A silver bento box and bowl filled with lentils and greens with a bowl of green dressing on the side
Photography, Eva Kolenko

Lentil Salad With Green Tahini Dressing

This filling, healthy salad is perfect for packed lunches and meal prep.

I’ll never get tired of eating this salad for lunch – lemony lentils and crisp veggies doused in a creamy green dressing. But I don’t make it the exact same way every time. Instead, I play around with the herbs in the dressing. I might use parsley instead of cilantro or experiment with adding tarragon, dill or chives. I love that it’s a little bit different each time I eat it! –Jeanine Donofrio

A silver bento box and bowl filled with lentils and greens with a bowl of green dressing on the side

Lentil Salad With Green Tahini

Jeanine Donofrio's versatile recipe for a lentil salad with fresh vegetables and creamy green tahini dressing.
Course lunch, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine American, gluten-free, Middle Eastern, vegan
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup dry green or fresh green lentils rinsed
  • 6 oz snap peas
  • 1 shallot finely chopped (1⁄3 cup)
  • 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 3 cups cooked green lentils
  • 2 Persian cucumbers diced
  • 1 watermelon radish sliced super thin (or ½ cup daikon radish slices)
  • Green Tahini for serving
  • fresh mint leaves for garnish
  • freshly ground black pepper

Green Tahini

  • cups fresh parsley or cilantro
  • ½ cup tahini
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ cup fresh tarragon, chives, dill or mint
  • 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp honey or maple syrup
  • 1 clove garlic
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • 4-6 tbsp water plus more as needed

Instructions
 

  • Place the lentils in a medium pot of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 17 to 20 minutes, or until tender but not mushy. Drain.
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and set a bowl of ice water nearby. Drop the snap peas into the boiling water and blanch for 1 to 2 minutes, or until tender but still bright green. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the snap peas out of the boiling water and into the ice water. Chill for 1 minute, then drain and transfer to a kitchen towel to dry. Chop into 1-inch pieces and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the shallot, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and several grinds of pepper. Add the lentils and toss to coat. Transfer to a serving platter or meal prep containers and top with the snap peas, cucumbers and radish slices.
  • When ready to serve, drizzle with the green tahini and garnish with mint leaves.

Green Tahini

  • In a food processor, place the parsley, tahini, lemon juice, tarragon, olive oil, honey, garlic, salt and 4 tbsp of the water. Process until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, thin with more water to reach a drizzleable consistency.

Notes

 

A white and green cookbook cover in a tan frame

© Excerpted from Love and Lemons: Simple Feel Good Food Copyright © 2023 by Jeanine Donofrio. Published by Avery, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
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