This warm lentil salad features roasted baby potatoes, a zesty dill vinaigrette, and a handful of protein and fiber-rich vegetarian ingredients! This salad is perfect as a side or main dish.
Welcome back to my protein-packed vegetarian meals series!
I'm always trying to come up with new ways to serve simple plant-based ingredients, and I have to say that I'm quite happy with how this warm lentil potato salad turned out.
It's more a salad in the traditional sense than in the mayo-packed potato salad sense, as the ingredients are tossed in a light and zesty dill vinaigrette and it's balanced enough to be a main.
While it's a warm salad in title, it works just as well as a chilled salad. Because the recipe includes a balance of protein, fiber, and carbs, this is a fantastic recipe to prep for lunch.
Jump to:
Recipe at a glance
- Cook time: 15 minutes of active time and 30 minutes of cooking time.
- Dill vinaigrette: Bright, zesty vinaigrette made with fresh dill, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and a few other staples.
- Protein-packed: Lentils, chickpeas, feta, and pistachios pack in the protein. Each serving clocks in at around 20-25 g protein per serving, depending on serving size.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Lentils: You can get away with using most types of brown, green, or black lentils here. I used black lentils because I had some to use up, but my go-to vegetarian lentil salad uses brown lentils, so I imagine they'd work well here.
- Feta: Adds saltiness and great flavor. Use vegan feta to make this recipe dairy-free. Not a fan of feta? I think goat's cheese would be a great swap.
- Potatoes: Choose baby or "new" potatoes. Small potatoes like fingerling or red potatoes also work, if that's all that's available.
- Dill: This recipe uses both fresh and dry dill, so make sure to grab both. I don't recommend replacing the fresh dill in the vinaigrette with dry dill, as it will change the overall flavor of the vinaigrette.
- Pistachios: I use salted roasted pistachios. Walnuts would be a good swap.
- Olives: Green olives are optional but they add a great briny flavor. If you choose to omit olives, I recommend adding another tangy acidic ingredient like pickled onions or diced pepperoncini's.
Serving and storage notes
- Leftover salad is best within 3-4 days. Keep refrigerated.
- Leftovers are great warm or chilled. Reheating is easiest in the microwave.
More protein-packed vegetarian salads
Recipe
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Cozy Peach Kitchen
Warm Lentil Salad with Dill Vinaigrette
This protein-packed lentil salad features roasted baby potatoes and a zesty dill vinaigrette. Enjoy warm or chilled.
Ingredients
For the Potatoes and Lentils
- 1 ½ pounds petite gold potatoes AKA baby potatoes
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dry dill
- ¾ teaspoons kosher salt divided
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup dry brown lentils or black or green lentils
- 2 ½ cups vegetable broth
Dill Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup fresh dill
- 1 clove garlic
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 medium lemon juiced and zested; about 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey adjust to taste
- pinch of salt adjust to taste
Other Ingredients
- 1 medium cucumber
- ⅓ cup pistachios
- ⅓ cup pitted green olives
- ½ cup crumbled feta
- 15 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup roughly chopped dill
- salt as needed
Instructions
For the potatoes and lentils
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Slice the potatoes in half, then transfer to a large sheet pan. Drizzle with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon dill, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Stir with a spatula or clean hands to combine.
- Arrange so that the potatoes are cut-side down, leaving space between pieces. Roast at 400F for 30 minutes, or until fork-tender and golden.
- Rinse the lentils in a fine mesh sieve, removing any debris or stones. Transfer to a pot with 2 ½ cups vegetable broth and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a gentle simmer over low heat. Cover and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain off excess liquid, as needed.
For the remaining salad ingredients
- Meanwhile, prepare the dill vinaigrette.If using a blender: Roughly chop the dill and garlic. Add to the blender with the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice (set aside the zest), Dijon mustard, honey, and pinch of salt. Blend until smooth.If using a jar: Finely chop the dill. Grate the garlic into a paste using a microplane or the smallest holes on a box grater. Whisk or shake together in a jar with the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice (set aside the zest), Dijon mustard, honey, and pinch of salt, until emulsified.
- Dice the cucumber and roughly chop the pistachios and olives.
- In a large bowl, combine the drained lentils, roasted potatoes, cucumber, pistachios, olives, feta, chickpeas, roughly chopped dill, and lemon zest. Drizzle with the vinaigrette, tossing to combine.
- Taste for seasonings, adding additional salt or pepper as needed. Enjoy warm. To serve chilled, cover and transfer to the fridge to chill for 3 hours before serving.
Notes
- Lentils: Any variety of brown, green, or black lentils work here, but note that cooking times may vary. Red and orange lentils do not work.
- Vegan option: Replace feta with vegan feta to make this recipe dairy-free.
- Leftover salad is best within 3-4 days. Keep refrigerated.
- Leftovers are great warm or chilled. Reheating is easiest in the microwave.
Nutrition
Calories: 588kcalCarbohydrates: 69gProtein: 22gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 689mgPotassium: 1290mgFiber: 21gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 381IUVitamin C: 45mgCalcium: 168mgIron: 6mg
Did you make this?I love hearing how it went! Leave a review or tag me on Instagram @cozypeachkitchen so I can see your creations!
Comments
No Comments