With the fall season peeking around the corner, I find myself still enjoying the abundance of summer’s bounty while beginning to feel ready to settle into the comfort foods of autumn. This lentil bulgar salad is perfect to help ease the transition from late summer to early fall. There are cool crisp cucumbers with fresh parsley and scallions, balanced with some hearty bulgar wheat and earthy french green lentils. Bulgar wheat is my secret weapon grain for a bulking up a last minute salad since it requires little to no cooking, and I always make sure to have a bag stocked in my pantry. Walnuts add a bit of crunch and some chopped olives and crumbled feta add a salty flair. It makes a great packable lunch and keeps well in the refrigerator for several days. It’s difficult to make brown food look appealing, but I hope you’ll trust me on this one- it’s truly a delicious salad. xo
Lentil Bulgar Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup french green lentils, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup bulgar wheat
- 1 small cucumber, small diced, about 3/4 cup
- 1/4 cup minced parsley
- 1/3 cup minced red onion
- 1/4 cup sliced scallions
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta
- 1/3 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
- extra feta and parsley for garnish
Dressing
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh oregano, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
- 3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Instructions
- Add lentils to a medium saucepan and cover with an inch of water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and quietly simmer the lentils until they are just tender, about 20-25 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
- While lentils cook, combine bulgar with 1 cup boiling water in a small bowl. Cover bowl with a plate and allow bulgar to stand until water is absorbed, about 10-15 minutes. Add to large bowl with lentils along with the cucumber, parsley, onion, scallions, feta, and olives.
- Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour over salad and toss gently to combine. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
- When ready to serve, scatter walnuts over the top of the salad along and garnish with extra feta and parsley.
Notes
adapted from The Moosewood Cookbook
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Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
I love the heartiness of this salad Emily. And perfect with the light dressing. Can’t wait to try.
Aysegul D Sanford says
This salad is my favorite recipe of all times. My mother used to make a version of this. Hers was a little bit different because she would drizzle it with pomegranate molasses. Have you ever tried? It is a game changer. This year, I plan to share my mom’s homemade pomegranate molasses as soon as they come out.
Lentil salads are my favorite. Funny because I have all of these ingredients in my fridge. I might have to make this salad for dinner tonight.
Thanks for sharing my friend <3
Emily says
I have never tried pomegranate molasses, but it sounds so good and I’m looking forward to seeing your version. And then I’ll give it a go with this salad. I do love pomegranates. 🙂
Gena says
The Moosewood books are probably my most cherished — all book-eared and splattered and so very loved. And this–a humble mixture of grain and legume–is my absolute favorite kind of food, the thing I’d eat again and again and again if I were on a desert island. Your salad looks awesome, and I can’t wait to try it.