Mediterranean Lentil Salad with Tuna

Name: Mediterranean Lentil Salad with Tuna
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 19 oz can lentils (-rinsed and drained); 1 170 gram can tuna (-drained (I used tuna packed in water)); 1/3 cup black olives (-pitted and roughly chopped); 1/3 cup sun-dried tomato (-roughly chopped); 1 red bell pepper (-diced); 3 tbsp feta cheese (-crumbled); 3 tbsp fresh parsley (-roughly chopped); 2 tbsp capers; 2 Thai chili peppers (-minced (or to taste)); 1 tbsp shallot (-minced, or 2 stalks of green onion); 3-4 tbsp olive oil (-I used Pomora Olio Nuovo); 1 lemon (-juiced (about 1/4 cup))

June 18, 2018 Updated: June 27, 2018 By Dawn Coombs 32 Comments

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In preparation of this post, I received gifted product from Pomora, but, as always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that make Girl Heart Food possible and for helping me continue to do what I love – cook, eat and share delicious recipes!

This hearty Mediterranean Lentil Salad recipe comes together in about 10 minutes so couldn’t be easier for meal prep for the week ahead! It’s made with some pantry staples, like canned lentils and canned tuna. Plus, there are a few extra special ingredients like sun-dried tomatoes, black olives, feta and bell pepper. It’s all tossed with a simple olive oil and lemon mixture for one delicious bite!

Hey guys! How was your weekend? We had the fam jam into our home for a Father’s day bbq. Luckily, the weather was decent and we were able to grill outside. Newfoundland weather is not all that predictable so if I’m planning anything that’s weather dependent (like grilling) it’s kinda like a shot in the dark. Today I’m bringing you this ultra easy, super tasty lentil salad. Who knew that a recipe using canned lentils and canned tuna could be so freakin’ tasty?!

What’s Pomora Olive Oil all about?

Like pretty much all of you guys, I love using quality ingredients. Whether it’s a fresh product (like a piece of fruit), canned tuna (yes, there are differences in brands), balsamic vinegar or, of course, olive oil, it has to be good. Quality ingredients are the basis of any tasty recipe, don’t ya think?

Pomora olive oil is really something special. Pomora works with only two growers to make their quality olive oil, one from Sicily and one from Campania. Pomora works directly with these growers so they know exactly where their oil comes from; they can trace their end product right back to the grove. Plus, their growers employ traditional and sustainable farming practices, which is definitely a good thing.

Pomora has a neat little subscription whereas you can adopt a tree from one of these two award-winning growers. You’ll even get updates on how your tree is doing. Plus, every quarter you will receive a shipment of three-250 ml oils (and look how cute those little tins are!). The first shipment will be a plain olive oil, followed by a flavoured set, another plain and then flavoured. So you will always be stocked with a delicious olive oil for cooking, dunking or drizzling! How cool is that? Be sure to check out Pomora Olive Oil for more info!

For this lentil salad recipe, I used the Olio Nuovo variety, which is Pomora’s youngest, freshest oil. This unfiltered olive oil has a lovely green hue and has a little bite in flavour, which is why I thought it would work wonderfully in this lentil salad. The freshness of the oil contrasts against the rich, savory, briny flavours of the ingredients.

This lentil salad came to me one day whie trying to rack my brain on what to make hubby and I for lunch. It’s always nice to mix things up a bit from the regular routine so this is how this lentil salad was born. I grabbed a couple of pantry staples, fancied it up a bit with some special ingredients and voilà – a tasty, easy salad was born! Now it’s on regular rotation in our home.

Tips for Making this Lentil Salad

Using canned lentils makes this Mediterranean lentil salad come together in about 10 minutes. Don’t have or don’t want to use canned lentils? You can easily cook up some dried brown lentils, rinse, drain, cool and then proceed with the recipe.
I used two red Thai chilies in this recipe, but you can use more or less depending on your love of spice (though, I didn’t find this salad too spicy). Don’t have fresh chili? Try a pinch or two of cayenne.
I used red bell pepper because I loved the colour that it added. Don’t have red bell pepper? Use whatever colour you have on hand.
Speaking of bell pepper, I have also made this recipe with roasted peppers (which is awesome). However, I prefer fresh bell pepper for the crunch it adds to the salad.
I do not add any salt to this salad. For me, the briny capers, feta and olives are salty enough.
Want to make this lentil salad vegetarian? Omit the tuna. It will still taste lovely!
If you do omit the tuna, this lentil salad is delicious as a side for chicken too.
This salad yields enough for 4 hearty side servings. The recipe can easily be doubled for a crowd.
This recipe can be made a day ahead and still taste delicious the next day. I recommend enjoying within 3 days.
I used sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil. I think they work best in this lentil salad.
Want this lentil salad dairy free? Omit the feta and it will still taste delish!

Why is this Lentil Salad Recipe so Great?

This lentil salad comes together in about 10 minutes.
This one is jam packed with fibre and vitamins from hearty lentils.
Cooking for a crowd? It can be easily doubled or tripled.
Meal prep? It’s great for that!
It’s relatively budget friendly, while being ‘special’ at the same time.
It tastes just as good the next day as it does the day of being made.
Lunch, side to dinner, potluck or backyard bbq – this lentil salad recipe works wonderfully in any situation.

Other Lentil Recipes you may Enjoy –

Hope you love this lentil salad recipe as much as we do in our home!

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Until next time, take care and chit chat again soon!

~Dawn

P.S. If you think this recipe for lentil salad will make your belly happy too, please be sure to hit that little Pin button down below. Many thanks, you guys! XO

An overhead shot of a bowl of Mediterranean Lentil Salad.

5 from 9 votes