This Lentil Salad Recipe with Herbed Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinaigrette is a delicious and impressive-looking but easy-to-make salad that packs a ton of nutrition!
Do you have a birthday buddy?
I do; actually, I have a few. (Give me a shout out if your birthday is also September 30th!)
But I was an adult when I first met I someone with the same birthday as mine. (Which is pretty sad, right? That would have been so much fun as a kid!)
Anyway, she and I worked together at the last job I had before I went blogging full-time. I’m not sure if it’s because we share a birthday or not, but we are definitely kindred souls.
For starters, we both adore good food, and our lunch breaks were frequently spent together enjoying it.
One day we were out to lunch and having the hardest time deciding what to order. A lentil salad caught both of our attention, and while she decided on a black bean and vegetable burrito, I ended up ordering the salad. One bite and I knew I had to recreate it at home.
Bean and Lentil Salads
If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you probably know that I’m a fan of bean and lentil salads. Here are a few more of my favorites:
- Greek-Flavored Butter Bean Salad
- Lemony Chickpea + Herb Wheat Berry Salad
- Pardina Lentil, Green Apple + Kale Salad
- Strawberry Black Bean Salad
Lentil Salad Recipe with Herbed Goat Cheese
Lentils and balsamic vinaigrette are a perfect pairing in their simplicity. And although herbed goat cheese looks impressive, it couldn’t be easier to make! Basically, just coat goat cheese in fresh herbs.
Why not enjoy a restaurant-quality meal from the comfort of your own home?!
Pro Tip: Cook up these lentils up to 5 days ahead and store them covered in the fridge! Or if you’re really pressed for time, use canned brown lentils instead.
How Long Does it Take to Cook Brown Lentils?
It takes about 20 to 30 minutes to cook brown lentils on the stovetop. Be sure to cook them until they’re tender, but not mushy!
What Can I Substitute for Brown Lentils?
Instead of cooking dried brown lentils for this recipe, you could substitute canned brown lentils. Just rinse and drain them well before using.
Alternatively, you could use Puy lentils, which are also known as French lentils. Pardina lentils, also called Spanish lentils, are a good choice!
Or you could use beans for this salad. Canned beans of any kind will work well, or you could use dried beans. If you’re using canned beans, rinse and drain them well. If you’re using dried beans, cook them until tender.
More Lentil Recipes:
- Red Lentil Bolognese
- Green Lentil Hummus
- Slow Cooker Sweet Potato, Lentil, and Chicken Sausage Soup
- Classic Lentil Burgers
- Panang Curry Red Lentil Soup
Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment below because I love hearing from you! You can also tag @anediblemosaic on social media. To stay up-to-date FOLLOW ME on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Xoxo, Faith
Lentil Salad Recipe with Herbed Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Salad:
- 2/3 cup dried brown lentils or 1 (15 oz/425 g can no-salt-added brown lentils, rinsed and drained)
- 4 cups water
- 1 small red onion finely diced
- 6 ounces cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon salt slightly scant
- 4 ounces baby spinach about 4 cups
Balsamic Vinaigrette:
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 pinch black pepper
Herbed Goat Cheese:
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
- 4 ounces log goat cheese sliced into 8 slices
Instructions
- Sort through the lentils to remove any small stones or pieces of dirt, and then rinse with cold water in a colander. Bring the rinsed lentils and the water up to a boil in a lidded medium saucepan. Cover the saucepan, turn the heat down to a simmer, and cook until the lentils are tender but not mushy, about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally; strain.
- Whisk together all ingredients for the Balsamic Vinaigrette; set aside.
- Combine the parsley and chives in a small dish. Roll each slice of goat cheese in the herbs; set aside.
- Mix together the lentils, onion, tomato, parsley, salt, and Balsamic Vinaigrette.
- To serve, arrange the spinach on 4 plates. Mound the lentil salad on top of the spinach, and top each with 2 slices of goat cheese.
Helpful Tips
- Cook up these lentils up to 5 days ahead and store them covered in the fridge! Or if you're really pressed for time, use canned brown lentils instead.
Nutrition
This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on January 10, 2014. I updated it with more information on April 15, 2020.
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links to products I believe in, which means that even though it doesn’t cost you anything extra, I will receive a small amount of money from the sale of these items. Thank you for helping to support An Edible Mosaic!
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
Shut up! MY BIRTHDAY IS SEPTEMBER 30th! When I read that line, I was like, sure, sure….wait! Growing up I always said, “It’s the end of the fiscal year and the day all the coupons expire”, but I didn’t know anyone who shared my birthday. Anyway, thanks for the yummy-looking recipe, buddy. I’ll be throwing this together soon!
Oh Faith I think of you often,as we simply put, think alike…I made fresh steamed asparagus the other night, I cut the stems I kept them,(thought of you)I had a memory of a recipe that I had stumbled upon re: fat free pasta sauce using stems; a bit of pasta water;finished the tops, threw the chopped bottoms in steam water,added herbs & spices, kept adding water until they were mush, puree
the stems & tossed it w/veg penne & added tops! OMG, glad I never throw out anything. Last night, was roasted veg, so yummy…I love this lentil recipe & you baby girl! Just polished off a pot of them, they talk about meatless Monday…for me it’s like what day will I eat meat? But I eat MEAT…it’s just not a goal, my thing is healthy well rounded meals. You rock girl, Andrea
This salad looks marvelous…and I am one of your birthday buddies…I’m not at all surprised since I’ve loved every one of your dishes that I’ve tried!
Tanya, Awww, you are too kind! And yay, I’m happy to meet another birthday buddy! :)
This is my kind of work lunch, and that herbed cheese is such a perfect pairing..hope the New Year is going well for u and Mike, stay in touch x
Such a healthy and tasty salad!
I love lentil salads! Simple, delicious and so satisfying. Bonus: nutritious.
This salad would definitely make eating a healthy lunch much more exciting!! Herbed goat cheese never fails to make me happy.
My husband would love the lentils, I love the goat cheese – might have to try it!
i want to eat more lentils. this looks delicious!
My kind of recipe in every way! Love lentil and bean salads but the herbed cheese surely makes this special!!
The salad sounds so yummy but I actually really love the dish you served it on! Great photos :)
Faith, this salad is SOOOOOO dreamy! I just recently discovered I love lentils, so I’m excited to try this. Hope you’re doing great, mama.
That goats cheese looks perfect!!
i know a friend we share our name and birthday – pretty freaky right. I have known her since middle school and it got us excited about our birthdays when we were little. and this salad, you had me at that herbed goat cheese.
I don’t have any friends that are birthday twins right now :( When I was a freshman in college, I lived in a dorm with a girl who shared my birthday…but haven’t met any others since that time (at least that I know of). The salad looks great. the herbed goat cheese is a nice touch, and I love that its not fried goat cheese! YuM!
This salad is magnificent and so mouthwatering!
Cheers,
Rosa