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Keep things simple this summer with this easy vegan Lentil Orzo salad. It’s packed with protein-rich lentils, crunchy veggies, Orzo and a zesty vinaigrette. Perfect for picnics, potlucks, and mealprep. Soyfree Nutfree. Glutenfree option.
We can all agree that the easiest way to fill your plate and your stomach is with good servings or proteins and whole grains. A refreshing summer bowl with fresh veggies, beans or lentils and some grain is a quick option to get a balanced meal that is delicious, enjoyable as well as filling. Veggies, lentils and grains (whole grain or whole grain pasta) all have fiber and that keeps you full.
I use either orzo(pasta) or farro in the bowl. Farro is a grain that is especially protein and fiber-packed meaning it keeps you full especially long. This makes it the perfect add-in for this vegan lentil salad.
In this recipe, we add tomatoes, onion and red bell pepper and toss everything with a fusion oregano lemon chipotle pepper vinaigrette to create a colorful wholesome summer salad that is perfect for picnics and potlucks.
This post when it went out was written with farro while the pictures have orzo. I developed and wrote the recipe with Orzo in mind. I was multitasking and researching farro at the time and the recipe got written with farro. The next day I grabbed Orzo and made it. Tweaked the dressing and sent it off to my editor to write the post. The pictures were edited and my assistant added them to the post! I am glad you all caught the goof! But either option works in the salad. Farro will be chewier and more filling. Orzo will be lighter.
How to cook Orzo
Bring 3 cups water to a boil. Add salt and herbs if needed. Add 1 cup orzo and cook for 9-11 minutes or until tender to preference. Stir occasionally. Drain any excess liquid
How to cook farro?
Like most grains, farro is foolproof to cook. Similar to lentils and rice, the farro should be soaked for at least 30 minutes before cooking. If you’re planning ahead and want to shorten the total cook time, soak your farro overnight.
To prepare it, bring 2 1/2 or three cups of water to a boil. Add one cup of dry farro and your selected herbs or vegetables, cover, and let simmer. For farro that was soaked overnight, simmer the grains for 10 to 15 minutes until al dente. If the farro hasn’t been soaked, simmer for 20 to 30 minutes
Why you’ll love this lentil salad!
- it’s perfect for summer
- It is versatile. fill it up in lettuce cups or sandwiches or serve as is
- can be easily made glutenfree
- its Nutfree and Soyfree
- its protein packed with the lentils and farro
- the dressing uses everyday ingredients and is so delicious
More hearty vegan salads:
- Barbecue Lentil Farro Cauliflower Bake
- Curried Sweet Potato Lentil Salad
- Falafel Spice Lentil Salad Sandwich
- Easy Summer Pasta Salad with Grilled Vegetables
- Buffalo Chickpea salad sandwich
- Cold Soba noodle salad
Lentil Orzo Salad
Ingredients
- 15 oz can of lentils, drained, or 1.5 cups cooked lentils
- 1.5 cups cooked orzo, or farro
- 1 cup chopped cucumber
- 1/2 cup Or more chopped roasted red pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped tomato
- 3/4 cup chopped onion
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro or parsley
For the dressing:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon chipotle pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- black pepper or pepper flakes, and cilantro or parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the lentils if you haven’t already. See notes
- Cook the orzo or farro according to the instructions on the package. See notes
- Chop the veggies and add all of the salad ingredients to a large bowl.
- Make the dressing by adding all the ingredients to a small bowl. Mix it really well.
- Add the dressing all over the salad ingredients and toss well. Taste and adjust salt and flavor.
- Dress with fresh pepper or pepper flakes and fresh herbs. Serve as a summer salad, or make salad sandwiches or salad wraps.
- Storage: to make ahead, Prep the ingredients and dressing and keep separate until ready to serve. Store in the fridge for upto 4 days.
Video
Notes
- Cook the orzo: Bring 1.5 cups water to a boil. Add salt and herbs if needed. Add 1/2 cup orzo and cook for 9-11 minutes or until tender to preference. Stir occasionally. Drain any excess liquid
- Cook the farro: soak 1/2 cup farro in water for 30 mins. Drain and cook with 1,5 cups water over medium heat for 15 mins or until cooked to preference.
- Cook the lentils: To make 1.5 cups of lentils, use 3/4 cup of dried lentils. Soak for 10 minutes and drain. Pressure cook for 11 to 12 minutes in 2 cups of water. When the pressure releases naturally, open the lid and drain the lentils. Add salt if you like your lentils salted.
- Glutenfree: use cooked Glutenfree grain like quinoa or millet or sorghum.
- You can also add some cooked chickpeas or other cooked beans of your choice to make it more hearty. Increase the spices and the dressing if increasing the volume of the ingredients.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients:
- lentils: I use canned lentils to keep prep time short but you can cook them yourself (see tips)
- Cooked Orzo pasta or cooked farro: there are three common varieties of farro that you might spot in the grocery store: Einkorn a.k.a. farro piccolo, Emmer a.k.a. farro medio or Spelt a.k.a. farro grande. Check above for cooking instructions
- veggies: chopped cucumber, roasted red pepper, chopped tomato, chopped onion and chopped cilantro or parsley
- For the dressing, we mix virgin olive oil with lemon juice, chipotle pepper flakes, cumin, garlic clove, salt, black pepper
and dried oregano - fresh herbs: cilantro and/or parsley
Tips:
- You can add the salad to lettuce leaves, baby greens or to a sandwich. You can also add some cooked chickpeas or other cooked beans of your choice to make it even more hearty.
- Increase the herbs and the dressing if increasing the volume of the ingredients.
- Other veggies you could add here include corn, chopped celery or grated carrots. Got leftover oven roasted veggies? Mix them in!
- No canned lentils? No problem. To make one and a half cups of lentils, you need to soak 3/4 cup of dried lentils for 10 minutes and drain. Pressure cook for 11 to 12 minutes in one and a half cups of water. When the pressure releases naturally, open the lid and drain the lentils. Add salt if you like your lentils salted.
- Make it Glutenfree: use cooked Glutenfree grain like quinoa or millet or sorghum or use Glutenfree orzo or other short pasta
How to make vegan Lentil Orzo Salad:
Cook the lentils if you haven’t already. See notes
Cook the orzo or farro according to the instructions on the package.
Chop the veggies and add all of the salad ingredients to a large bowl.
Make the dressing by adding all the ingredients to a small bowl. Mix it really well.
Add the dressing all over the salad ingredients and toss well. Taste and adjust salt and flavor.
Dress with a little bit more fresh pepper or pepper flakes and fresh herbs. Serve as a summer salad.
Storage
To make ahead, Prep the ingredients and dressing and keep separate until ready to serve. Store in the fridge for upto 4 days.
Delicious! We made it with farro and Trader Joe’s steamed lentils. We also had some carrot shreds, basil, and green onion to use so tossed those in. YUM!
wow, yum!
YUMMY! Another great salad that my family loved! Simple to make and very flavorful! Will be making again!
Enjoy
Lovely simple but tasty salad. Super fresh and flavourful! I made it to serve 2 as a main, reduced the salt, and omitted the oil to better fit with my tastes. Will definitely make again!
sounds tasty
This came out delicious! Would triple the dressing next time, though, it was a small amount for the amount of food.
thanks Jessi, yes, dressing is a preference
Agree …dressing has to be tripled.
thank you for this suggestion!
Loved this salad! I followed the recipe using farro except I omitted the chipotle pepper flakes (didn’t have any and I’ve never really seen it for sale in Canada?) Anyway it was delicious as is and will make again – maybe with Orzo?
Definitely a keeper!!!
sounds great
Tried it, was very good!
Awesome
Hi Richa,
I have all your cookbooks and have never cooked a single one of your recipes that turned out badly. But I’m scratching my head over this one. What I see pictured is ORZO pasta and not Farro grain in this recipe. Am I seeing this wrong? Is the photo wrong? Help me out here, please!
Thanks! It is Orzo. See above comment for how that went through. It will turn out great with either farro or orzo! I think this is the case of overworked brain during book editing 🙂
Let me tell you – all your recipes are great! Even with small mistakes. The only problem I have with them is the heat. We have to cut the spices down tremendously to keep from being set on fire. 🙂 But I love every recipe I’ve ever tried. I often make your Dad’s favorite Gobi Aloo. 🙂
Yay awesome! Just reduce the cayenne, pepper flakes or green chilies
Very yummy! I used oat groats (cooked so more like rice rather than porridge) for my gluten free grain, which makes an excellent sub for farro in many dishes. I used chipotle paste since I did not have flakes. I also added a little finely chopped fresh spinach to sneak in those greens. Love a whole meal salad like this for hot summer nights. Will definitely make again.
Thanks, Richa!
Awesome
These photos show orzo pasta rather than farro. I use farro often and see none in these pictures. What’s up with that?
A goof up :). I developed the recipe thinking orzo. But I was researching farro for another recipe, I wrote this recipe down as lentil farro. Grabbed orzo to make it the next day. My assistant wrote the post from the written recipe with farro. No one caught it! Sorry about that. Updating the post
Wow looks amazing, Richa! If we want to cook farro in the instant pot, how many mins do you recommend we pressure cook?
Check out this page: https://simple-veganista.com/instant-pot-farro/#tasty-recipes-33147-jump-target
Sounds delicious! However, it seems like you have orzo in your pictures, not farro 😉
I known it is. I developed the recipe thinking orzo. But I was researching farro, I wrote the recipe down as farro. Grabbed orzo to make it. My assistant wrote the post from the recipe with farro. No one caught it. Sorry about that.
Is there a way I could replace the oil with something else in the dressing?
Omit it
I’m wondering about substituting aquafaba for oil in the dressing. Thoughts?
this may work yes!
Very interested in making this but that looks like orzo with the lentils, not farro. My farro looks nothing like that.
Thank you, we so enjoy your recipes.
Jo
Use either. I developed the recipe thinking orzo. But I was researching farro, I wrote the recipe down as farro. Grabbed orzo to make it. My assistant wrote the post from the recipe with farro. No one caught it. Sorry about that. Updating the post now