Warm Spinach Lentil Salad with Olive Oil and Honey Dressing

Spinach Lentil Salad

This is a nice and easy vegetable dish that really is a complete meal. Beans are one of the most important components of the Greek-Mediterranean cuisine, particularly during fasting periods. They are usually consumed 2 times a week as a soup or cooked (or roasted) with tomato and other vegetables, they also are often combined with greens. This combination is truly one of the most nutritious you can eat.

There are so many benefits to all the ingredients: spinach provides your vegetable serving along with fiber while the lentils are your source of protein, some iron and of course fiber. And all the ingredients including the olive oil and honey provide the antioxidants. Research has shown that beans provide improved glycemic control making them a good choice for diabetics, but also protecting from heart disease as they can help lower cholesterol levels. Greens such as spinach also have a high antioxidant content, very few calories and are filling. Combine this with a nice dressing made with olive oil, a touch of honey and vinegar and you have a dish anyone can enjoy whether they are vegan, diabetic or even avoiding gluten

Don’t try to skimp on the olive oil; it’s what makes this dish tasty.

Warm Spinach Lentil Salad with Olive Oil and Honey Dressing

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Entree
Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean
Servings: 2
Author: Elena Paravantes
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Ingredients

  • 1 pound spinach washed and chopped leaves
  • 1 cup dry uncooked lentils
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tablespoons + 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • Salt/Pepper

Instructions

  • Put the lentils in a pot and add water until lentils are covered. Bring to a boil and then remove from heat.
  • Remove old water and add enough new water, to about 1 inch higher then lentils, add a bay leaf and a garlic clove and let it simmer for about 30 minutes until lentils are soft.
  • Wash spinach and chop.
  • Once lentils are cooked and strained (remove bay leaf and garlic clove). Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in another pot and saute the other clove of garlic minced.
  • After 1-2 minutes add the lentils and stir them so they are covered with the oil for about 2 minutes and then add the spinach, heating until it wilts and most liquids are gone.
  • Remove the spinach lentil mixture and place in shallow large bowl and let it cool a bit.
  • Make the dressing by mixing 1/3 cup olive oil with 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and 1 teaspoon honey. Add pepper and salt to taste
  • Drizzle the dressing over the spinach and lentils and blend making sure dressing has covered everything.
  • You may serve this with some bread and cheese.
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Photo by Olive Tomato

13 Comments

  1. This will be lunch today! I’m new to lentils in the past year, but love them and eat them every week. Sometimes I just boil a handful of lentils and a handful of rice, then add olive oil, tomatoes and garlic. Easy peasy! Do you have any recipes you like for the softer red lentils? Thank you for this site; it’s a treasure!

  2. This was a hit! I used canned lentils and didn’t chop the spinach (out of laziness). I served it with the roasted red pepper dip recipe on the side. Might add orzo another time to fill up my husband but I don’t think it’s necessary

  3. I’ve been making this salad for a few months now. Every few weeks it shows up for dinner or I make it to take for lunches throughout the week. It truly is delicious! I love topping it with feta and it is enjoyable hot or cold. Thanks for a great recipe!

  4. Thank you for this recipe, and the so many others you’ve posted! Your recipes are perfect for busy people- I’ve made almost every one! They’re healthy, cheap if you go frozen, and not many dishes to wash!!! The spanakorizo, this soup, spanakopita, the potatoes, pastelli have really worked their way into my staples. Even the boyfriend likes them! 🙂

  5. Great recipe. Just a quick question though–is it supposed to be 1/3 or 1/4 cup olive oil for the dressing? Your ingredients list says 1/3 but the directions say 1/4. Thanks.

  6. This looks absolutely delicious. I love any salad with lentils, but I’ve never tried one with a honey balsamic dressing. I really must try this soon.

    I use a lot of olive oil in my cooking – usually extra virgin olive oil from Crete. Here in Australia we can find a lot of imported Greek oils but I am interested in your opinion as to which part of Greece the best olive oil comes from?

    1. Thanks Lisa. I believe a good olive oil can come from different parts of Greece and be equally excellent. Messinia and Crete are known for the their olive oils, but Lesvos for example also has excellent olive oils. It depends on a variety of factors.

      1. Thank you for the advice Elena! I might look for some Lesvos olive oil next time. Lesvos is very close to the island where my dad’s family is from – Limnos – so I have extra incentive to try this olive oil! Thank you!!

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