Vegetarian Lentil Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
This nutrient-packed vegetarian lentil salad comes together in under 30 minutes. Complete with a flavorful honey mustard vinaigrette, this salad is perfect for meal prep lunches or as a side dish.
Use cold water to rinse 1 cup of dry brown lentils in a fine mesh strainer. Add rinsed lentils to a medium pot with 2 cups of water and ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cover with a lid. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until lentils are soft and edible but not mushy. Drain off any excess water.
While the lentils are cooking, prep remaining salad components: Slice kale into ribbons. Cut fresh sweet corn off of one ear of corn. Dice onion and red bell pepper. Slice grape tomatoes in half.
To a Ball jar or small bowl add ¼ cup lemon juice, ¼ cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons each spicy brown mustard, apple cider vinegar, honey, and 2 teaspoons soy sauce. If using a ball jar, put on the lid and shake to combine. If using a bowl, whisk until thoroughly combined.
In a large serving bowl, toss together cooked lentils, chickpeas, kale, sweet corn, bell pepper, red onion, tomatoes, hazelnuts and feta. Toss with honey mustard vinaigrette just before serving. Enjoy warm or transfer to the fridge for 2-3 hours to chill before enjoying.
Video
Notes
Kale: ½ bunch of kale will yield ~3 cups of kale ribbons. To cut, carefully use a knife to remove the woody stem. Stack kale leaves on top of each other, then slice into ½" ribbons. You can also use pre-sliced kale.
Hazelnuts: If hazelnuts aren't available at the store, try roasted pecans or sunflower seeds.
To make gluten-free: Use tamari in place of soy sauce in the honey mustard vinaigrette.
To make vegan: Omit feta cheese or replace with a vegan alternative. Use agave in place of honey in the vinaigrette.
To cool the lentils quickly: Place cooked lentils in a fine mesh strainer and rinse with ice cold water until cooled. This method may break apart the lentils if they're overcooked, so be careful. Alternately, fill a large bowl or container with ice cubes. Add the lentils to a smaller metal or glass bowl, then set that bowl in the ice. This should cool the lentils more quickly than if you were to just refrigerate them.
Leftovers: For best quality, cover and keep refrigerated for 3-4 days. Make sure to pat chickpeas dry and drain the lentils before adding the to the salad to help it last longer.
Check out my YouTube video above for step-by-step instructions.