If you’re looking for a recipe to bring to a barbecue, try this delicious summer salad with cherries and black lentils, topped with a cherry vinaigrette. It’s so colorful – like summer in a bowl!
I love fresh cherries. They’re only around for a short season, so I make the most of it and buy them often.Â
Whether it’s cherry limeade, or cherry berry sorbet, or gluten free cherry cookies, I love to include cherries in our menu.
It’s nice to find new ways to eat summer fruit, isn’t it? I would usually think of cherries in terms of dessert or breakfast, but they were a great addition to this light and delicious salad.
This is an easy salad to put together – the most difficult part is pitting the cherries. The dressing is made of a few ingredients and requires a minute in the food processor to blend it, resulting in a beautiful deep pink vinaigrette.
Ingredient Notes
- Cherries – Fresh cherries are so delicious in this recipe! I used the dark red Bing cherries, but you could use Rainier cherries if those are what is available.
- Pepitas – Pepitas are roasted pumpkin seeds. They are a great substitute for nuts in a salad, trail mix, or nut free granola.
- Lentils – I used black lentils, but you could also use French green lentils or regular green lentils. I wouldn’t try red lentils, because they are smaller and will get quite soft and mushy when you cook them. That’s fine for lentil soup, but not great for a salad.
Special Equipment
- A cherry pitter makes it a lot easier to pit the cherries. If you don’t have one, you can still pit them, it’s just a little more difficult.
- A blender or food processor is needed to make the cherry vinaigrette dressing.
Storage
Although this salad is best when it’s freshly made, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Recipe
Summer Salad with Cherries and Black Lentils.
Ingredients
- 1 cup sweet cherries halved and pitted
- 1 small red onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup black lentils picked over and rinsed
- ½ cup unsalted pepitas
- 6 cups spring salad mix
For the Dressing:
- 8 sweet cherries pitted
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon organic cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Place the lentils in a small pot with enough water to cover them by one inch. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Cook for about 20-25 minutes until tender but not mushy. Drain off extra water and set lentils aside to cool.
- Place the 8 cherries, white vinegar, olive oil, maple syrup, organic cane sugar, salt and pepper in the food processor or blender. Blend on high speed until smooth and emulsified. Set aside.
- Place the spring salad mix, cherries, cooled lentils, red onions, and pepitas on a large platter or in a bowl. Drizzle with the cherry vinaigrette before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in June 2015.
Darryl
Delicious and easy!
Diana@ DisturbinglyDelicious
Beautiful!!! This salad looks great!
Kelly
Thank you so much!
Brittaney @ Sips and Snacks
Wow! This looks like a great salad! I love that you used cherries, I usually eat them by themselves or with an almond and a bite of dark chocolate (my favorite snack), but I am dying to try them on a salad now!
Kelly
Oooh, I love cherries and nuts and chocolate! A girl after my own heart! :)
Cara's Healthy Cravings
So beautiful!! I just love the flavour combinations here.
Kelly
Thank you so much!
Deanna Segrave-Daly (@tspbasil)
I am a total cherry freak – never have thought to pair them with lentils – YUM!
Sarah @Whole and Heavenly Oven
Oh my goodness, Kelly! This salad is absolutely beyond gorgeous! I’m just loving all the little pops of color here and there and all those fresh cherries are speaking my name!
Kristine's Kitchen
This salad is just gorgeous! I haven’t had any fresh cherries yet this season, but now you’ve got me craving them!
whiskandshout
This salad looks so refreshing and I love all the vibrant flavors and textures! Pinning!
Kelly
Thank you!
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely
GAH! I love cherries! Was so excited when they were at the farmers market. I think I spent like $20 on them. Worth it! Loving this salad Kelly : )
Kelly
I know! They are expensive, but worth the splurge, right?
Whitney Reist
Love your photo background!
Kelly
Thank you, Whitney!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice
I love the combination of cherries and lentils, Kelly! So creative! This salad looks absolutely delicious!