Wednesday, June 22, 2011

French Lentil Salad with Raisins and Walnuts

french lentil salad

This lentil salad is a perennial summer favorite in our household.  It is a great side dish to have on hand to eat throughout the week or to take to a potluck, and it keeps well in the fridge.  If you aren't familiar with french lentils, they are smaller than regular lentils, and have a more nuanced taste; they also keep their shape better when cooked, and are great in salads.  You may be able to find them in your regular grocery store, but if not they carry them at places like whole foods.  If you can't find them you can always substitute regular lentils (just be careful not to overcook them), but if you can find them they are totally worth adding to your pantry!  The recipe below is double what was called for in the original recipe, but I find it to be a better amount - if you don't want so much salad, feel free to halve the amounts.

French Lentil Salad with Raisins and Walnuts
Adapted from Entertaining for a Veggie Planet
  • 2 cups french green lentils
  • 1/2 cups raisins (or currants if you have them)
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice (2 lemons)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 - 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion (to taste)
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
  • crumbled feta cheese (optional - I don't usually use but it is good)

Combine lentils with 4-6 cups of water in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until tender but still somewhat firm, about 20-30 minutes (less if you are using regular lentils).  Drain.

In a bowl, combine all remaining ingredients and mix well.  Refrigerate and serve either chilled or at room temperature.

4 comments:

  1. Kate this sounds awesome! We love lentils and usually eat them in the winter time, but this is fabulous. Making my mouth water, yum!

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  2. Yum! That sounds delicious! I tend to forget about lentils, I definitely need to eat more of them! Thanks for sharing this recipe. :)

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  3. just made this for lunch and it's really yummy. Don't skimp on the lemon! I also doubled the walnuts and raisins. Wish I had fetta at home to add. Thanks for the recipe! xx

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  4. Mmmm, looks delicious! Can't wait to try it!

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