Warm Lentil Salad
Warm lentil salad was our go-to meal as vegetarian college students. We (me & my hubby… yes we are college sweethearts) would make sure to always have a couple of cans of lentils and tomatoes in the house to throw this dish together when we wanted something yummy, healthy, and fast. This dish is for real e-a-s-y! If college students can make it so can you!
Easy Warm Lentil Salad
So how simple is it to make? All you need is canned lentils, canned diced tomatoes, red onion, cumin, red pepper flakes, and olive oil. If you are still worried about cumin, because of the peanut tainted cumin, the dish tastes really nice with curry powder as an alternative. Or amp it up with homemade garam masala!
How we eat this salad
There are two ways I love to eat this dish. The first is a fresh dinner option, where you pair it with a lightly dressed green salad. For the dressing, I drizzle leaf lettuce with a little white balsamic and olive oil. The second super tasty option is as a base for baked salmon because salmon, lentils, and cumin are a trio made to delight the taste buds. It also looks pretty fancy when you have a beautiful tower of healthy foods.
And if you still aren’t convinced you need warm lentil salad in your life, it is also really good cold! Yup, it is great as a leftover, which is another reason we love this dish. You can make a huge pot (double the recipe), and you have lunch for a week.
This dish was one of the first things I mastered as I started cooking for myself. I learned it as a teen, and it has stuck with me for 10+ years now. If you are trying to get your allergy kiddos comfortable in the kitchen, this may be a great first go at savory food.
Warm Lentil Salad
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
Warm lentil salad is an easy 6 ingredient weeknight meal. It takes less than 40 minutes to prepare and makes excellent leftovers.
Ingredients
- 2 cans Lentils (800g)
- 1 can Diced tomatoes (400g) – I dice them further to avoid big chunks
- 1/2 Red onion – diced small
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 tbsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Red pepper flakes (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tbsp Parsley or Cilantro – roughly chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- Place olive oil and onions into a non-stick pot or wok over high heat.
- Cook onions until almost translucent, add 1 tbsp cumin. Continue to cook onions and cumin for about 4 minutes.
- Add lentils and red pepper flakes. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and remaining cumin. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer, stirring occasionally.
- The mixture should start to reduce, roughly 20-25 minutes.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. You may also want to refresh the dish with a sprinkle of cumin.
- Garnish with chopped parsley.
- Serve warm.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
