Supercharge your salad game with this healthy and delicious Kale Lentil Salad. Each bite is a nutritional powerhouse and the zesty lemon dressing will keep you coming back for more!
Lentils are downright delicious. If you’ve made my famous Lentil Tortilla Soup, crispy Lentil Tacos, or slow cooker Lentil Chili then chances are you’re fully aware of how awesome they are.
With over 30 lentil recipes on this little blog of mine, I’m pretty sure I can turn you from “LENTILS????” to “OMG LENTILS!” in no time.
Compared to other dried beans and legumes, lentils are fairly quick-cooking with only 20 minutes or so to go from a bag of dried lentils to deliciously tender cooked lentils. But you know what, sometimes 20 minutes is 20 minutes too many. I get that! I have those days/weeks/months as well where shortcuts are 100% the name of the game.
Enter canned lentils.
They’re tasty AND time saving and I don’t know why it took me so long to try them! I think I had it in my head that they wouldn’t taste as good as fresh cooked lentils? I’ve tried a few different brands now and honestly, I love them as a speedy shortcut in recipes.
They’re also excellent in salads because they’re cooked so perfectly that they hold their shape without mushing to oblivion, which can happen if you’re like me and love wandering away from the kitchen while you cook. Haha!
All this to say: lentils are awesome. Canned lentils are awesome. Let’s try something new and make a lentil salad, shall we?
Let’s do this! Here’s what you’ll need for this scrumptious salad recipe:
Lentil Salad Ingredients
- canned Italian lentils
- kale (curly or lacinato)
- seedless english cucumber
- red onion
- bell pepper
- fresh parsley
Lemon Dressing Ingredients
- lemon
- fresh garlic
- extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
- white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
- salt and pepper
- dried oregano leaves
This salad is full of flavor with a pretty simple ingredient list. No need for a mile long list of things to measure and chop!
Though if you’re looking to get fancy or use up additional ingredients, you can for sure add them to your bowl.
Q: What else can I add to this salad?
Some delicious mix-in options include crumbed feta, diced tomatoes, toasted chopped almonds or walnuts, pickled banana peppers, olives, shredded carrots, and chopped broccoli. My crispy homemade tortilla strips would also be the most amazing topping.
Kale Lentil Salad with Lemon Dressing
Kale, lentils, and lemon – oh my! I’m so excited for you to try this salad!
As written, this rockin’ recipe is vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, and nut-free. This sensational salad is full of heart-healthy fiber and plant-based protein and it’s loaded with vitamins and antioxidants.
The recipe below makes 4 side salads or 2 large meal-sized salads.
Kale Lentil Salad with Lemon Dressing
Ingredients
- 14 oz canned italian lentils (1 can) delallo brand is my favorite
- 2 cups finely chopped kale (or 3 cups if preferred)
- 1 cup bell pepper (I used a mix of red and green)
- ½ seedless english cucumber
- ⅓ cup finely diced red onion
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
LEMON DRESSING
- 1 lemon (zested and juiced)
- 1 clove fresh garlic (peeled, smashed, and minced)
- 3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ⅛ tsp dried oregano leaves
Instructions
- First whisk together dressing ingredients in a large salad bowl. For the lemon, start with the juice from the entire lemon and add ¼ tsp lemon zest. Set aside remaining zest to add desired amount of additional zest at the end, to taste.
- Drain and rinse lentils.
- Wash and dry kale. Remove the center stems and finely chop the leaves into very small pieces. Add to the bowl with the dressing and lightly rub the dressing into the leaves to tenderize and flavor the kale.
- Chopping the vegetables in to small pieces will help you get a little bit of everything in each bite! Finely dice cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, kale, and parsley. Add to salad bowl and mix well.
- Taste test and add desired amount of extra lemon zest and season with additional salt and pepper to bring out extra flavor in the salad. I add a hearty pinch of each to mine. An additional spoonful of vinegar may also be added if desired.
- Additional vegetables may be added to the mix as well (see notes for a full list) simply increase dressing and seasoning to compensate and you're good to go!
- The lemon dressing can be doubled if desired and kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Leftover salad can be refrigerated and enjoyed the follow day. I like to let it set out to reach room temp for 30 minutes before diving back in.
Notes
Nutrition
Loving Lentils? Try these next!
- NEW! Lentil Taco Salad
- Black Bean and Lentil Burrito Bowls
- Red Lentil Quinoa Chili
- Spicy Lentil Sandwich via KiipFit
- Italian Lentil Soup – Instant Pot and Crock Pot
If you get a chance to try this tasty kale lentil salad, let me know! Leave me a comment here (LOVE checking those daily!) and tag @PEASandCRAYONS on Instagram so I can happy dance over your tasty creations. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
Questions & Reviews
Delicious and easy.
I had cooked lentils in the fridge, so i used those. Added some olives, toasted sunflower seeds, feta, & quinoa. It made a tasty & satisfying lunch that came together very quickly.
I’ll definitely be making this again.
Exactly what I was looking for! Added avocado but kept the rest the same. Delicious salad!
Yay! Thanks Barbara!