--- title: "30 Minute Quinoa Lentil Salad with Kale - Desiree Nielsen" url: https://stacklist.com/card/c92c4814-3e85-4c71-ab78-8075b157e975 source_url: "https://desireerd.com/30-minute-quinoa-lentil-salad-with-kale/" stack: https://stacklist.com/stack/5aeeb166-6b70-4a4d-a8d2-07c623dda0f3 summary: "30-Minute Quinoa Lentil Salad with Kale is a nourishing plant-based recipe combining quinoa, French lentils, and massaged kale with a lemon Dijon vinaigrette, providing 22g protein and 15g fiber per serving. This easy, weeknight-friendly salad is ready in 30 minutes and works as a complete vegetarian meal or hearty picnic side." tags: "quinoa-lentil-salad, plant-based, vegetarian, quick-recipe, kale, whole-grain, meal-prep" key_entities: "Desiree Nielsen (person), plant-based protein (concept), complete protein (concept), grain salad (technology)" classification: "tutorial" content_hash: "sha256:ae81999df3a04ad59cd75c2eeb886be00db97575873ff80cf00706ad3f270a78" acp_version: "0.2" token_counts_approximate: 1837 visibility: public agent_accessible: true status: "final" --- # 30 Minute Quinoa Lentil Salad with Kale - Desiree Nielsen Home » Plant-Based Recipes » Salads » 30 Minute Quinoa Lentil Salad with Kale 30 Minute Quinoa Lentil Salad with Kale By Desiree Nielsen RD 5 from 4 ratings Jump to Recipe Bursting with flavour, this nourishing quinoa lentil salad is so easy and tasty, and packed with plant-based protein for a hearty side or a simple vegetarian dinner. So quick, so satisfying: plant-based protein, fibre and veggies make this quinoa lentil salad an complete meal…or a hearty picnic side! Want to save this recipe? Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox.  Plus, get great new recipes from me every week! Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form. Email * Save This! If dense bean salads are a thing again, can we also bring back the grain salad? A big bowl of this French lentil and quinoa salad is equal parts comforting, grounding and nourishing…so it fits the vibe, no matter what you’re after.  And it’s as easy as it comes: just 6 ingredients , plus a tangy fresh lemon Dijon vinaigrette . Oh, and not a ton of chopping because maybe we’re not into that today…so the whole thing is ready in 30 minutes (including cooking the lentils and quinoa).  Need a satisfying grain salad to bring to the party or picnic? She’s perfect. Looking for a simple, complete plant-based dinner that’s weeknight friendly? Yep, that too. Quinoa makes a great whole grain salad base because it cooks up quickly…but I feel like I need to address the protein question. As a dietitian , I see folks touting quinoa for protein ALL! THE! TIME! I hate to break it to you…quinoa isn’t actually a high protein food. If you’re like, um, WHAT?!? Let’s talk.  One serving of this salad contains about ¾ cup cooked quinoa which is about 6.5g of protein. That’s a lot of quinoa…not a lot of protein! Why are folks always yapping about protein and quinoa? Because quinoa is a “complete” protein. Not because it has a lot of it.  The reason why this lentil + quinoa salad works as a complete vegetarian meal is that the lentils add another 13g of protein, plus another 3g from walnuts and kale. So as a meal, it’s got plenty of protein (22g) and fiber (about 15g).  This is why you’re here: super tasty plant-based recipes that make it easy to eat more plants with a side of evidence-based nutrition. Want more? You might like my first cookbook, called, um, Eat More Plants .  How to make this simple quinoa lentil salad This crushable kale, quinoa and lentil salad is ready in 30 minutes including cooking the quinoa and lentils. If you’ve got leftover quinoa and lentils it’s like a 15 minute situation.  I love the texture of home-cooked french lentils here but in a pinch, canned lentils will totally work…they’ll just be a bit mushier. Speaking of leftovers…I highly recommend that if you’re going to go to the trouble of cooking lentils and quinoa, why wouldn’t you make extra? At least double! Then you can cool and store extras in the freezer for the next time you want to make this salad. And you will want to make this salad, I promise! Texture is everything in this salad. See how thinly the kale and shallot are sliced? This is how I like to slice dates these days. Feel free to use any tender date you have. Pro Tip: cooking in advance? Leave the dressing off the salad until 10 minutes before serving, as the salad tends to suck the dressing up and it won’t be as flavourful. Pamper that kale: massaging tenderizes as well as softens the flavour! Dress the salad just 10-15 minutes before serving, so it doesn’t get totally soaked up by the salad! Make this your own: swaps and stuff Remember, recipes are a guide! And this quinoa + lentil salad is particularly forgiving of swaps. Use what’s in your kitchen or what’s on sale at the store. Lentils: use any brown or green lentil, just not red lentils Dates: dried cranberries, cherries or apricots could work Kale: any kind of kale, chopped spinach (don’t massage!) or very finely chopped broccoli would work Walnuts: any nut you have on hand or use pumpkin or sunflower seeds to make this nut free Low FODMAP? Use 1 cup total rinsed canned lentils, ditch the shallot and garlic in the vinaigrette. Maybe add a pinch of chile flakes to add a bit of zip. The recipe is already gluten free. More satisfying plant-based salads Crispy Rice Brussels Sprouts Salad 15 Minute Kale Caesar with Smoked Tofu Croutons Kale and Quinoa Salad with Edamame 20 Minute Cold Lentil Salad with Herbs Fresh Kale Salad with Farro and Chickpeas 30 Minute Quinoa Lentil Salad with Kale 4 servings Prep Time: 10 minutes mins Cook Time: 20 minutes mins Total Time: 30 minutes mins Bursting with flavour, this nourishing quinoa lentil salad is so easy and tasty, and packed with plant-based protein for a hearty side or a simple vegetarian dinner. 5 from 4 ratings Leave a Review » Pin Print Ingredients 1 cup dry French lentils , 3 cups cooked, see Low FODMAP note below. 1 cup quinoa , 3 cups cooked 1 bunch lacinato kale , destemmed and thinly sliced ½ cup walnuts , chopped ½ medium shallot , very thinly sliced, omit for Low FODMAP see note ⅓ cup Medjool or Deglet Noor dates , pitted and thinly sliced 1 batch Fresh Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette , maybe make 2 batches as the salad sucks up dressing! Imperial – Metric Instructions  Cooking the lentils and quinoa Sort and rinse the lentils. Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Salt and add lentils, cooking until al dente – not soft! – about 8-20 minutes. Just check every 2-3 min after the 8 min mark. Bonus flavour: add a peeled garlic clove to cooking water as you boil. Meanwhile, cook quinoa according to package directions. Bonus flavour: cook in half broth or add 1 tsp Better than Bouillon to the cooking water. When done, drain and rinse both the quinoa and lentils with cold water to help them cool. Assembling the salad Place the kale in a large salad bowl. Drizzle over 2 tablespoons (15 mL) of the dressing and massage the kale until it wilts and softens, 1-2 minutes. Next, add the cooked lentils, quinoa, dates, walnuts, shallot and toss. If serving soon, toss well with the dressing. If making in advance, wait until 10-15 minutes before serving to dress so the salad doesn't suck up all the dressing. Salad keeps very well, dressed or not, for 3-4 days in the fridge. Leftovers will need some extra dressing to boost flavour. Notes This salad makes 4 hearty main dish servings, or 8-10 side dish servings! Low FODMAP notes: Use 1 cup total rinsed canned lentils in place of the cooked lentils. Ditch the shallot and garlic in the vinaigrette. Maybe add a pinch of chile flakes to add a bit of extra zip. Cuisine: American Course: Main Course , Salad , Side Dish Author: Desiree Nielsen, RD this might be the perfect lunch salad: keeps well, and each serving has 22g protein and 15g fibre! You'll Also Love: Bright + Fresh Kale Salad with Farro and Chickpeas 15 Minute Vegan Kale Caesar Salad with Smoked Tofu Vegan salad rolls with peaches and kale Gluten Free High Fibre High Protein Low FODMAP Nut Free Salads Vegan posted by Desiree Nielsen RD on Feb 18, 2025 (last updated Jan 13, 2026 ) 8 comments Leave a comment »