Quick 10 minute Lentil Salad recipe made with pre-soaked & Pressure cooked lentils in my Instant pot. Healthy Mediterranean vegetarian salad.
How good are you at eating a healthy lunch? I have always been really bad at eating junk food (yes, a doughnut has been my lunch more times than I can count!).
So, I challenged myself to make a healthy lunch that won’t take more than 10 minutes to make.
The result is this healthy, tasty, delicious, protein-packed lentil salad that can be made anytime of the year!
Tips for making this salad
- Soak the lentils the night before. Even though they don’t take long to cook in the Instant Pot, they are still healthier when soaked overnight
- You can make a big batch of the lentils in advance and use it several times during the week.
- Use veggies and herbs that you have on hand, not just what I have used in this recipe. Use seasonal veggies in it, if you have them.
- I don’t use any vinegar in this Mediterranean lentil salad because the feta cheese adds the tang and salty flavors to this salad.
- Use fresh herbs you have on hand to garnish the salad. I had Italian parsley and cilantro on hand, so, that’s what I used. If you have tarragon or basil, they would be perfect in this lentil salad
- If you don’t have tahini, use hummus or even pesto.
- How long do lentils last in the fridge? They will last for about 6-10 days, when cooked
“I just want a quick lunch that is not empty calories!”
Now, I know I am not the only one who has done this! I have eaten junk food that have absolutely zero nutritional value. All they have is a huge does of sugar!
Here are just some foods that have been a sorry excuse for lunch!:
- Donuts
- Chocolate cake
- Pizza
- Pecan muffin with Orange juice
- Candy
- PB&J Sandwich
- Samosas!
Why do I reach for these foods instead of eating an actual healthy lunch? That’s because they are easy! I just have to grab them and eat them. They don’t take more than 5 minutes to put together.
So, I decided to challenge myself and make a lunch that will take just 5-10 minutes to cook. They should also be packed with protein and other nutrients.
This recipe takes just 10 minutes to make. At most, it will take me 11 minutes accounting for the Instant Pot to cool down. How amazing is that!?
If you love this lentil salad recipe, try a Lebanese version called mujadara hamra. It’s just as quick, easy and delicious.
Pressure your lentil and it will be better for it
Lentils contain lectins, which is what plants use to protect themselves from being eaten. Lectins are proteins that are harmful to you when consumed in high amounts.
Lentils are high in lectins and that would make them so bad for you. But, there is good news. Soak them overnight and pressure cook them in the morning!
Bam! This process gets rid of most of the lectin in your lentils and now, they are good enough to eat.
You do need to soak lentils of all kinds to make it easier to get rid of the lectins. Pressure cooking is the best way to get rid of most of the lectins. Slow cooking is the second best way.
Source: Blue Zone & Healthline and my conversations with nutritionists
To feta or not to feta?
Feta makes all the difference in this Mediterranean lentil salad recipe. But, if you want a vegan lentil salad recipe, you can’t eat the traditional feta. You can try using my vegan feta, but, that means you have to make it in advance.
Personally, I love feta cheese in a lentil salad and it’s so important in any Mediterranean diet. You can get organic sheep’s milk feta which will make this recipe so much more delicious.
Feta adds texture, flavor and nutrition to the salad.
What herbs are good with lentils?
- Cilantro
- Italian Parsley
- Basil
- Tarragon
- Dill
- Rosemary
Always use fresh herbs with lentils. They are the perfect compliment to lentils because they add an earthy taste.
I also made this again and this time, I added my olive salad instead of plain olives! It was the most delicious taste experience ever!
How to make this lentil salad recipe
- Pre-soak 1/2 cup of Green lentils in about 1.5 cups of water. Soak overnight.
- When ready to cook, drain the excess water and place the soaked lentils in the inner container of your instant pot.
- Add one cup of water in the container.
- Add 1 tsp salt and mix well.
- Close the lid and set the option to “Pressure Cook”. Side note: If you have manual option in your instant pot, use that.
- Set the time to 6 minutes and remove the “Keep Warm” option.
- While the instant pot is cooking the lentils, chop your bell peppers, onions and garlic.
- Shred your red cabbage or you can put it in your food processor. The idea is to finely shred them
- Once the Instant pot is ready to be opened, drain the lentils and set aside. Wash your IP inner container and place it back in your Instant Pot
- Set your IP to “Saute” option and add extra virgin olive oil
- Add the garlic, bell onions, bell peppers, purple cabbage, olives, capers, dried oregano, tahini, lemon pepper and the cooked lentils.
- Add feta and a little bit of salt. Mix one more time and then transfer to serving bowl
- Garnish with fresh herbs and serve immediately. You can also put it into meal prep bowls and use it for a later date.
Thank you for reading my recipe this far. I am very delighted to have you as a reader. If you like this easy tomato sandwich, be sure to spread the word on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, YouTube and even Instagram. Tag me and I will compliment you on your cooking skills!
Mediterranean Lentil Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup lentils
- 1½ cup water for soaking
- 1 tsp salt for pressure cooking
- 1 cup water to cook the lentils
- 3 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup red bell pepper about 1/4 of a bell pepper
- ¼ cup red onion about 1/8 of a red onion
- ⅛ red cabbage
- 3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 5 olives
- 2 Tbsp capers
- 2 Tbsp oregano, dried use fresh if you have it
- 1 tsp lemon pepper
- 1 tsp tahini
- ½ tsp salt for flavor, optional
- 2 Tbsp feta, crumbled
For Garnish
- cilantro
- Italian parsley
Instructions
- Pre-soak lentils overnight½ cup lentils, 1½ cup water
- When ready to cook, drain the excess water and put the soaked lentils in instant pot
- Add water and salt to the lentils1 cup water, 1 tsp salt
- Close the lid and set the option to "Pressure Cook". See note #1 below
- Set the time to 6 minutes and remove the “Keep Warm” option.
- While the instant pot is cooking the lentils, chop your bell peppers, onions and garlic.3 cloves garlic, ¼ cup red bell pepper, ¼ cup red onion
- Shred your red cabbage or you can put it in your food processor to finely shred them⅛ red cabbage
- Once the Instant pot is ready to be opened, drain the lentils and set aside
- Wash your IP inner container, dry it and place it back in your Instant Pot
- Set your IP to “Saute” option and add extra virgin olive oil
- Add the remaining ingredients (except garnish) in the order listed above.3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 5 olives, 2 Tbsp capers, 2 Tbsp oregano, dried, 1 tsp lemon pepper, 1 tsp tahini, ½ tsp salt, 2 Tbsp feta, crumbled
- Mix well, turn off Instant pot and transfer lentils to serving bowl
- Garnish with cilantro and parsleycilantro, Italian parsley
Serve immediately or place it in meal prep containers
Video
Notes
- Soak the lentils the night before. Even though they don’t take long to cook in the Instant Pot, they are still healthier when soaked overnight
- You can make a big batch of the lentils in advance and use it several times during the week.
- Use veggies and herbs that you have on hand, not just what I have used in this recipe. Use seasonal veggies in it, if you have them.
- I don’t use any vinegar in this Mediterranean lentil salad because the feta cheese adds the tang and salty flavors to this salad.
- Use fresh herbs you have on hand to garnish the salad. I had Italian parsley and cilantro on hand, so, that’s what I used. If you have tarragon or basil, they would be perfect in this lentil salad
- If you don’t have tahini, use hummus or even pesto.