Mint Lentil Salad

This mint lentil salad recipe is super tasty and very unique. I will share my secret on how to make the lentils taste mega delicious by just adding a couple of simple ingredients.

This lentil salad is refreshing, nourishing, filling and packed with lots of vitamins and plant protein.

Summer is almost here, and I’ve been really enjoying refreshing salads with lots of fresh veg and leafy greens. But if I’m having just a salad for lunch, then it has to be filling. So I figured why not start adding some beans or grains to my salads?

I love adding lentils to my food. Be it red or green lentils, I have so many recipes that I need to share on this blog that are made with lentils.

I always make sure that I’m stocked up on green lentils as I use them to make vegan burgers, vegan meatballs, I throw them in salads, I add them to soups and even cook Middle Eastern dishes such as this vegan Mujaddara (YOU NEED TO TRY THIS! IT’S JUST SO GOOD).

So to make this salad, I added cooked green lentils to lots of freshly chopped vegetables, herbs, and made a vegan honey mustard dressing. Sounds simple, right? But I also have a very important tip to share with you, to make your lentils taste amazing!

The Secret to a Tasty Lentil Salad

This is not just another lentil salad that you find on the internet, it’s actually a very unique recipe because the lentils here taste more than amazing. And to achieve that I will have to share my secret to seriously delish lentils with you. You know how you normally cook lentils in water and they turn out a bit tasteless?

The secret here is to cook the lentils in vegetable broth, you have no idea what a huge difference this will make!

Simply throw some veggies into the boiling water when cooking lentils, along with half of teaspoon of cumin, salt and pepper. And let the magic happen!

You could also add some herbs to make the broth, that is up to you what you would like to add. But make sure not to cook the lentils in plain water.

How to Cook Green Lentils

To cook dry lentils, you will need 3 cups of water for every 1 cup of dry green lentils. The size of the lentils will double or triple, so make sure that you are using a saucepan that is big enough to cook the lentils.

Bring the water to a boil, then cover the saucepan tightly and let simmer. Green lentils normally take 15-20 minutes to become soft and tender. For this salad, I suggest cooking the lentils until just tender but they need to stay a little bit firm.

If you’re making lentil mash, meatballs or patties then you can cook the lentils for a bit longer.

Storing

Cooked green or brown lentils must be stored in a container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Feel free to throw them in salads, make patties, veg meatballs or lentil mash on toast.

Now let’s talk about the vegan honey mustard dressing that I’ve been adding to many of my salads lately…

Vegan Honey Mustard Dressing

• You will need Dijon mustard
• Maple syrup
• White wine vinegar
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt & pepper
• And I also like to add minced garlic but that’s optional

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until well combined. You can add a little bit of water to reach the desired consistency.

This vegan honey mustard dressing is very delicious when added to salads and sandwiches. As I mentioned above I like to add some minced garlic, but that is optional. The classic honey mustard dressing doesn’t come with garlic, but I’m obsessed with garlic and I just can’t help it!