Broccoli Lentil Salad with Anchovy Salad Dressing

Lentil salad with broccoli and lemon anchovy dressing is a flavor-packed dish hearty enough to be served as a main course over rice or barley. It also pairs wonderfully with chicken and fish. This recipe is an adaptation of a Tasy Warm Lentil Salad recipe on page 37 of Jamie Oliver's book 5 Ingredients: Quick & Easy Food. I love this book for simple ways to make flavorful meals. My adaptation below has a few alterations in ingredients and some ideas for using it for a week of meal prep. 

Ingredients Notes: 

• Anchovy Lemon Dressing- With only three ingredients (anchovy, lemon juice, and olive oil), this dressing is super flavorful and simple to make. 
• Blanched Broccoli- only takes a few minutes to cook, but the key to keeping your broccoli bright green and flavorful is to have an ice bath ready to stop the cooking process. 
• Cooked Lentils- I suggest using French Green Lentils rather than green, brown, or red- because the other varieties of green lentils will become mushy, and this dish will lose its texture. (wondering what lentils taste like?)
• Preserved Lemon- is the key ingredient in a few of my favorite recipes (Lentil and Quinoa Soup with Jalapeño and Preserved Lemon). Used in Moroccan and Middle Eastern recipes, preserved lemons are lemons packed in salt, bringing a beautiful brine and citrus flavor to dishes. If you have never cooked with them, I highly suggest picking up a jar at the store or making your own.
• If you don't have Preserved lemon? Use the zest of 2 lemons and add ½ teaspoon salt to the dressing. 
• Jalapeños Pepper- I suggest scraping out the seeds and the membranes so it’s not too spicy. If you want to dial down the spice in this dressing, I recommend using four or five slices of pickled jalapeños instead of a whole fresh jalapeño. This way, you’ll get the flavor of the jalapeño just milder.
• Shallot or Red onions- I love a colorful salad, and the little flecks of purple pull it all together. 

Meal prep lentils:

Lentils take 30 to 40 minutes to cook, but once you’ve done that work, they hold up well in the refrigerator for up to seven days. Because of this, it’s one of my favorite meal prep ingredients. When I make lentils, I rarely only make 1 cup- why not make more and have some ready in the refrigerator to add to meals later in the week? With leftover lentils, try Lentil Salad with Feta and Pomegranate (Lettuce Wrap), Lentil Salad with Avocado, Cherry Tomato, and Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette, and Lentil Quinoa Salad with Sundried Tomatoes. 

Check out all of my favorite lentil salads!!

How to prepare better lentils:

Add about 3 cups of water and 1 cup of French green lentils in a large saucepan. You only need 1 cup of the dry lentils for this recipe because they will double in size. Unlike quinoa or rice, you do not need an exact water-to-lentil ratio. Think more like you’re cooking pasta. You just need significantly more water than lentils. You can also use broth to add an extra layer of flavor.

I like adding a bay leaf, an onion cut in half, and a clove of garlic to add flavor to the lentils. Do not salt the lentils before cooking! They will become tough and less appetizing. Bring the water and lentils to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook and low for 20-30 minutes or until tender.

Drain the water (or broth) from the lentils and set them aside until they come to room temperature before mixing them into the salad. Discard the bay leaf, half onion, and garlic.

Learn more about these amazing legumes, and their health benefits, how to cook green lentils, and check out my ever-growing list of lentil recipes

How to blanch broccoli: 

The key to blanched broccoli is stopping the cooking process with an ice bath. So make sure you have some ice in the freezer. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the broccoli florets and cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain in a calendar and transfer to a bowl with ice and cold water. Let the broccoli thoroughly cook for 5 minutes. I like to put the broccoli back in the colander for a few minutes to let the excess water drip off before mixing the salad. 

Like the lentils, blanched broccoli is a great meal prep integration. Make a batch on the weekend, and add it to all kinds of recipes throw out the week. Try it in this Broccoli Rabe Salad with White Beans With Sun-dried Tomatoes- replace the broccoli rabe with the blanched broccoli. Another super easy idea is to add  Marinated Feta with Oil, Lemon, and Rosemary to the blanched broccoli, and you have a super simple and delicious salad. 

Prepping the Preserve lemon: 

Scrape the interior flesh of the lemon, discard, and finely chop the preserved lemon peel. 

Make the dressing: 

Combine anchovy paste, olive oil, and lemon juice. (if you are not using preserved lemons, add ½ teaspoon of salt) 

Make the salad: 

Combine the cooked lentils, blanched broccoli, chopped jalapenos, chopped preserved lemon peel (or lemon zest), chopped red onion, and anchovy lemon dressing. 

Make ahead: 

This is one of those salads that get better each day it is in the refrigerator, making it perfect for meal prep. Store in an air-tight container for 4-5 days. 

What to Serve with Lentil Broccoli Salad

Lentil broccoli salad can be a complete meal on its own, but you can serve it as a side salad with stuffed summer squash, healthy pizza, a light soup, or homemade tomato sauce over pasta.

If you’ve tried this Broccoli Lentil Salad recipe or any other recipe on BalancingBowls, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to see more tasty meals.

Recipe

Broccoli Lentil Salad with Anchovy Salad Dressing

Lentil salad with broccoli and lemon anchovy dressing is a flavor-packed dish hearty enough to be served as a main course over rice or barley. It also pairs wonderfully with chicken and fish. This recipe is an adaptation of a Tasy Warm Lentil Salad recipe on page 37 of Jamie Oliver's book 5 Ingredients: Quick & Easy Food. I love this book for simple ways to make flavorful meals. My adaptation below has a few alterations in ingredients and some ideas for using it for a week of meal prep.

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Ingredients

  

• 2 cups for cooked lentils
• 1 head of broccoli or 2 cups of florets
• 2 jalapenos peppers
• 1 shallot sliced
• Unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1 preserved lemons
• 4 Tablespoons olive oil
• 4 lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoons anchovy paste

Instructions

 

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the broccoli florets and cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.
• Drain in a calendar and transfer to a bowl with ice and cold water.
• Let the broccoli thoroughly cook for 5 minutes.
• Add about 3 cups of water and 1 cup of French green lentils in a large saucepan.
• Adding a bay leaf, an onion cut in half, and a clove of garlic to add flavor to the lentils.
• Bring the water and lentils to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
• Cook on low for 20-30 minutes or until tender.
• Drain the water (or broth) from the lentils and set them aside until they come to room temperature before mixing them into the salad.
• Discard the bay leaf, half onion, and garlic.
• Prepping the Preserve lemon:
• Scrape the interior flesh of the lemon, discard, and finely chop the preserved lemon peel.
• Make the dressing:
• Combine anchovy paste, olive oil, and lemon juice. (if you are not using preserved lemons, add ½ teaspoon of salt)
• Make the salad:
• Combine the cooked lentils, blanched broccoli, chopped jalapenos, chopped preserved lemon peel (or lemon zest), chopped red onion, and anchovy lemon dressing.

Notes

• The key to blanched broccoli is stopping the cooking process with an ice bath. So make sure you have some ice in the freezer.
•  Unlike quinoa or rice, you do not need an exact water-to-lentil ratio. Think more like you’re cooking pasta. You just need significantly more water than lentils. You can also use broth to add an extra layer of flavor.
• Do not salt the lentils before cooking! They will become tough and less appetizing.