Easy Lentil Bell Pepper Salad

This easy Lentil Bell Pepper Salad is made with cooked lentils, diced bell pepper, cucumbers, shallots, creamy feta and parsley all tossed in a Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette. The perfect salad for meal prepping, high in fibre & vitamin-packed.

Today we are talking about a French salad classic: Lentil Bell Pepper Salad with Dijob Mustard Vinaigrette!

If you are new to this blog or haven't been following me for a very long time, then maybe you don't know the ugly truth. I am French! France... you know, this European country where people love sharing three hour-meal on the weekends, are grumpy in the subway and eat cheese at almost every meal? There, you have it 😉

It would appear that I myself forgot momentarily that I was French (or I'm just too well integrated in Australia) because Bastille Day totally slipped my mind.

You know, the French National Day? This last 14th of July, I was peacefully watching the news when the journalist started talking about the famous military parade that takes place every year on the Champs Elysees. Say what? Is it really Bastille Day already?!

My blog posts are scheduled several weeks in advance so it was way too late to do a French-themed week on NEC. The most ironic thing is that I forgot Bastille Day, even though I have French cuisine on my mind a lot these days as I'm working hard on my eCookbook Et Voila.

So this easy recipe for Lentil Bell Pepper Salad is my belated way of celebrating the French national day!

Lentil Salads are quite popular in France. This easy lentil bell pepper salad is actually the vegetarian cousin of the more traditional recipe made with bacon and tomato that I'll share in my eCookbook.

This easy Lentil & Bell Pepper Salad with creamy feta, cucumber, shallots and parsley is a light and summery dish you can easily make ahead, which makes it perfect for a picnic, potluck or a lunch to take to the office.

Loaded with veggies and fibre and sprinkled with a little bit of creamy salty feta cheese, this lentil bell pepper salad is not only beautiful but also healthy, filling and nourishing!

The dressing for this easy lentil bell pepper salad is a simple French-style Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette, lifted with shallots. If you don't have any on hands, you can use red onions but I definitely recommend using shallots because they add an inimitable "je ne sais quoi" to this lentil salad.

If you tried this Lentil Bell Pepper Salad, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!

5 from 1 vote

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Easy Lentil Bell Pepper Salad

This healthy Lentil Bell Pepper Salad is made with cooked lentils, diced bell pepper, cucumbers, shallots, creamy feta and parsley all tossed in a Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette. The perfect easy salad for meal prepping, high in fibre and packed with vitamins.

Course Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine Mediterranean

Keyword easy, feta, fibre, healthy, legumes, lentils, meal prep, salad, vegetarian, vinaigrette

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 6

Calories 369 kcal

Ingredients

For the salad:

• 2 cups French-style lentils about 14 oz / 375 g (also called green lentils or du puy lentils)
• 6 cups water
• 1 small red bell pepper
• 1 small yellow bell pepper
• 1 small green bell pepper
• ½ continental cucumber the long ones
• 1 shallot
• ¼ cup flat leaf parsley
• 2 oz reduced fat feta cheese 50 g, crumbled
• salt and pepper to taste

For the vinaigrette dressing

• 1 ½ tbsp Dijon mustard
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• ⅓ cup olive oil 6 tbsp

Instructions

For the salad:

1. Place lentils in a saucepan with 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for about 20 minutes or until lentils are tender but not mushy. Transfer to a colander, drain and rinse lentils under cold water.
2. While lentils are cooking, prep your veggies. Dice bell peppers and cucumber (I like to keep the skin on). Mince shallot and parsley.
3. In a large salad bowl, combine cold lentils, bell peppers, cucumber, shallot and parsley. Sprinkle with crumbled feta. Drizzle with vinaigrette (see recipe below) and toss*. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Vinaigrette dressing

1. Add all the ingredients in a small mason jar. Put the lid on and shake vigorously until well combined. Et voila! You can also mix the ingredients in a small bowl until well combined, but the mason jar technique is much easier and quicker.

Recipe Notes

If you're making this salad ahead and are not planning to eat it straight away, I recommend you add only half of the dressing when making the salad (to let the flavors develop) and the other half when you're ready to eat. The lentils tend to soak up the dressing a lot.

Nutrition Facts

Easy Lentil Bell Pepper Salad

Amount Per Serving (1 /6th)

Calories 369 Calories from Fat 126

% Daily Value*

Fat 14g22%

Saturated Fat 3g19%

Cholesterol 8mg3%

Sodium 169mg7%

Potassium 753mg22%

Carbohydrates 41g14%

Fiber 19g79%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 17g34%

Vitamin A 1025IU21%

Vitamin C 84.7mg103%

Calcium 101mg10%

Iron 5.3mg29%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.