This healthy, satisfying Mediterranean lentil salad recipe with spinach, crunchy vegetables, and a zippy lime dressing is the ultimate power bowl! It’s loaded with nutrition, easy to make, and it’s even better the next day!
Lentils are an essential ingredient in my Mediterranean pantry. They are hearty, satisfying, and loaded with good-for-you nutrition–from plant-based protein, to iron, fiber, antioxidants and more!
But, aside from the fact that they are a food powerhouse, lentils are super easy to use. They don’t require a whole lot of planning or soaking overnight, and they cook pretty quickly.
You can catch me reaching for a bag of lentils any night of the week to make a warm-your-belly vegan lentil soup, or my favorite lentils and rice dish Mujadara, or go for something a bit brighter with our Lentil Salad With Roasted Eggplant And Pomegranate Dressing. Or a version of today’s healthy lentil salad recipe, tossed with greens, crunchy veggies, and a bright lime dressing!
What kind of lentils are best for lentil salad?
There are about a dozen lentil varieties. For salad, it is best to use a firm variety such as green lentils or black lentils–that can hold their shape after cooking. I do not recommend using yellow or red split lentils for this salad because they dissolve when cooking and are perfect for something like a creamy red lentil soup.
In this recipe and my French lentil salad recipe, I use dry all-natural green lentils, which are heaty and have a mild and pleasant peppery flavor that’s well-complimented by the vegetables and dressings in this salads. They take a little longer to cook, but even as they get nice and tender, they don’t lose their shape and turn mushy.
Another great option for this salad is dry all-natural black beluga lentils. They’re quick-cooking and have a nice creamy texture and earthy, deep flavor.
How to cook lentils for salad?
Lentils do not require soaking and you can cook them for this salad one night in advance, just drain and keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to use. To cook 1 cup of dry lentils (green or black), you’ll need 3 cups of water. Here is how to cook lentils for this salad:
- Start with 1 cup dry green lentils or black lentils
- Rinse the lentils well and drain
- In a saucepan, combine the lentils with 3 cups of water
- Bring to a rapid simmer over high heat, then lower the heat to medium-low, cover and let the lentils simmer anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes. (Black lentils will cook in 20 to 25 minutes, while green lentils will cook anywhere from 35 to 45 minutes)
- When the lentils are tender and fully cooked, drain well and allow them to cool a bit. Then either store them in the fridge overnight or toss them in this Mediterranean salad and chill for later.
Mediterranean lentil salad: How to make it
This lentil salad recipe takes on some crunchy veggies and bold Mediterranean flavors you’ll love!
Once cooked to tender perfection, drain the lentils and combine them in a mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients–crunchy cucumbers, onions, and a large handful of leafy greens (baby spinach or kale are great options here).
When pomegranates are in season, I love to add a good cup of pomegranate seeds (arils)–the sweet, tangy, juicy pomegranate seeds add a little something unexpected and delightful.
The simple lentil salad dressing is made by whisking fresh lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, and a dash of cumin and allspice (you can play with the spices to your liking as well, but the warm flavors work really well with the hearty lentils.)
One of my favorite things to add on top is some crumbled creamy feta, but if you’re going for a vegan lentil salad, you can simply omit the cheese.
Ways to serve this salad
I love how versatile this simple green lentil salad is!
Because it’s so hearty, it can totally stand alone as a meal. I’ve served it for lunch with just a side of challah or crusty bread. It also makes a great side next to:
- Fish & Seafood: Baked Cod, Halibut, or Lemon Garlic Salmon, Spanish Shrimp (Gambas al Ajillo)
- Chicken: Baked Chicken Drumsticks, Italian Baked Chicken, Chicken Shawarama
- Lamb: Rack of Lamb, Boneless Leg or Lamb
- Vegetarian: Spanish Tortilla, Roasted Cauliflower, or even Eggplant Lasagna
Browse our collection of Greek recipes or top Mediterranean diet recipes.
Or all Mediterranean recipes. JOIN MY FREE E-MAIL LIST for weekly meal plans and more!
Mediterranean Power Lentil Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry green lentils or black lentils
- Seeds of 1 pomegranate
- Water
- Kosher salt
- 1 small red onion chopped
- 3/4 English cucumber small diced or chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
- 2 to 3 cups baby spinach or other leafy green of choice
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
- Crumbled feta cheese for garnish
Lime Dressing
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil I used Early Harvest Greek olive oil
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cook the lentils. In a saucepan, combine lentils with 3 cups of water and pinch of kosher salt. Bring to a boil. Cover, and lower heat to medium-low. Let simmer until the lentils are fully tender (anywhere from 25 to 45 minutes depending on the kind of lentils used). Be sure to check and add water if lentils seem too dry during the cooking process (they should absorb a lot of the water. Drain and set aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked lentils with chopped onions, cucumbers, baby spinach, parsley, and pomegranate seeds (arils.) Give everything a gentle toss.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the lime dressing ingredients. Pour the dressing over the lentil salad and toss to combine. Add a sprinkle of feta cheese to finish.
- Allow a few minutes for the flavors to meld before serving.
Notes
- Make-ahead tip: You can cook the lentils the night before. Drain and refrigerate in a tight-lid glass container until ready to use.
- For best flavor: allow the lentil salad to sit for just a few minutes to soak up the flavors of the lime dressing.
- Visit Our Online Shop to browse Mediterranean ingredients, including lentils, Greek extra virgin olive oils, and spices!
Nutrition
*This post originally appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2015 and has recently been updated with new information and media for readers’ benefit. Enjoy!
Made this recipe a couple of days ago. Nice freshness and crunch with the cucumber and shallot, satisfying and filling due to the lentils, and the dressing is really tasty. Did not have pomegranate arils, so we drizzled a little pomegranate molasses to taste over individual servings. Will make again as it would be easy to adapt to the veggies on hand.
Awesome! Thanks so much, Susan!
I already started to give you my take. But it got lost. Anyway I knew you’d be my go to for ideas. I was right. You used limes which I will try next time but I used lemon. I tossed in some za’tar, Baharat and sumac. I was tasting as I went. I use my dog to help me. Lol I knew she liked cottage cheese and I basically used that to cook it down. She ate it and came back for more. I thought of feta but it seemed too salty for next then I tried some goat cheese. I didn’t think it was that good but now the pot is almost empty lol. Maybe some parsley. I should start growing it cuz I get it at the store and forget about it and by the time I want to use it it’s not good. But anyways Suzi, I thought I’d share my thoughts. Thank you!! Shalom 😍👋❤️
We should have read Suzy’s commentary before we started…..do no use yellow lentils. They turned to mush but we threw them into the salad anyway.💛💛💛
Easy and so delicious!
This is excellent. First night I had it as a side salad. The next night I toasted whole wheat pita topped with hummus and arugula and the lentils. I forgot to put the spinach in when I made it so I just put the lentils on top of a mound of spinach for a salad for lunch. I also added more lime juice after a few days. The pomegranate seeds are a pop of tart freshness!
I have never used pomegranate seeds before in a recipe. They are outstanding in a salad. They are easy to find in the grocery store which makes this an easy recipe to pull together. The salad holds up well in the refrigerator so leftovers are not a problem. I added a touch more honey but other than that followed the recipe as posted.
I don’t have dried lentils. Could I use canned, rinsing them very well?
Sure, Susie! That will work!
Fanastic! I know what I’m making this weekend then. Thanks for the reply!
Suzy, if pomegranates are not in season what would you recommend in place of the arils on this salad?
Hi, Alyne. I think anything that has that same sweet-tangy flavor as pomegranate would be great here, such as raspberries, cranberries, and cherries.
So yummy and healthy salad
Healthy choices are very valuable
Made this to go with some grilled lamb cutlets. It was fresh, tasty and delicious. Never disappointed with your recipes.
Delicious and easy to prepare! Thank you!
Like every other receipe of yours it’s a winner !
I love this salad, we have made it often and it is always fresh and delicious. Thank you.
Awesome! Thank you, Jane!
Simple to make and wonderful flavours – loved making this lentil salad
This is such a nice dish with a variety of textures and healthy ingredients. Out of six years together with my husband this is the only thing I’ve made that he said he loves and could I make it more often? Lol He is Syrian and said it reminds him of fattoush. He also tends to be a meat and rice kind of guy, so it’s a double surprise that he loves a salad. I consider that a huge win!
I made it as written, except for allspice as I didn’t have any. But it felt like something was missing to give it a more well-rounded flavor. It was also a little dry. So I added more EVOO, honey and plenty of feta. Still something missing. Maybe it was the allspice. The secret ingredient that gave it a huge boost was pomegranate syrup. It gave it a fuller flavor. I also added some cinnamon and clove later to make up for the allspice (no nutmeg in the house) and it did help, but I think the pomegranate syrup really helped to meld all the flavors. Next time I think I will also cook the lentils in vegetable broth, and add some fresh cilantro along with the parsley.
Thanks for the recipe!
You are very welcome, Christina! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience with this recipe!