Beluga Lentil Broccoli Salad is a protein packed and fiber rich dish that is hearty and delicious.
Starting a new week of blogging marathon today and the theme for the next 3 days is ‘Lentil Salads & Sides’. This has got to be one of my favorite themes. I love all legumes because they are our primary source of protein. They are very versatile and make any dish hearty and delicious. So first day, I have a delicious Beluga Lentil Broccoli Salad that is great to serve as a complete meal.I missed out in participating in the last Mega blogging marathon that had ‘protein packed dishes’ as its theme. I had planned on doing it but with the move I couldn’t participate. There are so many vegetarian protein packed dishes that I have pinned that I would have loved to try a few of those recipes. That’s why when I saw this theme I signed up right away.
I bookmarked this Beluga lentil broccoli salad from Vegetarian times magazine long time ago. Finally got to make this for this week. These black lentils are called Beluga lentils because they look very similar to caviar. The good thing about these lentils is that they keep their shape even after cooking.
This salad takes about 30 minutes to make if you have planned ahead and soaked the lentils overnight. It is best to soak lentils to remove phytates and make them more easily digestible. This salad is great to serve as a side dish or even as a light meal.
Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 81.

Vegan Beluga Lentil Broccoli Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 1 cup Black Beluga Lentils, soaked in water for 8 hours
- 1 Small Red Onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cups Broccoli, cut into florets
- To taste Salt Pepper
- ¼ cup Sliced Almonds
For the Dressing:
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp Agave Nectar
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
Instructions
Make the Salad:
- Drain and rinse the lentils. Place them in a medium saucepan along with 2cups water. Bring the water to a boil; lower the heat and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 15~18 minutes.
- Drain any extra water from the lentils and place them in a mixing bowl.
- Steam the broccoli until tender and add to the lentils. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the thinly sliced red onion. Mix well.
Make the Dressing:
- Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing.
- Stir in the dressing into the lentil mixture, mix well. Sprinkle with sliced almonds and serve warm or at room temperature.
Vaishali
Wonderful combo ! I have never combined broccoli and lentils , would like to try it .
Mayuri Patel
What a healthy way to eat a salad full of protein. Love the combination and colour.
Priya Suresh
Wwow this salad will definitely makes me happy, love lentils in salad and that too with broccoli, yumm loving it.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan
We love broccoli and we love lentils. This would be perfect for a weeknight dinner. Love the simple dressing that you have made for the lentils.
Sapana
The salad looks so healthy and filling. I would love to try it soon.
Nandita Gupta
That looks inviting and comforting! I would love to try this refreshing combination!
Ruchi
Very healthy and easy recipe. Lovely share
Piyali Mutha
Nice way to enhance your protein and fiber intake. So nutritious and so yum.
Jagruti
Pavani, thanks for sharing this wonderful and healthy recipe with us, bookmarking this 🙂
Sushma
Wow such a healthy salad. A must try one.
Jayashree
Lovely salad. I am always in the lookout for salad recipes, bookmarking this one.
themadscientistskitchen
This is a delicious way of combining lentils in salads
Ritu Tangri
This is quite an interesting combo of lentils and broccoli
Harini
The lentils sound interesting. Do they taste like whole masoor dal?? The salad sounds very appetizing.
Veena
There is definetely a unique combination and the pics are so tempting that even if a person is not a salad person, these clicks are sure to lure him. Awesome
James Thomas
Your recipes are superb and I like all of them. Your passion for cooking gives us many ideas. Thanks for the lovely recipes.