Go Back
–+ servings
5 from 5 votes

Lentil & Israeli Couscous Veggie Salad

Lentils, Israeli couscous, cannellini beans, veggies, and creamy red wine vinegar dressing make this filling salad a delicious one bowl meal.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Servings: 5
Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the lentils:

  • 1 cup lentils, rinsed
  • 3 cups water
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp onion salt

For the green beans:

  • 6 oz fresh or frozen green beans, preferably haricot verts, like Trader Joe’s
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • ⅛ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder

For the Israeli couscous:

  • 8 oz Israeli couscous
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 ¾ water
  • ¼ tsp sea salt

For the dressing:

  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 2 Tbsps red wine vinegar
  • 2 Tbsps vegenaise
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ½ tsp sea salt

Everything else:

  • 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
  • ⅓ cup red onion, minced
  • 1 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained

Instructions

Cook the lentils

  • Place the rinsed lentils, water, garlic powder, and onion salt in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
  • Once boiling, turn the heat down to low, cover the pot, leaving the lid slightly ajar, and bring the lentils to a simmer. Simmer for about 35-40 minutes, until the lentils are cooked through but still have a bite to them.
  • Once the lentils finish cooking, drain any excess water and add the salt.
  • While the lentils cook, prepare the other recipe components.

Cook the green beans

  • Add the green beans, salt, and garlic powder to a skillet. Turn the heat to medium, and cook the green beans until slightly browned, about 8 minutes.
  • Take the green beans off the heat. Once they have cooled, cut the green beans to about 1.5 inch pieces, if desired. (Note: if using fresh green beans, you can cut them to 1.5 inch pieces before cooking.)

Cook the Israeli couscous

  • Save a dish, and cook the Israeli couscous in the same skillet you cooked the green beans in.
  • Add the Israeli couscous and olive oil to the skillet, and toast over medium heat for five minutes, until the couscous is slightly browned.
  • Now pour the hot water over the couscous, sprinkle with salt, and stir to combine.
  • Turn the heat down to medium-low, and cook the couscous until all the water is absorbed, and the couscous is al dente (cooked through, but with a slight bite), about 10 minutes. Stir the couscous with your spatula occasionally during cooking.

Make the dressing

  • While the couscous and lentils cook, make the dressing by simply whisking all the ingredients together in a small mixing bowl. Whisk until the oil, Vegenaise, and vinegar emulsify/come together.
  • If you haven’t already, now is also a good time to mince the red onion and halve the tomatoes.

Bring it all together

  • Once the lentils and couscous finish cooking, add them both to a large mixing bowl, followed by the onion, tomatoes, and cannellini beans.
  • Stir everything together, and while the mixture is still warm, add about half of the dressing. Stir to combine. All the ingredients will soak up the dressing.
  • Taste, and add more dressing to taste. (I usually end up using about 3/4 of the dressing, and save the remaining dressing for salads throughout the week.)

Serve and enjoy!

  • Serve alone—this hearty salad is definitely a one bowl meal—or serve over a bed of lettuce, and enjoy!

Notes

This salad makes excellent leftovers for lunch the next day.
This salad is vegan and vegetarian.
This salad can be made gluten-free by subbing the Israeli couscous with 2 cups of cooked gluten-free pasta, or by omitting the couscous and doubling the lentils. (I'm sure there are many other great gluten-free substitutions you could try for this recipe, but these are the two I have done with delicious results.)