Lentil Salad with Balsamic Dressing

if you are looking for a basic and easy but extremely delicious homemade dressing and salad, this is it! a lettuce-less salad is always one of my favorites, specifically lentil salads. the lentils are paired with cucumber, olives, my homemade vegan feta, bell pepper, and parsley.

I am such a big fan of lentil salads. They are so hearty, a great way to enjoy lentils, and great for throwing in whatever you have in the fridge. Topped with a super easy to make balsamic dressing made in a jar you will love! Of course, the dressing is so versatile and can be used anywhere and on any salad.

The Ingredients

• Lentils: the base of our salad. I am actually using canned lentils but you can use any lentils you like. Just make sure they are boiled and cooked ahead of time.
• Bell Pepper: adds sweetness and color to the salad.
• Cucumber: adds crunch to the salad.
• Olives: my favorite olives are Castelvetrano olives. They are truly the best but feel free to use any olives you like.
• Tofu Feta: I shared the recipe for my tofu feta a few weeks ago. It is so good, I highly recommend trying it. If you don’t feel like doing the simple (but 2 day) process you can of course use any store bought vegan cheese.
• Balsamic Vinegar: feel free to use any balsamic vinegar you like, some are higher qualities but they can expensive. So, just use what makes sense for your budget and life.
• Balsamic Glaze: a thicker, reduced down glaze that is almost like a balsamic syrup. It is very sweet and delicious. Balsamic glaze helps to thicken the dressing a bit and add in sweetness.
• Light Olive Oil: I prefer lighter olive oils over extra virgin but feel free to use any olive oil (or oil you like).
• Seasonings and Herbs: keep it simple with some salt, pepper, garlic powder, and fresh parsley. Adds in flavor.

Shaker Jar Dressing

I realllllly love when you can make a salad dressing in a jar. Everyone has a jar and it is so easy to just shake it up. You can always blend it too, may even make it slightly creamy and frothy! But I do just love being able to throw everything in a jar and giving it a quick shake. You can use this dressing anywhere. It is a very basic and delicious dressing that is great for all kinds of salads or even marinating tofu.

Why You’ll Love This Salad

If you haven’t made lentil salads you are in for a treat! The lentils are great because they are hearty. Lentils are so good for us and this is a great way to enjoy them. This salad is also great for meal prep because it just gets better the longer it sits around. Anyone can enjoy this salad and this kind of a salad really reminds me that spring and summer coming. You can add in anything you like to this too! Add in some other beans, veggies it is truly so easy to customize.

Lentil Salad with Balsamic Dressing FAQ

• Is this recipe soy free? It can be if you skip out on the tofu feta.
• Is this recipe nut free? Yes.
• Is this recipe gluten free? Yes.
• Can I make this recipe oil free? I personally wouldn’t but if you want to you can of course do whatever you like in your kitchen.
• How long does this recipe last? Up to 4 days in the fridge.

ORDER MY COOKBOOK

Looking for more delicious vegan comfort recipes? Order my cookbook Plantiful: Over 75 Vibrant Vegan Comfort Foods! Filled with all types of recipe from bites, breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, desserts and more! Available on Barnes and Noble, Amazon, IndieBound, Walmart, also available in stores.

Sharing direct links to recipes and pictures is highly encouraged, please do not copy and paste my recipes or share my pictures without permission. I work very hard on my blog and don’t want to see my recipes popping up anywhere. Thank you so much.

Lentil Salad with Balsamic Dressing

This easy to make salad dressing pairs perfectly with a delicious lentil salad. Filled with lots of different vegetables and textures it is so filling and nutritious. You can enjoy this as a meal with some crusty bread or a side to something else.

No ratings yet

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Lunch, Salad

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Dressing

• 2 tablespoons (30ml) balsamic vinegar
• 1 ½ tablespoons (22ml) olive oil
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) balsamic glaze
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon salt or to taste

Salad

• 1 can (15.5 ounces/439g) lentils, drained and rinsed *can also use equal amounts of already boiled lentils
• ½ bell pepper (about 4 ounces/115g), chopped
• ½ English cucumber (about 4 ounces/120g), diced
• 10 olives (about 1.5 ounces/50g), sliced
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 batch tofu vegan feta *see note

Instructions

 

• Into a jar add all the ingredients for the dressing. Shake until mixed up. You can also place in a bowl and whisk if you prefer that.
• Into a large bowl add all the salad ingredients. Drizzle the dressing and toss to coat.
• Garnish with extra black pepper if desired and enjoy.

Video

Notes

• The prep time of this recipe is based on already having the vegan feta made and using canned or cooked lentils. You can also use a store bought vegan feta.
• You can add as much vegan feta in as you like, I did the whole batch of my prepared vegan tofu feta. However, if you are using store bought vegan feta you can do it at your own discretion. Salad ingredient measurements are more just a suggestion and it is important to do things to how you like.

Keyword balsamic dressing, lentil salad

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!