Snap Pea Lentil Salad

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Lentils salads are always hearty and filling no matter the season and ingredients. An excellent source of plant-based protein and fiber, lentils are a must-have pantry ingredient. They give salads and soups plenty of nutrition.

No-lettuce salads won’t wilt or get soggy. Lentil salads are great for potlucks and picnics because they last. They’re also a solid choice for meal prep like a week of work lunches. Leaving the sugar snap peas raw adds texture and nice bite to the salad.

Enjoy this spring-summer salad as a main dish or a side dish. This is another reason why I like having salads without greens in my rotation of go-to recipes. There are lots of different ways to serve them depending what else you’re planning to make.

The Ingredients

This is what you need:

• Snap peas: In season from spring to early summer, sugar snap peas that are fresh should snap and break when you try to bend them in half. You can eat them raw like I do for this salad or quickly sauté them. They are crunchy and have a subtle sweetness. Raw sugar snap peas with their stem ends trimmed are readily available at the grocery.
• Black lentils are good for salads because they hold their shape when you cook them. You can substitute with green lentils, also known as put lentils. Skip red or yellow lentils because they break down when you cook them and are better suited for soups and stews.
• Scallions: Sliced, these green onions give the salad mild onion flavor. You can use finely chopped red onions instead if you want the taste to be stronger. 
• Parsley & mint: I like this combination of fresh herbs. Don’t worry, the mint isn’t too much. If you are wary of mint, you can use all chopped parsley.
• Goat cheese is has a lovely creaminess while being tangy with a hint of citrus. You can swap with feta. For a more mild cheese, go with grated parmesan.
• Almonds: Chopped nuts give this snap pea salad even more crunch. You can substitute with toasted walnuts. 
• Lemon vinaigrette:The dressing is a mix of minced garlic, whole grain mustard, honey, lemon juice and zest, extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper. 

Optional Additions:

This salad recipe is great as written, but you can make one or more of the following additions:

• Leafy greens: You can add lettuce, but just keep in mind that it will soften if you have leftovers. Try chopped kale, arugula or baby spinach. This is also an easy way to stretch the salad into more servings.
• Hard-boiled eggs: Chop them and stir them into the salad. 
• Chicken, shrimp, salmon or another protein: The flavors of this salad work with roasted or grilled chicken, salmon or shrimp.

How To Make This Sugar Snap Pea Salad

1. Cook the lentils. Put the lentils and salt in a medium pot and cover them with water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a low simmer with the lid partially on. Cook for 15-20 minutes until the lentils are just tender. Check their doneness after 15 minutes. Pour the cooked lentils into a strainer and rinse with cold water.

2. Assemble the salad. Put the cooked lentils, snap peas, scallions, parsley, fresh mint, almonds and goat cheese in a large bowl.

3. Make the vinaigrette. Whisk the garlic, mustard, honey, lemon juice, lemon zest and olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

4. Pour the vinaigrette into the salad. Toss to combine. 

Leftovers & Storage

You can keep the salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days. If you don’t use all the vinaigrette, store it in a mason jar in the fridge. Let the dressing sit out at room temperature for 15 minutes before stirring it and tossing it in the salad. The oil will harden in the cold temperature of the fridge.