This is such a great recipe to meal prep ahead of time for a few healthy, high fiber lunches! And with one serving packing 10g of protein and 5.5g of fiber, you’re sure to stay full until dinner. If you’re looking for a plant-based meal, you can serve 1 cup of these lentils with 1⁄2 cup of quinoa and add non-starchy veggies for a complete meal! Or, if you’d like to use this lentil salad recipe as your carb source, you can serve yourself ½ cup and a serving of your favorite lean animal protein and non-starchy veggies to balance out your meal.
Lentil Salad
Adapted from skinnytaste.com
Yields 4.5 cups
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry brown lentils (or 3 cups cooked lentils)
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 cup finely diced carrots
- ⅓ cup finely diced celery
- ¼ cup finely diced red bell pepper
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion
- ¼ cup minced parsley
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 5 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan combine lentils, bay leaf, and thyme.
- Add enough water to cover the lentils by 1 inch.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until lentils are tender but not mushy, about 16-20 minutes.
- If using pre-cooked/canned lentils, use 3 cups and start on step 5.
- Drain the lentils and discard bay leaf and thyme.
- Place in a large bowl with carrots, celery, red pepper, red onion, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Toss to combine and serve chilled or room temperature.
Lentil Salad Nutrition Facts
Per serving (1 cup): 206 calories, 3.7g fat, 33g total carbohydrate (9.3g fiber), 12.7g protein
Tip: up the amount of carrots, celery, bell pepper, and parsley to increase the fiber and volume of this recipe!
