Lentil salad - everything delicious is simple: recipes with photos and videos

Home Vegetarian salads

Lentil salad is suitable for vegetarian and healthy nutrition. A variety of cooking recipes will allow you to choose a treat for even the most picky eater.

The valuable advantage of lentil salad is not only its low cost, but also its enormous benefits. The main ingredient of this dish contains trace elements and vitamins that have a beneficial effect on the functioning of internal organs. Surprisingly, edible seeds do not accumulate toxins, nitrates and pesticides.

Many years ago, people “discovered” lentils and ate them every day. In Rus', this bean product was considered a delicacy; healers used it to cure ailments. People were sure that lentil dishes would make a person healthy.

Lentils are different from lentils. Each type differs in taste, cooking time and nutritional value.

Any variety is suitable for making lentil salad. But it is best to opt for the brown or green variety. They hold their shape well and do not boil over.

How to make lentil salad - 15 varieties

Simple lentil salad - classic recipe
Hearty salad with mushrooms and lentils
Salad with lentils and green peas
Sprouted Lentil Salad
Black lentil salad
Lentil salad with feta cheese
Lentil salad with fried onions
Warm salad with lentils and zucchini
Tuna and Lentil Salad
Salad with apple and lentils
Lentil salad with beets
Lentil salad with meat
Lentil salad with pickled cucumber
Lentil and pumpkin salad
Bright lentil salad

Simple lentil salad - classic recipe

This simple and satisfying dish does not require any special culinary skills. You just need to boil the lentils, simmer the vegetables in a frying pan and mix the ingredients. The products are affordable, and the cooking itself does not take much time.

Ingredients:

Large onion,
Large carrots
1 cup red lentils,
3 cloves of garlic.

Preparation:

Rinse the lentils. After this, boil for about 20-25 minutes until soft.

Chop the onion into half rings. Grate the carrots.

Fry the vegetables for about 10 minutes over low heat.

Add the crushed garlic and add it to the vegetables.

Simmer for a couple more minutes and remove from heat.

Mix boiled lentils with steamed vegetables. Add some salt.

Before serving, the finished salad can be decorated with fresh herbs.

Types of Lentils

1. Red lentils.
Suitable for puree, cook for 10-25 minutes. Red lentils, whose benefits have long been known, have a delicate taste, and the spices allow them to be combined with various spices.

2. Green lentils.

It doesn’t get overcooked, holds its shape well, but requires a little more cooking time. Suitable for creating all kinds of salads, it has a nutty taste.

3. Brown lentils.

It cooks quite quickly, but if overcooked, it forms a mushy mass. In combination with pork and bacon, it gives dishes an unusual taste, saturates them with the aroma of vegetables and curry.

4. Black lentils.

Fine-grained, does not require the use of spices, as it has a bright taste. Cook for up to 20 minutes.

5. Yellow lentils.

Prepares in about 15 minutes. During this period, it manages to swell and form a puree.

6. French lentils.

It does not lose its shape and becomes soft inside when cooked. It has a beautiful appearance, is ideal for salads, and resembles the taste of pepper.

Hearty salad with mushrooms and lentils

A warm salad prepared with mushrooms and green lentils can serve as a complete lunch in the middle of an active day. An excellent dish saturates the body and gives a lot of energy and strength.

Ingredients:

Green or red lentils – ½ cup,
Water - 1 cup,
Olive oil,
Champignons – 10-12 pieces,
A small bunch of parsley
A little arugula
Garlic – 2 cloves,
A little lemon juice
Salt,
Ground pepper.

Preparation:

Wash the lentils well in water. Place it in a saucepan and add one cup of water.

After the water boils, cook the product for half an hour over medium heat.

Meanwhile, cut the champignons into medium-thick slices.

Chop the garlic into small pieces or grind in a garlic press.

Pour a little olive oil into a frying pan or saucepan and add the mushrooms. Fry them until a beautiful golden crust forms.

Fry the champignons in batches so that the light brown crust forms more evenly.

Add aromatic garlic to them and fry for a couple of minutes.

Transfer the cooked lentils to the mushrooms, mix and heat everything together for about 1 minute.

Then remove the frying pan from the heat. Add lemon juice, salt, pepper and parsley.

When serving, place a handful of arugula on a plate, and on it - a portion of hot lentils with mushrooms.

If desired, add a little oil and stir.

Salad with lentils and green peas

If you want to eat tasty and healthy, we recommend preparing a salad with this amazing edible plant and green peas. This dish is low in calories, but will provide energy for a long time.

Ingredients:

3 beets and carrots,
Small can of canned peas
120 g green or red lentils,
Any vegetable oil,
Lemon juice,
Salt to taste.

Preparation:

Boil carrots and beets.

Pour water over the lentils and, after boiling, cook for 10 minutes.

Pour the peas and boiled lentils into a deep bowl, after draining the liquid from the food.

Cut the beets and carrots into strips or other preferred method and place in a bowl.

Sprinkle lemon juice over salad. Add salt to taste and a little oil.

Mix. Before serving, sprinkle the dish with a small handful of sesame seeds.

Vegetarian subtleties

Vegetarianism is one of the forms of dietary nutrition. However, it is worth seeing the difference between vegetarianism and veganism. Vegans abstain from all animal products, some even from honey. Vegetarianism is an easier form that is suitable for almost anyone, because it does not involve such cruelty in refusing this or that food.

When switching to vegetarianism, you need to be fully aware of what you will have to give up. Often, this type of diet does not help those who are not psychologically ready to stop eating animal products. Life turns into an ordinary existence. Therefore, if you decide to become a vegetarian, then start from your own head, weighing all the pros and cons.

Sprouted Lentil Salad

The unusual thing about this salad is the sprouted lentils, which few people have tried. But in vain, in terms of taste, it is no worse than ordinary mature lentils, but it has many times more benefits. Having prepared this dish once, you will surely appreciate all the delicious taste of sprouted lentils.

Ingredients:

100 g lentils,
Medium cucumber
bell pepper,
Dill greens,
Green onion feathers,
Salt,
Freshly ground black pepper,
Olive oil,
A handful of raw, peeled sunflower seeds.

Preparation:

We wash 100 g of lentils and leave it in water for 12 hours.

Drain the liquid. Cover the wet lentils with a lid to allow air access and leave them to germinate at room temperature.

Cut the cucumber and sweet pepper into strips, and the tomatoes into cubes.

Chop the greens.

Mix all ingredients.

Add seeds, salt and pepper.

Season the salad with a small amount of oil.

With carrots

Today, salad recipes with lentils can be found to suit every taste. Most often you come across options with the addition of a variety of vegetables. For example, carrots fit perfectly into the snack being discussed. If you also choose a light oil dressing, you will end up with a low-calorie dietary treat.

Composition of ingredients

For the dish you need to take:

carrots and lentils – 100 g each;
white onion – 60-70 g;
green onion – 30-35 g;
apple cider vinegar – 1 tsp. (for marinating) + 1 tsp. for the sauce;
sunflower oil, ground pepper, salt and sugar - to taste.

Of the ingredients for such a snack, it is especially important to choose the right apple cider vinegar. It must be a natural fruit product. Regular tableware with apple flavoring and dye will not work.

Step-by-step cooking process

The cooking process includes several stages:

You need to start by preparing the main nutritious ingredient of the future snack - lentils. The product does not need to be pre-soaked. It will be enough to carefully sort it out, remove all the bad grains and place it in a saucepan with cold water. There should be approximately 2 times more liquid than cereal.
After boiling, the lentils need to be cooked over moderate heat for approximately 35-40 minutes. As a result, it should become soft, but not boil over and turn into porridge.
Already fully cooked lentils must be thrown into a sieve and allowed to drain completely. Then cool the product before adding it to the salad.
The onion should be peeled and then cut into thin half rings. The smaller the pieces, the less noticeable the vegetable will be in the finished treat.
At the next stage, you will need to place the chopped onion in a deep but small container. Afterwards, sprinkle it with salt and sugar (1 pinch will be enough), pour in the amount of apple cider vinegar indicated in the recipe.
After stirring, leave the onion to marinate at room temperature for about a quarter of an hour.
At this time, you need to wash, dry and finely chop the green onion feathers with a sharp knife.
Next you can do the carrots. It should be washed, cleaned, and then boiled or baked until soft. This process will take about 20 minutes. If you decide to cook the product in the oven, you will need to first wrap it in foil.
When the carrots, already baked until soft, have cooled, they will need to be cut into slices or halves.
All that remains is to put all the products prepared above into a spacious salad bowl: lentils, vegetables, and herbs. The pickled onions will first need to be lightly squeezed.

At the very end, you should salt and pepper the treat, season it with a mixture of sunflower oil and apple cider vinegar. Citrus juice, honey, and mustard will also fit well into the dressing. Any of these ingredients can be chosen to taste or combined with each other.

How to serve a dish

The lentil and carrot treat can be served immediately or slightly cooled beforehand.

Black lentil salad

The taste of black lentils is somewhat spicy and original. Its use helps maintain youth and health for many years. This variety contains a large amount of folic acid, so it is highly recommended for use by young children and pregnant women.

Ingredients:

Black lentils,
A small bunch of parsley and cilantro,
2 stalks of celery,
Walnuts,
Cranberry,
Juice of 0.5 lemon,
Salt,
Black pepper,
Vegetable oil – 2 tbsp. l.

Preparation:

Wash the lentils and boil them in salted water until tender.

Finely chop the celery

Chop cilantro and parsley, chop nuts.

You can take peanuts or almonds, but the most delicious salad is with the addition of walnuts.

In a separate bowl, combine boiled lentils, dried cranberries, celery, cilantro and parsley, chopped nuts, oil and lemon juice.

Salt and pepper as desired.

Mix all ingredients well.

Vitamin salad is ready!

Lentils: benefits

the protein contained in it is perfectly absorbed by the body;
it is rich in iron, amino acids and vitamin B1;
useful for indigestion;
sprouted seeds are enriched with vitamin C;
normalizes blood sugar;
does not accumulate toxins, nitrates, radionuclides;
contains carbohydrates, starch, fats, natural sugars;
easier to digest than meat;
contains a large number of microelements;
it is actively used in the food industry;
One serving of lentils contains up to 90% of the daily requirement of folic acid;
prevents the formation of breast and rectal cancer;
has antioxidant properties;
during heat treatment it practically does not lose its beneficial properties;
strengthens the immune system, normalizes metabolism and the activity of the genitourinary system;
strengthens blood vessels and heart;
Lentil decoction is used for nervous disorders and urolithiasis;
used to treat dermatitis and burns.

Lentil salad with fried onions

Spices will highlight the taste of lentils and make the dish richer and moderately piquant. To prepare a delicious side dish for any main dish, follow the following algorithm.

Ingredients:

Lentils - 150 g,
Cherry tomatoes – 150 g,
4 green onions,
Large onions – 2 pcs.,
2 cm ginger root,
2-3 cloves of garlic,
Soy sauce,
1 tsp. curry powder,
½ cup vegetable oil,
0.5 tsp. sweet ground paprika,
A little ground cinnamon
0.5 tsp. Sahara,
Salt,
Ground black pepper.

Preparation:

Soak the lentils in cold water.

We rinse it, fill it with fresh water and put it on medium heat. Add salt to taste.

Cook until done. Make sure the lentils don't get overcooked.

Place the finished lentils in a colander.

Cut the onion into feathers or half rings.

Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into a frying pan and fry the onion until golden brown for 15 minutes. Salt and sprinkle with sugar.

Mix the lentils with the contents of the frying pan.

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half.

We put the lentils and onions in a salad bowl, and the tomatoes in there too.

Salt, pepper and season with sauce.

Finely chop the garlic and ginger. Chop the onion feathers.

Mix spices in a small bowl.

In a saucepan, bring the remaining oil to a boil and add ginger and garlic. Do not remove from heat for 1 minute.

Pour more hot oil with spices over the salad.

Add green onions and spices. Mix well and serve the treat to the table.

Warm salad with lentils and zucchini

The zucchini in this salad contains a lot of water, beneficial vitamins and microelements necessary for the human body to function normally. Prepare a salad with lentils and zucchini and serve it without refrigerating.

Ingredients:

1 cup boiled lentils,
Little zucchini
Half a bell pepper
Bulb,
2 cloves of garlic,
Spices and salt to taste.

Preparation:

Chop all vegetables as desired.

Pour a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil into a heated frying pan and fry the chopped vegetables for 5-7 minutes over medium heat.

Add boiled lentils, salt, and spices to the vegetables in the frying pan.

Mix everything and serve for lunch.

Helpful cooking tips

There are some tips for preparing any dish, using which you can bring the recipe to perfection. And lentil salad is no exception! When preparing it, consider the following recommendations:

Lentils should be washed in ice water.
When you cook lentils, it is best to add bay leaves to the water, then the product will become much richer and tastier.
Curry goes well with lentils, so it can be added to a salad with any ingredients.
Roasting is best done over high heat.
The salad can be used as a main side dish.
If you have cooked too many lentils, you can use the remaining lentils to make cutlets.
Stir the lentils every five minutes while they cook. It is better to salt the water first.
The salad can also be dressed with lemon juice. It goes very well with lentils.
If you choose lemon dressing, you can mix it with soy sauce.
All vegetables should be thoroughly rinsed in cold water before cooking. You can even leave the onions in water for a few minutes. Then you will not have any discomfort while cutting it.
You should not add a lot of spices, as they whet your appetite.

Tuna and Lentil Salad

Tuna contains a lot of protein, nutrients and vitamins. In addition, this commercial fish is a record holder for the content of iron and valuable amino acids. Tuna and lentils harmonize perfectly with tomatoes, onions and herbs.

Ingredients:

Bulb,
Tuna – 1 jar,
Lentils – 100 g,
Tomatoes – 2 pcs.,
Parsley,
Sugar – 1 tsp,
Salt and black pepper to taste,
Olive oil – 3 tbsp. l.,
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp. l.,
Mustard – 1 tsp,
Olives, cherry tomatoes, cucumber for garnish.

Preparation:

We wash the lentils. Boil for 10 minutes. Make sure the beans don't overcook.

Then put it on a sieve and let it cool.

Lightly sprinkle the finely chopped onion with lemon juice, add salt, add sugar and leave to marinate.

Place the tuna in a large salad bowl and add pickled onions to it.

Add chopped parsley.

Cut the tomatoes into small cubes and add them to the salad.

Add the cooled lentils, olive oil and lemon juice.

Add mustard, spices, salt and gently mix the salad.

If desired, decorate the salad and serve.

The simplest recipe

The simplest version of the treat under discussion requires practically no additional ingredients. You just need to take care of a delicious original dressing. Wine vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil are immediately added to it.

Composition of ingredients

For the dish you need to take:

lentils – 180-200 g;
green onions (feathers) – 4-5 pcs.;
lemon – 1 pc.;
sugar and wine vinegar - 1 tbsp. l.;
olive oil – 3-3.5 tbsp. l.;
salt.

This amount of ingredients will yield approximately 3 servings of salad.

Step-by-step cooking process

Stages:

First you need to take care of the legumes - rinse the lentils thoroughly, then add water to them, bring to a boil and leave to simmer for about half an hour over low heat.
The finished product needs to be placed in a colander and rinsed with cold water.
The washed and dried green onions should be chopped very finely. You can also use the white part in it.
From a brushed and dried lemon, first remove all the zest with a fine grater. Afterwards, squeeze out about 3 tbsp. l. juice and make sure that there are not even small particles of seeds left in it.
Place the onions, lentils, lemon zest and juice in a separate, large, easy-to-mix bowl.
Next, add the remaining ingredients from the recipe. The amount of salt, sugar and pepper can be adjusted to your taste.

All that remains is to thoroughly mix all the ingredients of the treat and let it brew right on the kitchen table. Afterwards you can serve the dish.

What can I add?

If desired, other greens can be added to the treat. For example, dill and parsley. It will also be deliciously complemented by vegetables - slices of fresh cucumbers or cherry slices.

How to serve a dish

When the salad is infused, you need to mix it again, arrange it into portioned plates and serve. By the way, you can use the dish as a cold side dish for cutlets, chops, and kebabs.

Salad with apple and lentils

Salad with apples and lentils is rich in iron and will be useful for people suffering from anemia. Mayonnaise dressing, egg, potatoes, carrots together will make the dish especially nutritious.

Ingredients:

1 cup boiled lentils,
2 medium ripe apples,
Medium carrot
2 potatoes,
Boiled chicken egg,
250 gram pack of mayonnaise,
red onion,
50 g walnuts.

Preparation:

Boil potatoes, carrots and lentils.

Cut the potatoes and apples into thin strips, and the onions into half rings.

Grate the carrots on a coarse grater.

Chop the egg finely.

Mix all prepared products and season with mayonnaise.

Decorate with walnut kernels and serve.

Lentil salad with beets

You can diversify your daily menu by preparing a lean salad with beets. This dish will be useful for those who watch their diet and strive to maintain a figure in excellent shape.

Ingredients:

Big beets,
½ cup lentils,
Garlic – 2 cloves,
Green onions,
Salt,
Coriander – 1 tsp,
Walnuts – 100 g,
Vegetable oil – 2-3 tbsp. l.
Spinach or arugula optional.

Preparation:

Boil lentils and beets until tender.

Chop the onion, chop the walnuts.

Grind the garlic, mix it with coriander, salt and add to the vegetable oil.

Cut the beets into bars or cubes and place in a bowl.

Add lentils and a mixture of oil and spices to the beets.

Place spinach or arugula on a plate. On top of the greens - a portion of salad.

Sprinkle everything with chopped onions and walnuts.

Diet food

Diet food is in more and more demand. Indeed, it helps not only to keep your body in shape, but also to tirelessly monitor your diet, thanks to which the body feels great.
Dietary nutrition is also suitable for those who have problems with excess weight, health problems, for example, a sore stomach (gastritis and other related diseases), or skin problems. Diets help restore the body and keep it in shape.

Dietary nutrition does not imply a complete rejection of fats and carbohydrates, but only reduces their consumption to reasonable portions. Diets also replace some foods with others that are healthier. For example, sugar can be replaced with fruits that have no less sweet taste, but bring more benefits to the body.

Important! You need to approach everything wisely, because by pushing yourself into limits and refusing an important product, you can harm your health.

Lentil salad with meat

Meat lovers will love lentil salad with meat. The aroma of this dish, spreading throughout the kitchen while cooking, will drive you crazy.

Ingredients:

Pork or beef tenderloin – 100 g,
Red lentils – 1/4 cup,
Green apple,
Spinach,
2 tablespoons vegetable oil,
1 teaspoon lemon juice,
2 teaspoons of wine vinegar,
Sugar for taste – ¼ tsp,
Salt and pepper.

Preparation:

Boil the lentils. We drain the water from it.

Fry the meat in hot oil (1 tbsp.).

Cut the apples into cubes.

In a small bowl, make the dressing - mix vinegar, a spoonful of olive oil, chopped onion, salt and sugar.

Finely chop the meat.

Mix everything in a salad bowl, season and serve.

To let the salad infuse, you can leave it in the refrigerator for half an hour.

Ingredients

You will need the following products:

corn - 5 - 8 cobs;
onion - 1 head;
basil and green onions - 1 bunch each;
coconut milk - half a glass;
canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce - a couple of tablespoons;
salt and ground pepper - to taste;
butter and vegetable oil - for frying;
sugar (optional).

Canned chipotle in spicy adobo sauce is made with smoked chili peppers. They can be purchased in large supermarkets and online stores.

Lentil salad with pickled cucumber

You should definitely try the salad with pickled cucumber. It is very tasty and, moreover, healthy. Guests and family members will certainly ask for more.

Ingredients:

250 g boiled lentils,
2-3 tbsp. l. vegetable oil,
2 cloves of garlic,
red onion,
3-6 pickled cucumbers,
6 pcs. - Cherry tomatoes,
Fresh greens.

Preparation:

Chop the garlic, mix with oil and add salt.

Add thinly sliced red onion.

Cut the cucumbers into cubes. Add to onion.

Mix the boiled lentils with cherry halves and add to the container with the remaining ingredients.

Lentil and pumpkin salad

Pumpkin is a storehouse of vitamins and beneficial microelements. Why not try a salad made from the healthiest ingredients - lentils and pumpkin? And greens will bring a summer mood to the salad and make it even more juicy and appetizing.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup lentils,
300 g pumpkin pulp,
120 g salad,
onion,
celery stalk,
2 cloves of garlic,
Salt,
Oil,
Cheese – 60 g.

For refueling:

25 g each of green adjika and olive oil,
Mustard beans – 2 tsp,
10 ml apple cider vinegar,
Salt.

Preparation:

Pour the washed lentils into the pan. Add garlic cloves, an onion cut into quarters and a coarsely chopped celery stalk.

Cook over low heat until done.

Cut the pumpkin pulp, cleared of seeds, into small cubes.

In a hot frying pan, fry the pumpkin in oil until soft and lightly golden. And we get it.

Throw the onion, cut into thin half rings, into the frying pan in which the pumpkin was fried. It should be sautéed until transparent.

To make the onion cook faster, it is recommended to lightly add salt to it.

Place washed green salad leaves on a plate and top with lentils. Place the onion on top of the beans. And sprinkle it all with the most delicate cheese.

With Chiken

Lentil salad, the recipes for which can be found below in the article, will turn out even tastier and more satisfying if you add meat to it. Chicken will fit perfectly into the composition of the treat. For a bright, interesting taste of the treat, you should take smoked poultry.

Lentil salad. Recipe with chicken and tomatoes.

In addition, it is more convenient to work with and significantly reduces the salad preparation time.

Composition of ingredients

For the dish you need to take:

green lentils – 130-150 g;
filtered water – 3-3.5 tbsp.;
smoked chicken – 200-250 g;
white onion – 1 head;
green onion – 10-12 g;
fresh tomatoes, eggs – 2 pcs.;
classic mayonnaise, vegetable oil, salt and spices.

Since smoked chicken already has a bright, rich taste, you can limit yourself to a minimum amount of spices. For example, add only red or black pepper. Instead of mayonnaise, you can use any other sauce. For example, sour cream with mustard.

Step-by-step cooking process

Stages:

First, you need to rinse the lentils, and then pour them into a saucepan with actively boiling water. After boiling again, you need to reduce the heat on the stove to minimum and leave the product to cook for approximately 20-25 minutes. During this time, all liquid should completely evaporate from the container. Since lentils are prepared for salad, they should not end up turning into mush. You need to make sure that the grains remain as intact as possible, but at the same time soften enough and do not crunch in the finished dish.
About 5-6 minutes before the end of cooking, you will need to add salt to the lentils.
The onion needs to be peeled, washed, and then chopped into medium-sized cubes.
Next, you need to fry it in hot oil until soft and lightly golden. All that remains is to cool the roasted vegetables completely before adding them to the salad.
The lentils should also cool down after cooking. After this, you can combine it with fried onions.
Tomatoes must be washed, dried and chopped into medium-sized cubes. During the process, a large amount of vegetable juice will be released; it needs to be drained.
You will need to cut the smoked chicken into cubes. If, for example, legs are used, then the meat must first be removed from the bones.
The eggs will need to be boiled in advance until the yolk is firm, then cooled, peeled and cut in the same way as other components. To make it easier to remove the shells, you can lightly salt the water when cooking the product.
Green onions need to be washed, dried, and cut into rings.
All that remains is to mix all the ingredients prepared in the steps above in a common bowl, salt them to taste, add pepper or other selected spices.

The treat should be seasoned with mayonnaise or sour cream and mustard immediately before serving.

How to serve a dish

This recipe keeps well in the cooler. But if you plan to prepare it in advance for the holiday, you should not immediately add chopped green onions to the rest of the ingredients. It should be added immediately before serving or used to decorate the treat, covering the entire surface of the snack with it.