Food Recipes Salads Lentil Salad with Spinach, Pecans, and Cheddar 5.0 (1) 1 Review This hearty meatless salad brings together earthy, sharp, sweet, and tangy flavors with a short ingredient list and a simple vinaigrette. By Mrigaa Sethi Mrigaa Sethi Mrigaa Sethi is a writer, editor, and home cook with over 13 years of experience in food, travel, and lifestyle magazines, ranging from alt-weeklies in Bangkok to monthly airline glossies in Singapore and New York City. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 13, 2026 Save Rate PRINT Share Close Credit: © Dan Goldberg Total Time: 50 mins Servings: 4 Yield: 4 Jump to recipe This vegetarian salad delivers a satisfying mix of tender lentils, aged cheddar, and toasted pecans, with warm and fresh spinach adding textural variety.Simmering dried lentils with garlic, onion, carrot, and bay leaf infuses them with flavor before they’re tossed with the spinach.A simple vinaigrette made with red or white wine vinegar balances the dish’s earthy, sharp, and sweet notes with bright acidity. A meatless lunch main or a hearty dinner side, this lentil salad is a party of flavors and textures, despite its short ingredient list. Simmering dried lentils with an onion, carrot, garlic clove, and bay leaf both softens them and enhances their flavor, while toasted pecans add sweetness and crunch. Spinach serves two purposes here: Half of the leaves are shredded and wilted with the warm lentils, while the rest is dressed in a simple white wine vinaigrette and makes a base for the salad. For the cheese, choose a good-quality aged white or yellow cheddar; its sharp flavor provides a nice contrast to the lentils’ earthiness. Types of lentils A good source of plant-based protein, lentils have the advantage of cooking more quickly than legumes such as chickpeas and black beans. While there are thousands of varieties of this ancient crop, only a handful are common on American supermarket shelves. These include brown, French or Puy, and beluga lentils, named for their resemblance to caviar, as well as hulled, split varieties such as red and yellow lentils. The latter cook even more quickly but tend to fall apart when simmered, making them better suited to thick curries and soups. For salads, opt for brown, Puy, or beluga lentils, which retain their shape and a bit of bite after cooking, though their skins and flavor profiles vary by type. Lentils Are Your Ticket to Quick and Hearty Meals — Here’s How to Cook Them Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Toast the pecans until golden and fragrant, then let them cool slightly before chopping to preserve their crunch.Be sure to toss the lentils with the dressing while they’re hot so they absorb its bright, acidic flavor and help wilt the shredded spinach.Using a vegetable peeler to shave thin curls of cheddar over the salad distributes the cheese evenly and creates a polished finish. Suggested pairing This salad, with its lentils and rich cheddar, can easily stand up to a fruity red wine. A Petite Sirah’s roasted berry flavors make it just right for the part. Keep Screen Awake Ingredients 1/2x 1x 2x Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it. This recipe was developed at its original yield. Ingredient amounts are automatically adjusted, but cooking times and steps remain unchanged. Note that not all recipes scale perfectly. Original recipe (1X) yields 4 servings 1 pound lentils (about 2 1/3 cups) 1 small onion, halved 1 carrot, halved 1 garlic clove 1 bay leaf 1/3 cup pecans 4 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar, divided 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided 1/2 cup olive oil 1 1/2 pounds spinach, stems removed, leaves washed well (about 3 1/2 quarts) 1/4 pound aged cheddar cheese Directions In a medium pot, combine the lentils, onion, carrot, garlic, bay leaf, and enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Drain; discard the onion, carrot, garlic, and bay leaf. Meanwhile, in a small frying pan, toast the pecans over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Or, toast them in a 350°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Chop the nuts. In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of the vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Add the oil slowly, whisking. Shred half the spinach and put in another large glass or stainless steel bowl. Add the hot lentils and toss with half the dressing, the remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss the mixture gently until the spinach wilts. Toss the remaining spinach into the remaining dressing and put on plates. Top with the lentil mixture and the toasted pecans. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the cheese over the top. This recipe was first published in Food & Wine’s 2002 cookbook Quick From Scratch Soups & Salads; the text was written in part by Mrigaa Sethi. Cook this recipe and more in the MyRecipes app. Get the App Save Rate Print Loading shell for RecipesUgcThreaded1 Vue component in Globe.