This spiced lentil quinoa salad with pepitas is an easy summer dish that’s sure to fill you up. This light and tasty salad is gluten free, vegan, and allergy friendly. Serve this at your next barbecue – it’s certain to become a favorite!
Lentils are a pantry staple that happens to be a very flexible ingredients. You can make so many delicious things with lentils!
Whether it’s lentils and rice, vegan taco salad, or a comforting vegan shepherd’s pie, lentils are a great addition to a vegan diet. They’re full of protein and fiber, and quicker to make than dried beans.
I love the addition of lentils to this quinoa salad. The combination of lentils, quinoa, tomatoes, crunchy pumpkin seeds, and an easy dressing is just right.
This is the perfect salad to make in advance and take to work throughout the week.
The cherry tomatoes are a fresh addition to this salad. If you don’t have tomatoes, you can add chopped peppers, cucumbers, or even red onion.
Substitutions
- You can use rice instead of quinoa.
- Try red peppers, cucumbers, or red onion instead of tomatoes.
- Use lemon juice instead of vinegar in the dressing.
Storage
You can make a batch of this and pack it in lunches throughout the week. Just store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It should stay fresh for about 4 days.
You may want to keep the dressing separately, as the quinoa will soak up the dressing and the salad may get dry.
More quinoa recipes
- Sausage and Peppers with Curry Quinoa
- Quinoa Porridge with Mixed Berries
- Vegan White Bean Quinoa Chili
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Recipe
Spiced Lentil Quinoa Salad with Pepitas.
Spiced lentil quinoa salad with tomatoes and a bit of crunch from pepitas makes a great summer dish!
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 cup green lentils picked over and rinsed
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- â…” cups pepitas
- â…” cups olive oil
- â…“ cup white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ Tablespoons cumin
- 1 garlic clove minced
Instructions
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Rinse the quinoa and place in a saucepan with two cups water and a teaspoon of olive oil. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Turn heat off and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
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Put the lentils in a saucepan with enough water to cover by about one inch. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 25-30 minutes, until lentils are tender but have not lost their shape. Drain and rinse with cool water.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin.
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In a large bowl combine the quinoa, lentils, and tomatoes. Pour on the dressing and stir to coat. Add the pepitas and stir again. Serve warm or cold.
Recipe Notes
Keep leftover salad in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It should stay fresh for about 4 days.
If you prefer, you can keep the dressing separately in the refrigerator and add it to each serving before you eat it. The quinoa will absorb the dressing and the salad may get dry if you mix it all up at the same time.
This lentil quinoa salad is really filling – the lentils and the quinoa both have a lot of protein, so it’s a nice summer meal. Make it for dinner and serve the leftovers for lunch the next day.
Darryl
Another great tasting delicious salad recipe!
olivia - Primavera Kitchen
I am sorry to hear the kids are sick! But glad you are getting better! This salad looks awesome with all the veggies.
Sarah@WholeandHeavenlyOven
Glad you guys are doing better! Summer colds are the worst.
This salad looks like the perfect end-summer lunch/dinner. Knowing me, I would probably sprinkle some feta on top and just call that my dinner! Pinned.
Glamorous Bite
We are so glad that everyone is feeling better! Love your summer salad filled with all that goodness, and the cherry tomatoes really look heavenly :)
Kristine @ Kristine's Kitchen
This looks like a great healthy salad, and a nice mix of colors and textures! I’m glad you are all feeling better!
Katie @ Produce on Parade
Glad you’re all feeling better! Those cherry tomatoes are beautiful. Any spiced quinoa and lentils..count me in. And pepitas too! Perfect!
Strength and Sunshine
Mmmm yum! Totally pinned ;)
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy
Erghh – I hate summer colds. I am glad everyone is feeling better.
I love lentil recipes, as we eat a lot of them in the winter.
Julia
Wahoo! I’m so glad to hear you’re feeling better! These bowls are the perfect transition from summer to fall – love those gorgeous ‘maters and spiced lentils make me want to cozy up. I could easily see these bowls becoming a fall favorite!!
Laura O
Aww, sorry to hear the kiddos are sick! I hope you guys to can enjoy the last official week of Summer. This salad looks awesome with all the veggies and nutrients. And I love the fact that your tomato plant has no clue Summer is ending! Pinned!
Allison @ Clean Wellness
Wishing you a happy and healthy end of summer to your whole family, Kelly! It’s so funny that everyone is so divided on summer hehe. However, I’m soooo into pumpkin seeds right now and would happily eat this year-round! Love that blue table, too. I need one of those :)
Kelly
Thanks, Allison! Actually, the “table” is just some boards that I stained and distressed. It was a fun little project.
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice
I’m glad everyone is feeling better in your house, Kelly! Summer colds are the worst.This quinoa salad looks beautiful! I love that you added pepitas in here. It’s an ingredient that I always forget about!
Kelly
Thank you so much, Gayle! I always forget about pepitas, too!