French Lentil Salad with Feta and almonds

 

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 6 serve

This French Lentil Salad is bursting with flavor, thanks to a delightful mix of cumin, lemon, and garlic-infused oil, along with toasted almonds, olives, and feta cheese. You’ll enjoy a wonderful crunch from fresh Swiss chard, perfectly cooked lentils, and crisp cucumbers. To make it a complete meal, serve it alongside pan-seared chicken or salmon, or prep it in advance for quick and easy lunches throughout the week. A solid meal prep salad is a must-have in our home, and this lentil salad is a regular on our menu for most of the year. Why? Because it’s so versatile and can be tailored to suit everyone’s tastes, plus it’s loaded with plant-based protein and plenty of healthy veggies.

This version has a Mediterranean twist with feta, almonds, and olives, but don’t hesitate to swap in seasonal ingredients. Cooking lentils can be a bit tricky, but we’ve got a tried-and-true method to ensure they don’t turn mushy, especially in a salad.

You can enjoy this lentil salad as a main dish or a side, and it pairs beautifully with proteins like chicken, fish, or steak. If you’re a fan of make-ahead salad recipes, you should also check out our Orzo Salad, Mediterranean Pasta Salad, and White Bean Salad!

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch purple kale or regular kale (300g.), stemmed and chopped
• 1 bunch Swiss chard (300g.), stemmed and chopped
• 1 tablespoon salt (or to taste)
• 500g French green lentils or black lentils
• 1 lemon
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced, green and white parts separated
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 80ml  extra-virgin olive oil
• 170g raw almonds, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 0,5 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• 340g olives, smashed
• 340g cucumber, diced 
• 150g chopped parsley

Directions:

1. Add kale to a large bowl, season with 0,5 teaspoon salt, and massage until kale is slightly softened, about 30 seconds. Add Swiss chard and toss to combine.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat; season heavily with salt.
3. Add lentils, reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, until lentils are tender yet slightly al dente; 20-25 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, using a vegetable peeler, peel four 3-inch strips of lemon peel, making sure to avoid white pith; reserve lemon for later. Add lemon peels to a small skillet with scallion whites, smashed garlic cloves and oil.
5. Heat skillet over medium and cook oil mixture, stirring occasionally, until garlic starts to brown and lemon peels start to curl and toast, about 3 minutes. Add almonds and cook, stirring frequently, until almonds are browned, 3-4 minutes. Off heat, stir in cumin seeds and red pepper flakes and let rest in oil 1-2 minutes.
6. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve set in a small bowl; reserve oil. Pour nut mixture onto a paper towel-lined plate, making sure to get all of the cumin seeds; season with salt and let cool. Discard lemon peels.
7. Once cool, mash cooked garlic cloves into a paste using the side of a Chefs knife; transfer to bowl with reserved oil. Juice reserved lemon; add to oil and garlic and whisk to combine.
8. Using a strainer, drain lentils well; add to bowl with kale and Swiss chard.
9. Add reserved scallion greens, half of the almond mixture, oil mixture, feta, olives, cucumber and parsley; toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving dish and top with remaining almond mixture.

Tips & Notes:

• Cook them like pasta, meaning boil and drain them. I first learned of cooking lentils like pasta from Bon Appetit a few years ago and I’ve never gone back.
• Why cook them this way? Because not only can you monitor the doneness of the lentils more closely, but this method allows you to season the lentils from the start.  
• The key cook lentils in adequate salted water until tender yet still a bit toothsome (they have a bite).
• Make it vegan and dairy-free: leave the feta cheese out of the salad.
• Smashing Olives: use the back of your hand to smash olives. This will also work for olive with pits, use the back of your hand to smash them and the seeds will be easy to remove.
• Lemon Peels: if you love intense lemon flavor, feel free to mince the cooked lemon peels and add back to the salad.
• Massaging the Swiss Chard: I don’t call for massaging the chard like I do the kale because I like the leafy crunch it adds. However, if your stomach prefers hearty greens to be massaged (or you want a leff leafy, more lentil-forward salad) go ahead and massage the chard as well. If you massage the chard, the total yield will decrease to around 9 or 10 cups.
• Cooking Lentils: When cooking with lentils, it is important to pick through them and discard any stones or debris before cooking. I like to spread the lentils on a baking sheet to pick through, as it makes the process easier. I also recommend rinsing the lentils in a fine-mesh strainer prior to cooking.
• Serve with this salad:
• This salad is delicious as is, but I also love to lightly sauté a serving of the salad in a nonstick skillet until warmed through.
• Serve with Perfect Pan Seared Chicken and my Cheese Biscuits for the ultimate Sunday night dinner.
• Serve as a side dish with Pan Seared Salmon.
• This also pairs perfectly with a simple steak like a top sirloin or ribeye.
• Store this lentil salad in a large glass container with a tight-fitting lid.
• Stored this way, salad will last up to 5 days.
• This salad is perfect to make in advance since the flavors just get better as they marinate together.

Nutrition:

Serving: 1 serve, Calories: 165kcal, Carbohydrates: 9.5g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 2.5g, Cholesterol: 8mg, Sodium: 649mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 1g