Fresh flavorful herbs, crunchy vegetables, and ample vegetarian protein dressed in a tangy olive oil and vinegar dressing, French green lentil and quinoa salad is one awesome got-it-all salad. One that everyone would be happy find on a potluck buffet or served atop crisp green lettuce on a hot summer day!

Click here to PIN French Green Lentil and Quinoa Salad!

The beautiful thing about this salad is you can adapt it to whatever fresh herbs and vegetables are in season. This particular salad features radishes and celery for vegetables, and parsley and tarragon for herbs.

Other vegetable possibilities would be carrots, or cucumbers, or jicama. Herbs could be cilantro or basil and mint, and of course ample parsley.

For mild onion flavor, and because it’s chive season right now, this French green lentil and quinoa salad also features fragrant green chive stems and their edible lavender flowers. If you don’t have chives, add some finely minced red onion.

About fresh tarragon:

• If you aren’t familiar with fresh tarragon in salads or with vegetables, you’ll wonder what you’re tasting. Have to say, a year ago, I thought I didn’t care for tarragon’s aromatic aniselike notes. But since my neighbor’s garden was overflowing with the prolific perennial and she was giving it away, I decided to give it a try. Fresh minced tarragon added a subtle magical mystery flavor to my lentil and quinoa salad. I’m a tarragon fan now, that’s for sure.

Other salads featuring quinoa:

• Kale and Quinoa Salad.
• Quinoa and Parsley Tabbouleh.
• You might also like this easy Rainbow Quinoa Egg Bake.

#Eat Seasonal:

This French green lentil and quinoa salad is part of June’s seasonal recipe roundup, orchestrated by our friend Becky from The Vintage Mixer blog.

For more recipes showcasing seasonal fruits and veggies, follow the links from other bloggers below. We hope our recipes encourage you to get in the kitchen and cook something delicious—and seasonal!

Rhubarb & Orange Frangipane Galette by Simple Bites

Roasted Strawberry Yogurt Pops by Completely Delicious

Greek Three Bean Salad by Flavor the Moments

Chunky Citrus Guacamole by Foodie Crush

Cherry-Rhubarb Pie Bars by Floating Kitchen

Strawberry Lime Chopped Salad by Vintage Mixer

Minty Sweet Pea Hummus by She Likes Food

Simply Strawberry Pie by Joy Food Sunshine

Cherry Rolls by Kitchen Confidante

Pimento Cheese Spread with Pickled Green Garlic, Radishes, and Rhubarb by Food for My Family

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5 from 4 votes

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French Green Lentil and Quinoa Salad

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

45 mins

 

French green lentil and quinoa salad is one of those got-it-all salads we’d all be happy find on a potluck buffet. Use whatever vegetables and herbs you want, something crunchy, and a flavorful herb. If you con't have tri-color rainbow quinoa, use whatever quinoa you find. Makes 8 cups salad.

Course: Main Course, Salad

Cuisine: Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: quinoa, lentils, tarragon

Servings: 8 cups

Calories: 291 kcal

Author: Letty | @lettyskitchen

Ingredients

• 1 cups French green lentils , rinsed and picked over
• 1 cup rainbow quinoa (see note)
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic , minced
• 1 teaspoons fine sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup lightly packed parsley leaves , finely chopped
• 1/2 cup lightly packed tarragon leaves , finely chopped
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup thinly sliced radishes
• ½ cup lightly toasted walnuts , coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped chives or green onions
• Tiny florets separated from chive blossoms , optional

Instructions

1. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the lentils and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Lower the heat and simmer until tender but firm, about 20 minutes. Drain, place in a large bowl, stir in about a teaspoon of olive oil and set aside.
2. Rinse the quinoa and drain in a fine-mesh sieve. (see note)
3. In another saucepan, bring 1 3/4 cups of water to a boil. Add rinsed quinoa and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, and cook about 15 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed. Add the cooked quinoa to the bowl of cooked lentils.
4. Mix the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour over the lentils and quinoa. Stir in the parsley and tarragon. Add the celery, radishes, and chives, and toss again. Taste, add more salt if you think it’s needed. Chill in the refrigerator to let the flavors meld.
5. Just before serving stir in the walnuts and chive blossoms, if using.

Recipe Notes

• Quinoa has a natural coating called saponin that repels insects and birds and can create a bitter taste. Rinsing with warm water removes the saponin.
• You can use any color quinoa you have, red, regular, or tri-color like in this recipe.

** This is an update of the lentil and quinoa salad from summer 2013. Back then I created recipes every week for my CSA and posted them on a wordpress.com blog called muffintalk. All those CSA recipes migrated over to here and I’m gradually updating the winners with photos. The original salad included garlic scapes, tarragon, summer savory, and chives from our CSA box.