This Lentil and Freekeh Salad is a perfect spring dish that can be served as a side dish or a simple vegetarian meal by itself!
I’m a big fan of salads, whether they are lettuce based or otherwise. This lentil and freekeh salad is similar to one my most popular posts, this Southwest Quinoa Salad since it contains no lettuce, just tons of vegetables and a homemade dressing. Especially since it’s spring now (even though it’s SNOWING this past week here in Michigan), I love to make light side dishes like this salad as either a simple lunch option or a side dish with dinner.
When I originally made this recipe, I chopped all the vegetables while I cooked the freekeh and lentils. To save additional time, you could cook the entire box (or bag) of the lentils and freekeh and freeze what you don’t use.
Dietitian’s Dish
Lentils are full of fiber and protein, one thing I love about lentils and beans. You get a lot of bang for your buck! A 1/2 cup serving of lentils has 8 grams of fiber and 9 grams of protein. If you’d like to learn more about the healthy benefits of ancient grains like freekeh, check out my Ask the RD: 10 Ancient Grains from Freekeh to Farro post.
Now when it comes to my kids eating this type of salad, I haven’t had any luck! I just keep some vegetables out of the salad and they will happily eat them up. It’s sometimes just in the presentation of foods that dissuades them, but it’s okay, leaving out some vegetables for them doesn’t add on any more time or effort on my part and they are still able to get all the benefits of the vegetables.
And I can’t help but include photos of my kids once in awhile like this adorable one of Kee. She received her own camera for Christmas and is more than thrilled to help take pictures.
Serves 4
A sweet-flavored spring salad packed full of veggies but no lettuce!
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Ingredients
- 1 cup lentils, cooked
- 1 cup freekeh, cooked
- 4 ounce can sliced black olives, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
- 2 mini cucumbers, chopped
- 1/4 cup red onion, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine lentils, freekeh, black olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion and parsley.
- In a small bowl whisk together the honey, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour dressing over salad until well coated.
- Lightly toss in feta cheese.
- Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
This Lentil and Freekeh Salad post first appeared on Chocolate Slopes.
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