Lentil Salad with Herbed Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinaigrette is a beautiful, impressive-looking 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 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.
If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you probably know that I’m a fan of bean and lentil salads. (Like my Greek-Flavored Butter Bean Salad, Lemony Chickpea + Herb Wheat Berry Salad, Pardina Lentil, Green Apple + Kale Salad, and Strawberry Black Bean Salad, to name just a few.) This salad is a lovely addition to my collection of favorites.
Lentils and balsamic vinaigrette are a perfect pairing, and although that herbed goat cheese looks impressive, it couldn’t be easier to make. Why not enjoy a restaurant-quality meal from the comfort of your own home? Better yet, invite a few of your besties over to enjoy it with you.
- ⅔ cup (140 g) dried brown lentils (or 1 (15 oz/425 g) can no-salt-added brown lentils, rinsed and drained)
- 4 cups (1 liter) water
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- 6 oz/170 g (about 1 cup) cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- ¼ + ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 4 oz/115 g (about 4 cups) baby spinach
- 1 tablespoon good-quality balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
- 1 (4 oz/115 g) log goat cheese, sliced into 8 slices
- Sort through the dried 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. (Skip this step if you're using canned lentils.)
- Meanwhile, whisk together all ingredients for the Balsamic Vinaigrette; set aside.
- For the Herbed Goat Cheese, combine the parsley and chives in a small dish. Roll each slice of goat cheese in the herbs; set aside.
- Mix together the cooked or canned 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.
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 
Rosa says
January 10, 2014 at 4:45 amThis salad is magnificent and so mouthwatering!
Cheers,
Rosa
Erica says
January 10, 2014 at 6:51 amI 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!
Dixya @ Food, Pleasure, and Health says
January 10, 2014 at 8:52 ami 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.
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
January 10, 2014 at 6:06 pmThat goats cheese looks perfect!!
ashley - baker by nature says
January 10, 2014 at 8:02 pmFaith, 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.
Alison says
January 10, 2014 at 8:56 pmThe salad sounds so yummy but I actually really love the dish you served it on! Great photos :)
Eha says
January 10, 2014 at 10:50 pmMy kind of recipe in every way! Love lentil and bean salads but the herbed cheese surely makes this special!!
Dina says
January 10, 2014 at 11:14 pmi want to eat more lentils. this looks delicious!
Katie says
January 11, 2014 at 7:10 amMy husband would love the lentils, I love the goat cheese – might have to try it!
Joanne says
January 11, 2014 at 7:41 amThis salad would definitely make eating a healthy lunch much more exciting!! Herbed goat cheese never fails to make me happy.
Carly @ Carly in the Kitchen says
January 11, 2014 at 9:29 amI love lentil salads! Simple, delicious and so satisfying. Bonus: nutritious.
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
January 11, 2014 at 12:13 pmSuch a healthy and tasty salad!
jehanne@thecookingdoctor says
January 12, 2014 at 7:40 pmThis 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
Tanya H. says
January 12, 2014 at 9:15 pmThis 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!
Faith says
January 13, 2014 at 8:33 amTanya, Awww, you are too kind! And yay, I’m happy to meet another birthday buddy! :)
Andrea says
April 1, 2014 at 4:39 amOh 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
Sonja says
June 10, 2016 at 10:25 pmShut 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!