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This lentil quinoa salad is packed with fresh, summery textures and flavors! The zesty herbed dressing pairs perfectly with lots of crunchy veggies such as zucchini, peppers, carrots, hearty lentils and quinoa and sweet orange slices for a one-bowl burst of flavor meal that you can even make ahead. Gluten-free Soyfree Nutfree
Table of Contents
This is an amazingly refreshing and summery chopped salad with a simple dressing of Italian herbs, Dijon mustard, black pepper, olive oil, and lime juice.
The salad itself is a satisfying set of ingredients, like lentils, quinoa, crunchy peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, shredded carrots, crunchy seeds and oranges.
You can use whatever fruits and veggies you want to add. Definitely keep this salad recipe on hand for summer picnics.
How to layer a make ahead salad
To make a layered jar salad, keep the moist and hearty ingredients at the bottom and fresh veggies near the top, so that they don’t get weighed down and get soft. Crunchy veggies also need some air circulation to stay crisp, so keep them closer to the top. I add lentils or quinoa at the bottom and tomatoes and hearty zucchini, then the crunchy peppers carrots, seeds and oranges. Seeds or nuts should also be closer to the top to keep the crunch. Fruits depending on the fruit can go the middle or closer to the top.
Why You’ll Love Lentil Quinoa Salad
- hearty, refreshing summer meal
- amazing mix of textures and flavors!
- great make-ahead meal
- gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free
More Vegan Lentil Salad Recipes
- Lentil Orzo Salad
- Curried Sweet Potato Lentil Salad
- Moong Dal Chaat (sweet-and-savory lentil salad)
- Falafel Spice Lentil Salad Sandwich
Lentil Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, , omit for Oilfree
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more, to taste
- 2 teaspoons Italian herb blend
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon garlic powder
For the Salad
- 15 ounce can of lentil, drained, or 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils
- 1 cup cooked quinoa, or cook 1/4 cup of dried quinoa according to instructions on the package or see notes below
- 1/2 cup chopped zucchini
- 1 tomato, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup chopped peppers, , red and green
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup loosely packed chopped cilantro, or parsley or other herbs of choice
- 2 tablespoons of seeds of choice, I use a mix of pumpkin and sesame seeds.
- 1/4 cup nondairy cheese, optional, use more or less, to taste
- 1 orange, peeled and sliced
Instructions
- Cook your quinoa and lentils, if you haven’t already and drain and rinse with some cold water and set aside.
- If you want to make the salad in a bowl, you can mix everything in a large serving bowl, or you can prep the salad in a glass jar or individual serving jars.
- In a medium size glass jar, add all of the dressing ingredients, and mix really well.
- In the glass jar, Top the dressing with the lentils, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, quinoa, peppers, seeds, vegan cheese, oranges, and cilantro in any order you like. I like to keep the lentils and quinoa closer to the dressing and the veggies on top so they don’t get soggy.
- Cover with a lid and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To serve, invert the jar into a bowl, and toss everything really well. Taste and adjust salt and flavor, and serve. You can also add some more crunch with some croutons or tortilla chips.
- If you’re making this in a bowl, then add the dressing ingredients to the serving bowl. Mix the dressing, then add all of the rest of the salad ingredients, and toss to coat. Chill for 15 mins then serve.
Video
Notes
variation: use 2-3 tbsp tahini in the dressing This recipe is naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- olive oil – For the dressing. Omit for Oilfree
- spices – Salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder give the dressing a ton of flavor without a ton of work.
- lime juice – Adds zing and an amazing flavor to this dressing.
- Dijon mustard – For even more zest and flavor in the dressing!
- lentils – Use canned or cooked drained brown lentils for this salad.
- quinoa – Use leftover quinoa or cook just a little bit for this salad.
- veggies – Zucchini, tomato, and shredded carrot are lovely in this salad, but feel free to use whatever fresh veggies you have on hand.
- herbs – I’m using fresh cilantro, but feel free to use other herbs of choice, like parsley.
- seeds – Add seeds, like pumpkin and sesame seeds, for protein and crunch.
- vegan cheese – Use nondairy mozzarella or parmesan. You can omit this or use more or less, depending on your personal tastes.
- orange – A little bit of fruit adds sweetness, juicyness and texture to this salad.
Tip
- For a really show-stopping salad, layer the ingredients in a glass serving jar, then toss together just before dishing up your salads.
How to Make Lentil Quinoa Salad
Cook your quinoa and lentils, if you haven’t already and drain and rinse with some cold water and set aside.
If you want to make the salad in a bowl, you can follow the instructions to just mix everything in the bowl or you can store it in a large jar or individual serving jars.
In a medium size tall jar, add all of the dressing ingredients, and mix really well.
Top the dressing with the lentils, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, quinoa, peppers, seeds, oranges, and cilantro in whichever order you prefer. I like to keep veggies on the top half so they don’t get soggy.
Cover with a lid and store in the fridge for up to three days.
To serve, invert the jar into a bowl, and toss everything really well. Taste and adjust salt and flavor, and serve. You can also add some more crunch with some croutons or tortilla chips.
If you’re making this in a bowl, just add the dressing ingredients to the serving bowl. Mix the dressing, then add all of the rest of the salad ingredients, and toss to coat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quinoa is actually a complete protein on its own, so you’re all set when it comes to essential amino acids, whether you pair it with lentils or not!
Wash 1/4 cup quinoa and add to a saucepan with 3/4 cup of water. Cover the pan, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once the water is rapidly boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook, either covered or partially covered, until the quinoa is cooked, about 13 to 14 minutes.
Once the quinoa is cooked, turn off the heat, let it sit for a minute or so, then fluff and use. If there is any water remaining, you can drain the water and then fluff.
This recipe is naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free.
To make lentil quinoa salad ahead of time, layer the ingredients and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you chose to layer, toss everything together just before serving. Mix the salad and store and keep the dressing separate if storing as a mixed salad.
Salads can go bad faster than soups and stews. So plan and make. With this salad you can convert it into burger patties! Remove the oranges, add some breadcrumbs and flour. Mix. mash a third of the salad, add more spices, shape into burgers and bake or pan fry.
I really enjoyed this recipe. I did not have red or green peppers, but used yellow and orange. Also replaced zucchini with fresh corn kernels and cucumber. I replaced non dairy cheese with feta cheese. It was delicious.
Glad you liked it!
This salad is incredible! I forgot to buy cilantro and orange, so I made it without, but followed everything else. Oh my! It’s so good. My seeds were sunflower. I really recommend adding the seeds.
Thanks for the recipe!
🙂
I made this for my husband and I and it was amazing and super easy to make. I didn’t have lentils so I used Moong Split and it worked fine. I also used a clementine instead of an orange only because we had so many. I happened to have some vegan Feta so I used that for the cheese and again, it was amazing. This recipe is a keeper for sure. Thank you for your great recipes.
so kind! thank you michelle!
Very delicious recipes!
Thank you!
thank you!