French Lentil Salad
Updated Mar 09, 2022
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French Lentil Salad is a lovely and delicious way to ring in spring! With radishes, young green beans and baby lettuces, it’s perfect for that first dinner on the patio!
French Lentil Salad is the perfect way to ring in spring. There’s still some cold weather heartiness happening with the lentils and bacon here but spring shows up with radishes, baby greens and the young green beans.
How to make French Lentil Salad:
- Green lentils take longer to cook than brown ones, but they work better in salads because they hold together better after cooking.
- Always be sure to look lentils over for any debris such as twigs, stones or shriveled lentils. You definitely don’t want to bite down on something like that!
- I use an inexpensive white paper plate to sort through them. Any debris is easy to see on the white background and I can then bend the plate and “funnel” the lentils into the cooking water.
- Cook the lentils until tender but not overcooked.
- Then, crisp up the bacon.
- I tried to”get my French on” by pulling out my mandoline to slice the radishes thinly and perfectly. That didn’t last long because radishes are small and I’m deathly afraid of slicing the top off a finger. Just use a good sharp knife.
- The French would most likely use “haricot verts” in a recipe such as this. “Haricot vert” is French for small, expensive green beans. Okay, not really but yes, they’re way more expensive. Use them if you wish, but if you’ve got some time and patience, simply dig through the green bean bin at the supermarket and pick out approximately eight ounces of the smallest ones.
- Frisee can be a little difficult to find. You can generally find it near the specialty packaged lettuce area and sold as baby lettuces with baby romaine. You don’t want to confuse it with escarole which has a slightly more bitter flavor.
- Add a salty bite with Kalamata or Nicoise olives, toss with an easy, classic French-style vinaigrette and…
…you’ve got this beautiful French Lentil Salad to enjoy a lovely spring evening outside!
Serve with a bowl of simple creamy tomato soup and you’ve got the perfect spring meal!
Be sure to try these other spring salad recipes:
- Lentil Salad with Feta Cheese
- Roasted Beet Salad with Walnuts, Goat Cheese and Honey Balsamic Dressing
- Arugula, Egg and Asparagus Salad with Creamy Lemon Vinaigrette
- Cauliflower Artichoke Tabbouleh
French Lentil Salad
French Lentil Salad is a lovely and delicious way to ring in spring! With radishes, young green beans and baby lettuces, it’s perfect for that first dinner on the patio!
Ingredients
Salad
- Salt
- 1/2 pound young green beans (haricot verts), trimmed and cut into 1 to 2-inch pieces (2 – 2 1/2 cups)
- 1 cup uncooked green lentils, or uncooked brown lentils
- 4 ounces pancetta (Italian bacon), or bacon, diced
- 8-10 radishes, thinly sliced (approximately 1 cup)
- 1/2 cup pitted and halved Kalamata olives, or Nicoise
- 2-3 cups frisee lettuce or spring mix
Dressing
- 1 small shallot, peeled and minced (2 tablespoons)
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 small lemon, juiced (approximately 1 tablespoon)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Salad
- Prepare an ice bath.
- Bring a medium-sized pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook 1 minute or until they turn bright green. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in the ice bath. Keep the cooking water.
- Add the lentils to the salted water and cook on high for 20-25 minutes or until the lentils are tender but not falling apart.
- While the lentils boil, cook the pancetta or bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
- Drain the lentils in a sieve or colander and cool under cold tap water. Drain well, then transfer to a large bowl. Add the green beans, radishes, olives, and pancetta.
- TO SERVE: Place spring mix or frisee in a large serving bowl or platter. Top with lentil mixture. Gently toss to combine. Serve immediately.
Dressing
- Whisk dressing ingredients together in a bowl. Pour over lentils and vegetables as needed and stir. (You may not need all the dressing as you don't want it soggy.)
Notes
TIPS:
- Green lentils take longer to cook than brown ones, but they work better in salads because they hold together better after cooking.
- Always look lentils over for any debris, such as twigs, stones, or shriveled lentils.
- The lentils, bacon, and green beans can be cooked 1-2 days ahead.
- The dressing can be made 2-3 days ahead of time.
Nutrition
Serving: 1Calories: 282kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 8gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 357mgPotassium: 476mgFiber: 6gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 6215IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 70mgIron: 3mg
Nutritional values are automatically calculated using unbranded products and are estimates only. Actual results may vary based on ingredients used and portion sizes. Adjust as needed for dietary restrictions, allergies, or health concerns.
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First off, excellent shots. Secondly, that salad looks super delicious. I am gonna try it out soon.
Thanks, Neha, Hope you enjoy!
This looks so hearty and nourishing. 🙂 We’re heading into winter here in Australia, so the mere thought of salad makes me shiver, but I’d love a warm version of this. 🙂
Hi, Krista! I think this could be done as a “warm” salad. Here’s a warm salad that’s very popular! https://www.fromachefskitchen.com/warm-roasted-cauliflower-chickpea-salad/
Stay warm! We’re just heading into summer and it got very hot very quickly!
Trying this soon! Thanks!
Thanks, Pam! Hope you enjoy!
Carol, this salad looks so delicious and plenty of unique flavors for the spring! We love adding fresh green beans to our salads or even sugar snap peas! Your pics are gorgeous too!
Thank you, Jessica!