Mediterranean Kissed Lentil & Tomato Salad with Zesty Yogurt Dressing

By @chef1
This vibrant and refreshing lentil salad features tender lentils, juicy cherry tomatoes, crisp red onion, and fresh herbs, all brought together with a bright and creamy lemon-herb yogurt dressing. Perfect for a light and satisfying lunch.
Recipe Rating
Not yet rated by chefs
Ingredients
- ●1/2 cup Green or Brown Lentils
- ●1 cup Chicken or Vegetable Broth
- ●1 cup Cherry Tomatoes, halved
- ●1/4 small Red Onion, finely diced
- ●1 clove Garlic, minced
- ●2 tablespoons Fresh Parsley, chopped
- ●1/4 cup Plain Yogurt
- ●1/2 Lemon, juiced
- ●1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- ●1/4 teaspoon Salt, or to taste
- ●1/8 teaspoon Black Pepper, or to taste
Instructions
- 1Rinse the lentils thoroughly. In a small saucepan, combine the rinsed lentils with 1 cup of chicken or vegetable broth. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape. Drain any excess liquid and let the lentils cool slightly.
- 2While the lentils are cooking, prepare the fresh ingredients. Halve the cherry tomatoes, finely dice the red onion, mince the garlic, and chop the fresh parsley.
- 3In a small bowl, whisk together the plain yogurt, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and black pepper until well combined. This is your zesty lemon-herb yogurt dressing.
- 4In a medium bowl, combine the cooled lentils, halved cherry tomatoes, diced red onion, minced garlic, and chopped parsley.
- 5Pour the prepared lemon-herb yogurt dressing over the lentil and vegetable mixture. Toss gently to ensure all ingredients are evenly coated.
- 6Taste the salad and adjust seasoning with more salt or pepper if needed. Serve immediately for a refreshing lunch, or chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld further. Garnish with an extra sprig of fresh parsley if desired for an elegant touch.
Recipe details
- Cuisine
- Mediterranean-inspired
- Category
- Salad
- Preparation
- 47 minutes
- Cooking
- 28 minutes
Estimated total: 103 minutes. Planning estimate: stated duration ranges use their midpoint; standard preparation, heating and handling allowances are included. Overlapping tasks are counted once. Resting/chilling is included in total time.
How these estimates were calculated
- General setup: 5 min planning allowance (setup)
- Rinse lentils: 5 min planning allowance (simple_prep)
- Combine lentils and broth: 3 min planning allowance (mix)
- Bring lentils to simmer: 10 min planning allowance (boil_heat)
- Drain lentils: 2 min planning allowance (transfer)
- Cool lentils slightly: 5 min planning allowance (brief_cool)
- Prepare fresh ingredients (tomatoes, onion, garlic, parsley): 10 min planning allowance (vegetable_prep)
- Whisk dressing ingredients: 3 min planning allowance (mix)
- Combine cooled lentils and prepped vegetables: 5 min planning allowance (assemble)
- Pour dressing over salad: 2 min planning allowance (transfer)
- Toss salad with dressing: 3 min planning allowance (mix)
- Taste and adjust seasoning: 5 min planning allowance (simple_prep)
- Serve salad: 2 min planning allowance (transfer)
- Garnish salad: 2 min planning allowance (garnish)
- Optional chilling for 30 minutes is included.
- Optional garnish is included.
- Optional
- Optional
- Green or Brown Lentils: USDA cup portion weight
- Chicken or Vegetable Broth: USDA cup portion weight
- Using chicken broth as a generic equivalent for chicken or vegetable broth.
- Cherry Tomatoes, halved: USDA cup cherry tomatoes portion weight
- Red Onion, finely diced: USDA medium (2-1/2" dia) portion weight
- Using a medium onion (110g) to estimate 1/4 small red onion. This is an approximation as 'small' and 'red' are not explicitly matched, but 'raw onions' is the closest general category.
- Garlic, minced: USDA clove portion weight
- Fresh Parsley, chopped: USDA tbsp portion weight
- Plain Yogurt: USDA cup (8 fl oz) portion weight
- Using low fat plain yogurt as a generic equivalent for plain yogurt.
- Lemon, juiced: USDA lemon yields portion weight
- Using the yield from one whole lemon to estimate 1/2 lemon juiced.
- Olive Oil: USDA tablespoon portion weight
- Salt, or to taste: USDA tsp portion weight
- Black Pepper, or to taste: USDA tsp, ground portion weight
- Green or Brown Lentils: 96 g · USDA reference 172420
- Chicken or Vegetable Broth: 249 g · USDA reference 174536
- Cherry Tomatoes, halved: 149 g · USDA reference 170457
- Red Onion, finely diced: 27.5 g · USDA reference 170000
- Garlic, minced: 3 g · USDA reference 169230
- Fresh Parsley, chopped: 7.6 g · USDA reference 170416
- Plain Yogurt: 61.25 g · USDA reference 170886
- Lemon, juiced: 24 g · USDA reference 167747
- Olive Oil: 13.5 g · USDA reference 171413
- Salt, or to taste: 1.5 g · USDA reference 173468
- Black Pepper, or to taste: 0.29 g · USDA reference 170931
lentils · tomatoes · yogurt dressing · lemon
Estimated nutrition per serving
562 calories · 30.6 g protein · 78 g carbohydrate · 16.5 g fat · 13 g fiber · 1568 mg sodium
Source and basis: USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy (2018), ingredient-based calculation per serving. Standard USDA portion weights; all listed ingredient mass included before cooking losses. Full ingredient matches and assumptions below.
Recipe Context
This recipe was created with the following context in mind: