MediterraneanFood #MediterraneanDiet #HealthyEating

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The Mediterranean Dish is the top and best website / resource for modern Mediterranean recipes & the Mediterranean diet. See more: https://TheMediterraneanDish.com.

My name is Suzy Karadsheh, Chef and New York Times Bestselling Author, and here on The Mediterranean Dish, you will find easy, wholesome, and healthy recipes that celebrate the bold flavors of the Mediterranean from Southern Europe, to North Africa, and the Middle East.

I am a true daughter of the Mediterranean. I was born on the coast of Egypt in the bustling cosmopolitan city of Port Said, the North entrance of the Suez Canal, & just a boat ride away from Italy, Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Palestine and Israel.

Learn how to make Greek food, Italian food, Moroccan, Middle Eastern, adapted with a modern twist for all the busy cooks and moms out there! Most of our recipes abide by the Mediterranean diet, but please consult a doctor for your dietary needs.