Weight Watchers Recipe of the Day: Simple Vegetarian Lentil Salad
This simple lentil salad - cooked lentils tossed with red wine vinegar, olive oil, scallions and parsley - is a winner in my book.
Everyone enjoyed it when I made it recently. I'm still amazed when something this simple turns out so delicious.
Simple Lentil Salad
Lentils weren't something I ate growing up, but during the past few years I've come to really like them. They're tasty and simple to prepare, in addition to being healthy and a great source of fiber.
Unlike most legumes, lentils don't need to be pre-soaked and they cook in about 30 minutes, a boon to busy cooks.
The Art of Simple Food
The recipe for this simple lentil salad is from The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution (affiliate link) by Alice Waters. In the headnotes she explains that French green lentils or black beluga lentils are best for lentil salad because they have lots of flavor and hold their shape.
It may take a little extra effort, but it's worth seeking them out.
Ready to Eat Steamed Lentils from Trader Joe's
If you are short on time, a great alternative is the already cooked steamed lentils available at Trader Joe's. They are one of my go-to, ready to eat prepared foods for busy weekday nights.
Alice Waters' Simple Lentil Salad
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Simple Lentil Salad?
According to my calculations, each ½-cup serving has about 176 calories and:
5 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
2 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
2 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
4 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
How Can I Make This Recipe Work with Weight Watchers Simply Filling/No Count?
Decrease the olive oil to 2 tablespoons or omit it altogether. Enjoy!
Lentil Salad Recipe Variations:
(Be sure to adjust WW SmartPoints as necessary with any variations)
- Add ½ cup diced cucumber
- Add ¼ cup diced sweet red pepper
- Garnish with ½ cup crumbled goat, or feta cheese
- Add 3 ounces lean cooked chicken breast, salmon, etc.
Are You Ready To Firmly Plant Yourself
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Simple Lentil Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup lentils, rinsed
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, plus more to taste
- Salt to taste
- Fresh-ground black pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup thinly sliced scallions, or 3 tablespoons finely diced shallot
- 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- Place the lentils in a saucepan and cover with water by 3 inches. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a gentle simmer and cook until the lentils are tender all the way through (adding more water if necessary), about 30 minutes.
- Drain and reserve ½ cup of the cooking water.
- Place the drained lentils in a bowl and toss with vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for 5 minutes. Taste and add more salt and/or vinegar if needed.
- Add olive oil, scallions and parsley and stir gently to combine well.
- If the lentils seem dry and are hard to stir, loosen them with a little bit of the reserved cooking water.
Equipment
Recipe Notes
- Add ½ cup diced cucumber
- Add ¼ cup diced sweet red pepper
- Garnish with ½ cup crumbled goat or feta cheese
- Add 3 ounces lean cooked chicken breast, salmon, etc.
Recipe source: The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution (affiliate link) by Alice Waters
More Weight Watchers Friendly Lentil Recipes
- Spicy Red Lentil Soup (Simple-Nourished-Living)
- Easy Barbecue Lentils (SlenderKitchen)
- Weight Watchers Lentil & Swiss Chard Soup (Simple-Nourished-Living)
- Lentil Bowls with Avocado, Eggs & Cholula (SkinnyTaste)
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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araucano
Hello:
The perfect lentils salad I was looking for: basic and nutritious.
Many,many thanks.........
Barb
This isn't 0 WW Freestyle points because it has olive oil in it. It comes out to be 2 WW Freestyle points per serving.