I’m ready for fall – for soups and casseroles and hearty, filling salads. Like this lentil salad with grapes, walnuts and feta. It has a lot of flavor going on – loaded with earthy lentils, sweet grapes, crunchy walnuts and salty feta. This is a quick and easy salad to make that’s filling and packed with protein.
I used to have a hard time getting lentils right – they always seemed to be overcooked, lose their shape and become mushy. After some research, I realized 3 things. First, for lentil salads you need to buy french lentils. French lentils hold their shape better than ordinary brown lentils – so save the brown ones for soup. Second, cook your lentils for a slightly shorter amount of time than the package directions calls for. Start test them about 5 minutes before their allotted cooking time is up – this way you won’t overcook them by accident. You want your lentils to be al dente – not overly soft. Finally, once the lentils are cooked, pour them into a wire mesh sieve to strain off any left over liquid and then rinse them off with water until they are cool. This stops the cooking process and the lentils don’t become mushy and fall apart.
If you bring lunch to work this is an great recipe to add to your weekly lunch rotation. It’s easy to make, very filling and keeps in the fridge for a couple of days with no problem. This is a great salad to make that will cover two meals. Make this lentil salad with grapes, walnuts and feta for a Sunday dinner and then on Monday bring the lentil salad and some pita and hummus or bread and cheese and you’ve got a quick, easy work lunch.
A couple of notes:
The grapes really make this salad, so make sure that the grapes are sweet and not too tart.
As discussed above, start checking your lentils to see if they are done about 5 minutes before the package directions say they will be done. So if the package says 20 minutes – start checking at 15 to see if they are ready. Also, you want to stop the cooking process once the lentils are done – so strain your lentils and then rinse them in cold water. Both these steps will help eliminate any mushy, overly soft lentil problems.
Use French lentils since they hold their shape better than plain brown lentils. They are smaller and firmer than ordinary lentils and hold up well in salads.
PrintLentil Salad with Grapes, Walnuts and Feta
Lentil salad with grapes, walnuts and feta. An earthy, sweet, salty, crunchy, filling salad.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup of French lentils
- 1 veggie bouillon cube
- Water – as per lentil package instructions
- 2 cups red seedless grapes – sliced in half
- 2 celery stalks – thinly sliced
- 2 tbs red onion – minced
- 2 tbs parlsey – minced
- 1 large handful of walnuts
- 2 oz of feta – diced
- 3 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs red wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove – put through a garlic press
- 1 tsp honey
- 6 twists of black pepper from a pepper mill
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
- Cook lentils, with one veggie bouillon cube, according to package instructions.
- While the lentils are cooking, slice grapes in half, slice celery into thin half moons, mince onion, mince parlsey and dice feta.
- Make the dressing by whisking the olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, black pepper and salt together.
- When the lentils are ready, drain in a fine mesh sieve and rinse to cool under water. Drain the lentils well.
- Add lentils, grapes, celery, red onion, parsley and walnuts to a bowl. Toss with dressing. Add feta and gently toss to combine.
Evi @ greenevi
The lovely grape-walnut-feta combo is one of my favorite, but I’ve never thought of combining them with lentils. Great idea, thanks.
Geraldine
Hi Evi – the lentils give it a lovely earthy flavor. It’s a great flavor combination with the grapes, walnuts and feta. Hope you try it!
Traci | Vanilla And Bean
I love French lentils! And I love grapes! Wow, what a combination! Beautiful work, Geraldine! Salads that can set in the fridge for a few days make weekday lunches even better! Thank you for another mouthwatering recipe!! 😀
Geraldine
Thanks, Traci. This salad was great as a side dish and stored easily for a couple of days – hope you try it. Have a great day.
Monet
Usually lentil salads don’t look pretty…but this salad? This salad looks gorgeous! And I know it tastes great too!
Geraldine
Thanks so much, Monet. I love the combination of the sweet grapes with the earthiness of the lentils in this salad. Have a good night.
Sippitysup
Grapes make this so fresh and exciting. GREG
Geraldine
Thanks, Greg!
Wendy
Thank you for this recipe. I absolutely love lentils and cook them often. I have found that if they are fresher and organic, they cook much faster than ones that have sat in a bag in the store forever. They are good, anyway, but a close watch on cooking time is essential to not turn them quickly into mush.
I put mine in cold water, bring to a boil and then turn to low or simmer for about 10 minutes and check them. Usually around 15 minutes is great. I do cover the pot with a lid, also. When perfect, I get them in a colander and under very cold water or in ice water until cooled completely. It works beautifully for me. I tried a recipe similar to this one and it was nearly addicting! Thanks again.
Geraldine
Hi Wendy: Exactly – sometimes lentils cook faster than other times so you have to keep checking them. Also, I totally agree about rinsing them to cool off and stop the cooking process. Hope you enjoy the recipe and thanks for taking the time to comment. Have a great day!
Thalia @ butter and brioche
never thought of adding grapes to a salad, definitely need to try the recipe… curious to know what it tastes like!
Geraldine
Hi Thalia – grapes make this salad. The sweetness works so well with the earthiness of the lentils. Let me know if you try it.
Amanda - A Cookie Named Desire
Oh yum!! I have a huge stock of lentils I’ve been hoarding for a long time because I keep buying them and never knowing what to make with them and a few of the recipes I’ve tried that aren’t curry just haven’t worked for my tastes. This salad though… I think this salad would be fantastic in my belly. I definitely like the idea of pairing it with pita and hummus for work.
Geraldine
Hi Amanda – this is a great work lunch recipe since you can make a big batch and have enough for a couple of days. Have a good one!