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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