Weight Watchers Recipe of the Day: Lemony Lentil Quinoa Salad
This lemony lentil quinoa salad is one from the archives. It's the recipe that finally turned me into a quinoa lover.
Which, I must admit took a while.
Lemony Lentil Quinoa Salad
Have you ever cooked with quinoa (KEEN-wa)? It's a South American grain-like seed that you cook like rice, simmering it in water or broth until the liquid is absorbed. It's high in protein and gluten-free.
Most well-stocked supermarkets have it. I was able to find it in Eagle River, Wisconsin, Population: 1,626, as far back as 2011.
Quinoa has been really popular with the healthy eating set for several years.
I wanted to like it. But didn't at first.
There was something about it's look and texture I found strange.
But I kept trying. And me efforts were rewarded with this delectable lemony lentil quinoa salad. I've made many yummy quinoa recipes since.
Now I realize I just didn't give it a fair chance. Rice and oatmeal are also bland. You've got to show them a little love to make them delicious too.
Skinny on Lemony Lentil Quinoa Salad
Low in fat and packed with fiber, this lemony lentil quinoa salad is as good for you as it is delicious.
Each serving has 254 calories and:
7 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
4 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
2 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
6 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
I think it will work for Weight Watchers Simply Filling, provided you count the oil as part of daily requirement. (Each serving has 1 teaspoon olive oil.)
Following Weight Watchers Freestyle Plan, this is now *4 WW Freestyle SmartPoints.
Be sure to rinse your quinoa really well. It can have a soapy tasting coating called saponin which needs to be washed away.
The recipe calls for cooked lentils. I had a package of these little beauties in the fridge. So I used them instead of cooking my own. All I had to do was open the bag and break up the clumps with my fingers before stirring them into the cooled quinoa.
How easy is that?
Enjoy!
Are You Ready To Firmly Plant Yourself
On The Path To Lasting Weight Loss Success?
Trader Joes Steamed Lentils
Drizzling on the lemony dressing...
Quinoa, Lentils, Sliced Green Onions and Lemon Dressing
If you've made this Gluten-Free Lentil Quinoa Salad, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Camilla's Lemony Lentil Quinoa Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 cups water, divided
- 1 cup green lentils, rinsed
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed really well
- 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (affiliate link)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¾ cup thinly sliced green onions
- ¾ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups of the water to a boil over high heat. Add the lentils and reduce the heat to medium low, allowing the lentils to simmer, until tender, but not mushy, about 30 minutes. Drain and let them cool completely.
- While the lentils are cooking, prepare the quinoa. In another medium saucepan combine the remaining 2 cups water and quinoa. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the temperature to low, cover the pan and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat and cool completely.
- Make the dressing: in a small bowl (affiliate link), whisk together the tarragon, salt, pepper, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil and mustard.
- When the lentils and quinoa are completely cool, in a large bowl combine them with the sliced green onions, tossing them gently together. Add the dressing and toss again gently until everything is coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, until chilled, or for up to 4 hours. Just before serving, stir in the chopped fresh parsley.
Recipe Notes
Source: adapted from 5 Easy Steps to Healthy Cooking: 500 Recipes for Lifelong Wellness (affiliate link) by Camilla Saulsbury
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
If you liked this easy recipe for lemony lentil quinoa salad, you might also like:
- Weight Watchers Recipe for Quinoa Pilaf with Pistachios, Raisins & Cilantro
- Apricot Cilantro Quinoa Pilaf Recipe at Meatless Monday
- Ellie Krieger's Quinoa Pilaf with Pine Nuts Recipe
- More than 20 quinoa recipes from the NYT Recipes for Health
- Pumpkin Quinoa Muffins from Bob's Red Mill and Lorna Sass
Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!
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Laura
Fantastic and makes a good size portion. I didn't have Tarragon and yet the dressing was still excellent! I will be making this again. Also, the tip on buying the cooked lentils at Trader Joe's was great...saved me a step to have to cook them because we are experiencing heat wave and I didn't want to heat up my kitchen.
Martha McKinnon
Laura,
Glad you liked it, even without the tarragon. I love the convenience of Trader Joe's lentils for that very reason. With temps in the triple digits here in Phoenix, heating up the kitchen is something I try to avoid as much as I can.
Odette
This recipe looks great, how long would it keep in the fridge for?
Martha McKinnon
I Odette, I'm not sure what the food safety experts would say, but I've kept in the fridge and enjoyed it for 4 - 5 days. Hope this helps.
Larry Ginsberg
How many points is a cup of quinoa salad
Kim
Trying to eat a clean diet in 2021, this recipe fits right in! Easy to prepare and delicious! Even my husband who says he "dislikes quinoa" gobbled it down! I served in on some crisp baby lettuce with our dinner. Thanks, definitely a keeper!