
How To Make Lentil Salad in Tahini Dill Dressing
Whip up this flavorful lentil salad tossed in a zesty tahini dressing for your next tasty side dish! Assemble a mouthwatering batch in just under an hour.
Serves:
Ingredients
For Salad:
- 1½cupsblack beluga lentils
- 1bay leaf
- ½tspfine sea salt
- 2cupscarrots,peeled, grated
- ¾cupfresh flat-leaf parsley
- ⅓ozfresh dill leaves,¼ cup, tough stems removed, torn into small pieces
- ½cupcelery,about 2 ribs, chopped
- ½cupgreen onion,thinly sliced
- ½cuppepperoncini pepper,pickled, chopped
- ½cuphavarti,havarti dill, or mild cheddar, or crumbled feta, optional
For Tahini-Dill Dressing:
- â…“cupextra-virgin olive oil
- ¼cuplemon juice
- ⅓ozfresh dill leaves,¼ cup, tough stems removed
- 2tbsptahini
- 1garlic clove,roughly chopped
- ½tspfine sea salt,or to taste
- ½tspred pepper flakes,to taste, optional
- freshly ground black pepper,to taste
Instructions
Lentils:
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Fill a medium-to-large saucepan with water, leaving several inches of room at the top. Bring to a boil over high heat.
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Sort through the lentils for debris, then rinse in a fine-mesh sieve under running water until the water runs clear. Set aside.
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Once the water is boiling, add the rinsed lentils. Add the bay leaf and salt.
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Set the timer for 16 minutes, then reduce the heat as necessary to prevent overflow and to maintain a lively simmer.
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Once the timer has gone off, use a fork to scoop out a few lentils and test for doneness.
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If the lentils aren’t fully cooked yet, retest every 1 to 2 minutes until they are. Once cooked, strain off all the excess water.
Dressing:
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In a food processor, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, dill, tahini, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes, and several twists of black pepper.
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Blend until smooth, pausing to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl as necessary. Set aside.
To Assemble:
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Pour the lentils into a medium serving bowl, then discard the bay leaf.
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Pour in all of the dressing, then stir to combine. Add the grated carrots, parsley, the remaining dill, celery, green onion, and pepperoncini peppers.
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Wait to add the optional cheese until the lentils are just warm to not melt the cheese.
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Stir to combine. Season to taste with additional salt, red pepper flakes, and/or black pepper. Add 1 tablespoon more of lemon juice or chopped pepperoncini, as needed.
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Serve, and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- For better taste, let the salad rest for 20 minutes.
- It keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for about 4 days.
Nutrition
- Calories:Â 336.31kcal
- Fat:Â 15.51g
- Saturated Fat:Â 2.16g
- Monounsaturated Fat:Â 9.93g
- Polyunsaturated Fat:Â 2.80g
- Carbohydrates:Â 38.66g
- Fiber:Â 7.75g
- Sugar:Â 3.59g
- Protein:Â 13.82g
- Sodium:Â 362.85mg
- Calcium:Â 87.24mg
- Potassium:Â 623.11mg
- Iron:Â 4.78mg
- Vitamin A: 392.65µg
- Vitamin C:Â 28.62mg
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