Fresh, bright, and straightforward to put together, Lentil Orzo Salad is a vegan, vegetarian American side dish made with can of lentils, cooked orzo, and chopped cucumber in about 50 minutes. The recipe lays out the ingredients and each cooking step clearly, so you can adjust seasoning, texture, and serving size for your own kitchen.
Recipe Snapshot
- Prep time: 20 minutes
- Cook time: 30 minutes
- Total time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 3
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 15 oz can of lentils (drained, or 1.5 cups cooked lentils)
- 1.5 cups cooked orzo (or farro)
- 1 cup chopped cucumber
- 1/2 cup Or more chopped roasted red pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped tomato
- 3/4 cup chopped onion
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro or parsley
For the dressing:
- 1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon chipotle pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1.5 teaspoon dried oregano
- black pepper or pepper flakes, and cilantro or parsley for garnish
Method
- Cook the lentils if you haven’t already. See notes
- Cook the orzo or farro according to the instructions on the package. See notes
- Chop the veggies and add all of the salad ingredients to a large bowl.
- Make the dressing by adding all the ingredients to a small bowl. Mix it really well.
- Add the dressing all over the salad ingredients and toss well. Taste and adjust salt and flavor.
- Dress with fresh pepper or pepper flakes and fresh herbs. Serve as a summer salad, or make salad sandwiches or salad wraps.
- Storage: to make ahead, Prep the ingredients and dressing and keep separate until ready to serve. Store in the fridge for upto 4 days. If the salad seems to have absorbed the dressing, make another batch or add a few tablespoons water/stock and some lemon juice
Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note
Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.
