Spiced Lentil & Quinoa Salad
A hearty salad of French lentils and quinoa with hard-boiled eggs, generous feta, and chickpeas, tossed in a cumin-lemon dressing. Great warm or cold, with 31g of protein per bowl.
I created this salad for a specific purpose: I needed a high-protein lunch that tasted good cold. Most of my go-to recipes require reheating, which isn't always possible at the office or on the go.
French lentils are the hero because they hold their shape beautifully even after days in the fridge. But lentils alone weren't enough protein. So I started layering: quinoa (a complete protein), chickpeas, a hard-boiled egg, and generous feta. Every ingredient is pulling weight on the macro front.
This is my summer lunch staple. I make a big batch on Sundays and eat it all week. It actually gets better as it sits, the cumin-lemon dressing soaking into the lentils and quinoa. Add the feta and egg just before eating for the best texture.
The Protein Upgrade
Most grain salads are light on protein, around 10-12g per serving. We made this one work: a generous lentil base, quinoa as a complete protein, chickpeas for a triple-legume approach, a hard-boiled egg per serving, and 5oz of crumbled feta. From 10-12g to 31g, enough to make this a real lunch that keeps you full for hours, not just a side salad.
Spiced Lentil & Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups French green lentils (Puy lentils) (dried) 8g protein
- ¾ cup quinoa (dried) 2g protein
- 1 can (15oz) chickpeas (drained and rinsed) 5g protein
- 4 large eggs (hard-boiled and quartered) 6g protein
- 5 oz feta cheese (crumbled) 8g protein
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 1 medium cucumber (diced)
- ¼ cup red onion (finely diced)
- ¼ cup fresh parsley (chopped)
- ¼ cup fresh mint (chopped)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp coriander powder
- ¼ tsp chili flakes
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Cook lentils: Add lentils to a pot with 3.5 cups water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20-25 minutes until tender but holding their shape. Drain and cool slightly.
- Cook quinoa: Rinse quinoa and cook with 1.5 cups water according to package directions. Fluff with a fork and cool slightly.
- Hard-boil the eggs, peel, and quarter them.
- Make the dressing: Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, chili flakes, salt, and pepper.
- In a large bowl, combine lentils, quinoa, and drained chickpeas.
- Add cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, parsley, and mint.
- Pour dressing over everything and toss gently.
- Top with crumbled feta and quartered eggs.
- Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold. Keeps 4-5 days in the fridge.
Boost Your Protein
- Add cottage cheese for an extra 5g protein per serving.
- Increase to 2 eggs per serving for an extra 6g protein.
- Toss in edamame for an extra 5g protein per serving.
Ingredient Substitutions
- No Puy lentils? Use regular green or brown lentils.
- No quinoa? Use bulgur wheat or couscous.
- No feta cheese? Use crumbled goat cheese or paneer.
- Swap fresh herbs for a teaspoon of dried parsley and dried mint if needed.
