Lentil Salad with Green Olives
Try this Lentil Salad with Green Olives for a unique salad idea; it also has red bell pepper, green onion, and herbs to boost the flavor! This recipe has 11 net carbs as written, but see tips below to make a version with fewer carbs.
PIN the salad to try it later!
Last night I got home from Chicago, where I had fun attending Eat Write Retreat, hanging out with my friend Stephanie, eating at some favorite spots like Greek Islands and Frontera Grill, and meeting some food bloggers that I’d known online but hadn’t met in person. While I was gone Salt Lake has been having a heat wave, with temperatures hovering around 100F for a few days now, so cold dishes like this Lentil Salad with Green Olives are sounding good!
My love for brown lentils is well documented on the blog, and this lentil salad recipe started with an idea that popped into my head to combine brown lentils and green olives, a combination I loved. Then I was inspired to add a generous amount of chopped red bell pepper plus Greek oregano and fresh Italian parsley from my garden, fresh ingredients that I really thought added an interesting twist to the salad.
How Can You Make This Salad Lower in Carbs?
Lentils are what some diet plans consider a “good carb,” but if you want to make the salad lower in carbs, I’d suggest using more red pepper and green onion and reducing the amount of lentils, for a lower-carb meatless salad that will be just as delicious.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe:
- brown lentils
- fresh squeezed lemon juice, I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice
- balsamic vinegar
- olive oil
- red bell pepper
- green olives from a jar
- green onion
- Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) or other all-purpose seasoning blend
- Szeged Sweet Paprika (affiliate link)
- chopped fresh Greek Oregano, probably optional but good
- chopped fresh Italian Parsley
- salt/fresh ground black pepper to taste
How to make this salad:
(Scroll down for complete recipe with nutritional information.)
- Put lentils in pan with 3 cups water, bring to very low simmer, and let cook until lentils are soft. (This will be about 30 minutes, but cooking times can vary quite a bit depending on how fresh the lentils are.)
- Drain the lentils well while you chop up the green olives. I used a jar of green olives with pimento, and after I drained them I used the bowl attachment of my immersion blender (affiliate link) to get coarsely chopped olives and pimento pieces.
- Slice the green onions and chop the green olives red pepper, and herbs.
- Combine one tablespoon each of lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil to make the marinade.
- As soon as the lentils are drained well, marinate the warm lentils in this mixture.
- Whisk together the rest of the lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, Szeged Sweet Paprika (affiliate link), and Spike Seasoning; then whisk in olive oil to make the dressing for the salad.
- Combine the lentils, chopped red pepper, green onion, and green olives with the desired amount of dressing, and gently stir in the chopped herbs.
- Season salad with salt and fresh ground black pepper and serve salad cold or room temperature. This will keep in the fridge for a day or two, although I like it best when the fresh ingredients are still crunchy.
More Recipes with Lentils:
Lebanese Lentil Salad with Garlic, Cumin, Mint, and Parsley
Picadillo Lentil Stew with Peppers and Green Olives
Sausage and Lentils with Fried Sage
Weekend Food Prep:
This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Lentil Salad with Green Olives
If you’re looking for a slightly unusual salad for a pot-luck, try this Lentil Salad with Green Olives, Red Bell Pepper, Green Onion, and Greek Oregano.
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown lentils
- 2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice (divided)
- 2 T balsamic vinegar(divided)
- 4 T olive oil (divided)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced small
- one 6 oz. jar green olives
- 3/4 cup sliced green onion
- 1/2 tsp. Spike Seasoning
- 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
- 1/2 cup finely chopped Greek Oregano (or less)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped Italian Parsley (or less)
- salt/fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Put lentils in pan with 3 cups water, bring to very low simmer, and let cook until lentils are soft. (This will be about 30 minutes, but cooking times can vary quite a bit depending on how fresh the lentils are, so just keep tasting until they’re soft.)
- Dump lentils into a colander and let drain about 15 minutes, then toss with 1 T each of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and balsamic vinegar.
- Let lentils marinate in this mixture while you prepare other ingredients. (If you have plenty of time, marinate the lentils 20-30 minutes, but even a few minutes of marinating will add to the flavor.
- Chop red bell pepper and green onions and place in medium-sized plastic or glass bowl.
- Coarsely chop olives and add to bowl. (I used the bowl attachment of my immersion blender (affiliate link) to chop the olives, which worked well.)
- Finely chop the Greek Oregano and Italian parsley.
- Mix together remaining 1 T lemon juice, 1 T balsamic vinegar, Spike Seasoning (affiliate link), and sweet paprika, then whisk in 3 T olive oil.
- Add marinated lentils to ingredients in the bowl and gently combine with dressing. (You may not need all the dressing, depending on how wet you prefer your salads.)
- Gently stir the chopped herbs into the salad. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper.
- This will keep in the refrigerator for a few days, although I like it best when the fresh ingredients still have a little crunch.
Notes
Recipe created by Kalyn.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 207Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 675mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 9gSugar: 3gProtein: 5g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Lentils are considered a “good carb” for the original South Beach Diet, and you could eat a small serving of this Lentil Salad with Green Olives for any phase of the diet. To make this a lower-carb salad, decrease the amount of lentils and use more chopped red pepper and sliced green onion.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was first posted in 2009 and was last updated in 2021.
42 Comments on “Lentil Salad with Green Olives”
This appears like a very yummy salad from the image itself. Salads are very healthy and good for weight watchers also. 😀
What a beautiful salad you made. I could eat lentils almost every day.
just ate some fabulous mujaddara. i love your version of lentils. and the clay pot.
I’m not keeping up on these comments too well, but I’m glad people are liking this.
Maggie, I love Mazza and eat there all the time.
I also have a Greek oragano plant in my yard (I’m also in SLC, oragano loves Utah, perhaps?) and am looking forward to trying your fab salad with it. Cafe Mediterranean may be gone, but you can get Mujaddara and other yummy Middle Eastern dishes at the two Mazzas restaurants in Salt Lake. Thinking of their food makes me swoon, it is so good!
Just discovered your fantastic blog! Love the idea of using oregano fresh – I’ve got a really healthy plant in the garden and would like to try out recipes that incorporate these herbs.
nice site and great food
I love lentils. I don’t eat them enough. I will be trying this salad for sure!
mmm love lentils
This salad looks fabulous – I love the addition of the green olives. I always tell myself that I’m going to cook more with lentils, but never actually do it. This salad on going on my must-try list.
Oh my. What a beautiful creation. I just love the idea of pairing green olives with lentils.
I have never cooked with lentils, but this recipe definitely inspires me to do so! Can’t wait to try!
Looks devine Kalyn. I love Greek oregano, but I normally add sundried tomatoes to my lentil and oregano salad. Will have to try yours out.
I love lentils, they are definitely one of my favorite legumes and were the first ones I ever cooked myself. I have some green olives sitting in the fridge waiting to be used up so I think I shall have to make this, perhaps with some pitas for lunch.
Pearl, thanks. It was unusual, but I really liked it.
Vanielje, I think sun-dried tomatoes, lentils, and oregano sounds like a great combination!
Tanna, aren’t they just such a natural in so many dishes.
Lydia, I wish I could send you some! My plants are thriving.
Penny, it’s probably Greek Oregano; I think that’s the kind most commonly grown.
Meghan, it’s a strong flavor. Oregano is the main flavor in pizza sauce, and oregano is great with tomatoes. This is an unusual use of it, but I liked it a lot!
I have a bag of lentils that I bought because I wanted to try them and I’ve been waiting for a good recipe. This salad is so vibrantly colored! I’ve never had Greek Oregano before.
I love lentils too. I have a huge patch of oregano in my herb garden – don’t know the genus, but I’m sure it would work. Will give this a try. Thanks.
Lentils and olives? I’d never have thought of it. But now I’m more disappointed than ever that my Greek oregano didn’t winter over in my herb garden. I’m planning to put in a new plant or two this year, and will bookmark this recipe to try.
I do that to … lentils come to mind often. I think I use them a lot almost as meat in many dishes. This looks great for a salad with grilled summer foods.
Kalyn – your lentil salad looks yum!