This Lentil Pasta Salad combines tender steamed green lentils with pasta, veggies, fresh herbs and a creamy homemade Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette for a great side or lunch!
JUMP TO RECIPEThis Greek-Inspired Lentil Pasta Salad is a flavor-packed salad that's perfect for meal prep, and makes a great potluck side salad, too!
Loaded with tender steamed green lentils, al dente pasta, Greek olives, fresh veggies, basil, my delicious homemade Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette, and tangy feta cheese -this super satisfying salad is always a crowd pleaser.
I love to make this protein-packed vegetarian salad for easy lunches throughout the week, or when I'm craving a side salad that packs some real flavor and nutrients.
Table of Contents
- Ingredients you’ll need
- How to make Lentil Pasta Salad
- Customization
- Step by Step Photos
- Storage
- More Great Lentil Recipes
Ingredients you’ll need
Green Lentils. You can use dried lentils for this recipe, or pre-cooked steamed lentils to save time. If making your own, I highly recommend soaking the dried lentils in water the night before, and steaming them. Steaming lentils helps them retain their shape and texture, and makes for a better bite in the salad.
Fusilli pasta. I love the shape of Fusilli for this recipe, but you could use any short pasta you like! You'll cook the pasta in salted water according package directions for al dente, and let it cool completely before adding to the salad.
Kalamata olives. The fruity, smoky, and tangy taste of these Greek olives adds a great briney flavor to the salad. Slice them into thin rings so they infuse the salad with their delicious flavor! I prefer to use pitted olives for this recipe to save time.
Feta cheese. I love to use a brine packed feta for this recipe, and crumble it myself, rather than use a crumbled feta. The brine keeps the feta super flavorful and moist, so it adds a nice richness and saltiness to the salad.
Red onion. Dice this into small pieces so it blends well into the salad. The onion adds a sharp, crisp, and slightly sweet flavor to the salad.
A Cucumber. I use a regular garden cucumber for this recipe, and remove the seeds with a spoon before cutting it into small cubes. This helps keep excess moisture from the seeds from watering down the salad. You could also use seedless English cucumbers, or Persian cucumbers.
Fresh Tomatoes, diced. I like to use Roma tomatoes or tomatoes on the vine, and remove most of the seeds before cutting into small pieces. This again helps with reducing the amount of liquid in the salad.
Pickled hot cherry peppers. These add another briney element to the salad, as well as a touch of heat. This recipe only calls for 2 tablespoon diced cherry peppers, so it's not super spicy, it just adds a nice background note to the salad.
Fresh Basil. This gets chopped and tossed into the salad, and perfectly compliemts the Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette.
Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette. This recipe uses my easy blender Sun Dried Tomato Dressing, made with sun dried tomatoes, balsamic, olive oil, garlic, honey, Dijon mustard, and dried oregano. Just add all the ingredients to a blender, and your dressing is good to go!
How to make Lentil Pasta Salad
To make this Lentil Pasta Salad, you'll cook the dried lentils and pasta, and make a quick and easy Blender Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette. While your ingredients cool, you can make the dressing and prepare the other salad ingredients for faster prep!
Lentil preparation tips
To help the lentils retain their shape in the pasta salad, I like to first soak them overnight in cool water, then steam them in a steamer basket for 12-15 minutes, rather than boil them. Boiling can make them lose their shape and break apart.
If you are short on time, you can steam them a bit longer from their dry state, or boil them and keep an eye on them, draining them when they just become tender.
How to make the Sun-dried Tomato Vinaigrette
This Lentil Pasta Salad used my easy blender-friendly Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette recipe to bring everything together. If making the full batch in the recipe card below, you'll need a double batch of the vinaigrette. Just simply add double the amount of ingredients listed, and blend in a high powered blender.
For best flavor and easy blending, I like to use oil-packed sun dried tomatoes. You can buy them online, or if you happen to be close to a Trader Joe's, they have great ones that are very inexpensive! If you can't find them, you can also use the dried ones, just let them sit in the liquid ingredients for a few minutes prior to blending to soften them up!
Make Ahead
For faster salad making, you could prepare the lentils and dressing a few days ahead of time, and store them in the refrigerator until you're ready to make the salad. Alternatively, you could also purchase pre-cooked lentils for a fast and easy Lentil Pasta Salad!
Customization
Use a fun shape pasta, such as Radiatori or Cavatappi!
Swap the dressing. Use your favorite salad dressing in place of the Sun Dried Tomato Dressing. Creamy Italian dressing would be a great swap!
Add more veggies. Add in some diced bell peppers or chopped fresh broccoli!
Lentil Pasta Salad Recipe
Equipment
- Steamer basket
Ingredients
- ½ cup dry green lentils, (or 1 cup pre cooked steamed lentils)
- ½ lb fusilli pasta , (or preferred pasta shape)
- 1 ½ cups Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette , (recipe linked below)
- ¼ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and thinly sliced into rings
- ½ cup Feta cheese, crumbled
- ½ medium red onion, diced
- 1 cucumber, cut into small cubes, seeds removed
- 1 cup diced fresh tomatoes , (Roma or vine tomatoes)
- 2 tablespoon finely diced jarred pickled hot cherry peppers
- ¼ cup (packed) fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Soak Lentils overnight in cool water, covered (optional). 2. Prepare a steaming basket in a saucepan and add enough water just to reach the bottom of the steamer basket. Add the drained soaked lentils (or dried lentils) to the basket and cover with a lid. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. If steaming dried lentils, allow more time for them to become tender. 3. Steam the lentils for 12-15 minutes, checking occasionally, until the lentils are just tender. Once they are tender enough to press easily between your fingers, they are done. 4. Once the lentils are cooked through, remove from the steamer basket and set aside in a bowl to cool. 5. Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions for al dente, drain well, and set aside. (If you want to help the pasta cool faster, you can rinse the pasta under cool water and drain well.) 7. Make a double batch of Sun Dried Tomato Dressing, and set aside until you’re ready to assemble the Salad. (May be made up to 3 days ahead of time). 8. Once lentils and pasta are cool, add to a large bowl with remaining ingredients and dressing. Toss well to coat, add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
Step by Step Photos
Storage
To store the Lentil Pasta salad, transfer it to an airtight container, and refrigerate for up to 3 days. For best flavor, give it a nice stir or toss before serving.
More Great Lentil Recipes
Try my smoky, slightly spicy Green Lentil Soup!
Try my filling and flavorful Meatless Curried Sweet Potato and Lentil Wraps.
© Jawns I Cooked. All images & content are the sole property of Jawns I Cooked. Please ask permission prior to using my photos. If you would like to share one of my recipes, please link back to this post and re-write the instructions in your own words.
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