Lentil Salad

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2006

Show: Good EatsEpisode: Pantry Raid 6: Lentils

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (16)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(16)

Cook Time:
30 min
Level:
--
Yield:
6 to 8 servings

Times:

Prep: 20 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 30 min
Total:: 50 min

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Ingredients

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 recipe basic cooked lentils, see recipe below
6 to 8 slices thick-sliced bacon, cooked and chopped

Directions

Whisk the vinegar, olive oil, mustard, salt, pepper, parsley and thyme together in a large mixing bowl. Add the warm lentils and bacon and stir to combine. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Basic Cooked Lentils:

1 pound brown or green lentils, approximately 2 1/2 cups
1 small onion, halved
1 large clove garlic, halved
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 pound salt pork, optional
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pick over the lentils, rinse and drain. Place the lentils along with the onion, garlic, bay leaf, salt and pork into a large 6-quart saucepan and cover with water by 2 to 3 inches. Place over high heat and bring just to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Drain any remaining liquid and discard the onion, garlic, bay leaf and salt pork. Stir in black pepper and taste for salt. Serve immediately.

Note from Alton: Those of you who watched this program on the 17th or 18th will want to disregard one particular suggestion I made regarding lentils: don't feed the left over onions to your dog. It turns out onions are not good for dogs in any shape or form. I'm grateful to the fans who emailed me after the airing for setting me straight on this nutritional peculiarity. As for my own dog's ability to digest onions, well...she's more hog than dog I guess.

Cook smart,

Alton

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Lentil Salad
Joseph Tryon Middletown, CA 08-23-2009
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Lentil with Mustard: who knew?
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I've been making Lentil Salads for years, but I've never tried using mustard. It was great! The poor little lentil needs to... get top billing more often. Thanks for sharing.Read more
recipe Lentil Salad
Anonymous 08-07-2008
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Lentil Salad
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

Very filling and easy to make
recipe Lentil Salad
Anonymous 08-04-2008
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Absolutely Delicious
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This dish is amazing! Yes I have to admit that I switched the vinegar and oil amounts and also, instead of thyme I used... savory which really kicked the lentils up a notch (so to speak).Read more
recipe Lentil Salad
Sam Beverly Hills, CA 05-19-2008
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Excellent Recipe
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I have made this recipe at least a dozen times, and it almost always turns out great for me. The comments about it being to... vinegary...I have found that the cheaper the red wine vinegar, the more overpowering it is. Use a Good Quality Red Wine Vinegar, and this recipe is sure to be a success!!!Read more
recipe Lentil Salad
Anonymous 04-25-2008
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Not so great
Rated: 2 stars out of 5

As I was adding the vinegar I thought it might be too stong, but I decided to trust Alton, big mistake. I would use only 1/4... cup of vinegar if I were to make it again. It came out very strong. Also if you eat it the next day, the bacon gets soggy. It tastes best over lettuce, this way the vinegar taste is a little toned down.Read more
recipe Lentil Salad
J. Dallas, TX 04-04-2008
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Lentils are good eats
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I overcooked the lentils a bit but the dressing was so tasty in this recipe. Alton. you're great.