Mediterranean Lentil salad with bulgur or quinoa

Name: Mediterranean Lentil salad with bulgur or quinoa
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 cup dried brown lentils (small size); 1 cup bulgur wheat (medium grain or quinoa, see note#3); 1 large tomato (diced); 1 persian cucumber (diced); 1 sweet red pepper (diced); 4 tablespoons sliced olives (or capers); 1/2 bunch parsley (chopped ); 1 teaspoons ground cumin; 1 teaspoon salt; ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (or more to taste); 3 tablespoons lemon juice (or more to taste); 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Modified: Sep 22, 2018 by Makos

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This Mediterranean lentil salad with bulgur or quinoa is ready in under 30 minutes. Whether you're vegan or just craving a healthy satisfying way to prepare lentils, this one's about to be your new go-to. Use quinoa for a gluten-free alternative.

A tray with brown lentil and bulgur salad with chopped vegetables.

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📋 Ingredient notes
👨‍🍳 Expert Tips
🎥 Video
📖 Recipe

This isn't your average lentil salad! Earthy, protein-packed lentils pair with nutty grains, juicy tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, briny olives and a lemony olive oil dressing that ties it all together. It's vibrant, nourishing, full of Mediterranean flavors and 100% make-ahead friendly! Perfect for meal prep, lunchboxes, or a light dinner with some chicken or fish. The best part? It tastes even better the next day.

As a Greek cook who grew up with lentil soup (Fakes) simmering on the stove every Friday, I've always searched for delicious new ways to prepare them. Combining them with bulgur wheat or quinoa (if you avoid gluten) is the best way to turn this humble pantry staple into something crave-worthy. This is mostly a summer dish, but I enjoy it all year round. Make it and taste the love in every bite.

For more filling salads like this, don't miss this creamy Greek pasta salad with a healthy yogurt dressing, this pearl couscous salad with feta and this healthy Greek Chickpea Salad with a simple Mediterranean-style dressing.

📋 Ingredient notes

To make this lentil salad recipe you'll need the following ingredients:

Bulgur and lentil salad ingredients with labels.

Brown lentils: In Greece we have two kinds of brown lentils: the larger, coarser type an dthe smaller, finer one. I suggest using the fine (small) ones because they hold their shape better and don't become mushy.

Bulgur: You don't want to confuse bulgur for cous cous. Bulgur is cracked durum wheat that's partially parboiled and can be ground into different sizes. For this recipe, coarse bulgur is suggested (so it's approximately the same size as the lentils).

Quinoa: If you avoid gluten, you can use quinoa instead.

Tomatoes: Any type of tomatoes will do. I most often use cherry or grape tomatoes because it's easier to slice.

Sweet red pepper: It can be red bell pepper or Bull's horn peppers. If you're in Greece, use Florina peppers.

Fresh herbs: I prefer parsley for this recipe (the vitamin C it contains helps our body to better absorb the iron from the lentils), but dill, spearmint, mint or green onions can also be added.

For the whole list of ingredients with quantities, please see the recipe card ⬇️ at the end of this post.

👨‍🍳 Expert Tips

✅ The shape of the ingredients affects how we taste our food. For this reason try to chop all the vegetables about the same size as the lentils (or just a bit larger). It makes a difference!

👉 How to chop the ccucumber and pepper: First slice into thin strips and then rotate the strips and slice across them to create small, even cubes.

👉 How to chop the tomatoes: Slice grape or cherry tomatoes into thin slices. For a large tomato: Cut into slices, cut each slice into strips, then each strip into small cubes.