Green Lentil and Quinoa Salad

Fresh flavorful herbs, crunchy vegetables, and ample vegetarian protein dressed in a tangy olive oil and vinegar dressing, this green lentil and quinoa salad is the 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. If you don’t have tarragon, sub in another pungent fresh herb, like cilantro or basil and mint.

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

About fresh tarragon:

• Are you familiar with fresh tarragon? I used to think I didn’t care for its aromatic aniselike notes, but when my neighbor’s garden was overflowing with the prolific perennial, I decided to give it a try. You too will love the subtle magical mystery that fresh minced tarragon brings to this salad.

Other salads featuring quinoa:

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

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Print Recipe

5 from 7 votes

Green Lentil and Quinoa Salad

This green lentil and quinoa salad is one of those got-it-all salads we’d 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.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time45 mins

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: lentils, quinoa

Servings: 16 servings

Author: Letty | @lettyskitchen

Ingredients

• 1 cups French green lentils , rinsed and picked over
• 1 cup tri-color or regular quinoa (see note)
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic , minced
• 1 teaspoon 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

• 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.
• Rinse the quinoa and drain in a fine-mesh sieve. (see note)
• 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.
• 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.
• Just before serving stir in the walnuts and chive blossoms, if using.

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.

Nutrition

Calories: 291kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 310mg | Potassium: 433mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 65IU | Vitamin C: 3.6mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 3mg

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** 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 recipes have migrated over to this blog, and I’m gradually updating the winners with photos. The original salad included garlic scapes, tarragon, summer savory, and chives from our CSA box.