Puy Lentil Salad with Gorgonzola

I usually make this Puy Lentil Salad with Gorgonzola Recipe as the main dish. It is packed with all the goodness of protein, herbs, and intense flavors. It will keep your stomach full and the hunger away for the rest of the day.

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I was inspired to create this French lentil salad recipe by one of my favorite cookbooks author, Yotam Ottolenghi, who has a similar recipe in his Vegetarian Book Plenty.

Now that I live in Italy, I have to say that if you can use Castelluccio lentils or Puy lentils, as he suggests, you should go for them, but if you don’t, go ahead and use green lentils, and I will give you here a tip, to make it work.

I am also changing some ingredients for fun and cutting corners by simplifying some steps so that you can make them faster and enjoy this fabulous dish without much planning.

We love making filling salads, as they are our regular main dish for lunchtime. So we make sure to make flavor-packed salads or season them with a delicious homemade dressing.

Jump to:

• 🧾 Ingredients
• 🔪 Instructions
• 📖 Variations
• 💡Top tips
• ❓ Benefits of lentils
• 🥗 More vegan salads
• 📋 Recipe
• 🌡️ Food safety
• 💬 Reviews and Comments

🧾 Ingredients

This vegan lentil salad with blue cheese uses a couple of ingredients that make it a winner. It works as a lentil side dish and also as a main lentil dish; just change the portion sizes.

• Dry tomatoes
• Red Onion or shallots
• Vegan Blue cheese (Gorgonzola Cheese)
• Puy lentils (brown or green lentils work)
• Herbs (fresh thyme sprigs, mint, chives, and dill)
• Fresh garlic
• Red wine Vinegar

See quantities and complete instructions in the recipe card.

🔪 Instructions

Cooking lentils. Wash and let lentils cook by bringing them to a boil (optionally with 2 bay leaves). If using regular puy lentils, boil them for 20 mins with a teaspoon of sea salt. Otherwise, if you use Castelluccio lentils, Puy lentils, or the smaller French green lentils, only boil them for 10-15 minutes. Then strain them in a colander and put them under cold water to bring them to room temperature.

The idea is to have tender lentils that still keep their shape and texture and do not look mushy. Then drain them.

Slice and soak. Place the sliced onion in a medium bowl with salted water and vinegar for a couple of minutes to lose its intense flavor.

Slice the dried tomatoes lengthwise.

Mix all the chopped vegetables and lentils in a large bowl. Keep the cheese and fresh herbs apart.

Stir in the vegan blue cheese and herbs, and toss to combine. Serve on a large plate as soon as the lentil and vegetable mixture has cooled down. Sprinkle the chopped herbs and gorgonzola cheese, and drizzle some olive oil optionally. Add salt and black pepper to taste.

📖 Variations

This lentil salad recipe can be customized in various ways; see some suggestions.

• Vinegar - you can replace the red wine vinegar with balsamic vinegar.
• Herbs - if you miss any herbs, feel free to replace them with fresh parsley for this vegan salad dressing ingredient.
• Tangy - add a tablespoon of lemon juice or dijon mustard, and you can balance them out with a tablespoon of maple syrup.
• More veggies - when we want an even more veggie-packed blue-cheese salad, we like adding finely diced carrots, celery, red bell pepper, and green onions instead of red onions.
• Crunch - we like adding some crunchy notes by slightly toasting a handful of walnuts in a saucepan and coarsely crushing them.
• Lentils - you could use brown lentils, green, or red lentils for this easy lentil salad. Even pre-cooked lentils work.
• Cheese - vegan versions of feta cheese and goat cheese also work, as they have the tangy, strong flavor needed for this simple lentil salad.

💡Top tips

Which Lentils to use? So, why may Puy or Castellucio lentils work better than ordinary green lentils?

These lentil varieties are small breeds that look almost like bigger quinoa and do not disintegrate in the cooking like your standard lentils would, giving you a nice, delicate texture in every bite.

For this Vegan Green Lentil Salad, I made another change. I replaced the oven-baked tomatoes with store-bought oil-preserved dehydrated ones. Any dry tomatoes that you can hydrate with warm water will do.

If you have extra sun-dried tomatoes in your pantry, you should try making some easy recipes, such as our sun-dried tomato risotto, red pesto, herbs stuffed mushrooms, and portobello mushrooms. They are all super easy and satisfying recipes.

❓ Benefits of lentils

Eat your Lentils! They are a staple of every plant-based diet! This is why?

Lentils in every color are low in calories, rich in iron and folate, and an excellent source of protein.

They pack health-promoting polyphenols and may reduce several heart disease risk factors.

We love lentils because they come in different colors, shapes, and textures. We often use the red lentils to make an easy lunch with our creamy red lentil curry or a curried soup made with sprouted lentils.

🥗 More vegan salads

• Couscous And Sprouted Lentils Warm Salad
• Classic Greek Salad
• Lebanese Authentic Tabbouleh Salad
• Vegan Kale Salad with Maple Balsamic Dressing
• Sautéed Tofu Buddha Bowl with Quinoa

Read on: Vegan Chickpea and Avocado Salad

Also, check out our homemade vinaigrette, made in 5 minutes to pimp up any green salad with a flavor boost.

If you try this Vegan Green Lentil Salad Recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!

📋 Recipe

🌡️ Food safety

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking points to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice. See our full Nutritional Disclosure here.

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