High-protein Vegan Lentil and Bean Salad
- Updated on Nov 30, 2020
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Our vegan lentil and bean salad is quick, tasty and packed with protein – 40g per serving in fact!
What do athletes eat? We thought we’d try a new spin on a few recipes – and find out what the healthiest and fittest among us actually eat.
You’re still hitting the gym, the workouts are going well…and you are what you eat. So let’s find out.
The original recipe of this tasty high-protein salad was posted by Patrick Reiser, a Swiss bodybuilder, who won the natural bodybuilding championship in his country in 2013.
Patrick runs a fitness YouTube channel where he talks about his trainings routines and meal plans.
Even though we think the videos are sometimes a little silly, he definitely has great knowledge about nutrition and it’s worth checking out what he eats to stay in shape.
Health benefits
This is what Patrick Reiser had to say about his recipe:
- Good after a workout to recharge on carbohydrates and your glycogen storage (if post-workout food is what you need, try these vegetarian post workout meals now!). Glycogen is your body’s store of carbs and it’s important to restore these levels as they get depleted during your workout session.
- Also contains 40g of protein per serving (when the whole salad is considered one serving) which is of course important for muscle growth.
- Here you can find out more about optimizing glycogen.
And this what we have to say about his recipe:
- The sauce itself gives you plenty of freedom to be creative in the kitchen – you can make your own salsa, use a spicy sauce or even just a good ol’ tomato ketchup. That’s up to you.
- The lentil bean salad itself is loaded with protein – so important in so many ways. Vegetarian diets can easily provide enough quality protein in a diet (especially with recipes like this!): save your health, save your cash and save the planet.
We want to know:
- What’s your favourite exercise/workout?
- Are you sticking to your routines?
- And what’s your favourite post-workout meal?
High protein lentil salad FAQs
We’ve covered some of the most common questions about our lentil bean salad recipe below, but if you have others just let us know in the comments (and if you want more plant-based lentil recipes, check out these).
How long does lentil and bean salad last?
In the fridge, this salad will last for 2-3 days.
Do I eat it hot or cold?
Either way is delicious! This dish also works brilliantly as a make-ahead lunch if you need something high protein and vegan on the go.
Can you freeze lentil salad?
Whilst you can freeze it, this salad is best eaten fresh as you get the full range of textures, from the crunch of the peppers and scallions to the tender but firm lentils.
What goes with a lentil bean salad?
This salad stands alone well, but you could also serve it with fresh wholemeal or rye bread on the side.
Tips for using kidney beans in salads
This tasty lentil and bean salad recipe features kidney beans as one of it’s star players. A great vegan source of protein and high in fiber, these hard-working legumes are also an affordable cupboard staple. Here’s our tips on how to use them:
Rinse canned beans well
We recommend using canned kidney beans in this salad recipe. If you’re not familiar with canned kidney beans, they come in a starchy (and slightly slimy) liquid which is perfectly safe to eat but not all that appetising!
Simply rinse this off under cold water (pouring the can into a sieve or colander and running it under the tap will do perfectly.)
Enjoy raw or cooked
Canned kidney beans have already been soaked and cooked, so you can add them straight to salads if you’re using them cold. Or, if you prefer to cook them first, simply follow the instructions on the can to heat them thoroughly.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup red lentils, dried
- 1 can kidney beans (drained and rinsed, 1 can = 15.5oz)
- 1 bell pepper, red
- 3-4 spring onions
- Salt and pepper to taste
Optional
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ cup tomato puree
- 2 slices wholegrain bread
Instructions
- If using dried red lentils then prepare according to package instructions (or just add 1 part red lentils to 1.5 parts of water with a little salt in a pot. Bring it to a boil and then let the lentils simmer for about 12-15 minutes depending on how soft you like them. Season with a little more salt, when the lentils are cooked. Alternatively you can cook them in veggie broth for extra flavour).
- Meanwhile cut the spring onions and bell pepper. Also grate the garlic.
- Get a big bowl and throw in all the ingredients, including the lentils and beans.
- Finally, if using, add the tomato sauce (as much as you like), give it a stir, do a taste test and, if necessary, season one last time with salt and pepper.
- Ready!
NOTES
Nutrition
Comments
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33 comments
Looking forward to trying this recipe! Are those shallots or scallions (a.k.a. green onions) in the picture? The recipe says shallots but just wanted to make sure.
Hi! Actually both finely chopped shallots or scallions are both fine, I use whichever I have more of that need to be used up. I think we did use scallions in the picture on that note. Thanks for pointing it out, have update the recipe 🙂
This recipe looks lovely but I can’t quite work out how this has 40g protein per portion?
For the whole salad I get about 14g from the lentils, 19g from the kidney beans and 6.5g from the rest of the ingredients is probably feasible- but that would be if one person ate the entire recipe – if you split it into two portions then you’re down to about 20g each?
Hey Sam, well spotted. The 40g protein is indeed for the whole salad – but for most people it would be too big as one big serving – 20g per smaller serving would be right. Will change now, thanks for pointing it out! Cheers, and enjoy! 🙂
First I wanted to let you guys know that I love the vibe that you have going on on your website, so fun! This recipe looks awesome, its going to be made for our dinner tonight 🙂 Just one little health tip that I would like to share….instead of using (highly processed) table salt in this recipe, use (natural) pink himalayan salt to boost the heath factor.
Thanks for the info, Sandra! let us know how you liked it 🙂
Not healthy bevore a first date with a woman 😉
Haha you’re not far wrong there Andre – you might find yourself with a little more air than usual, especially the first time you eat them 😉
I just realised I don’t have a workout meal. Well, the problem here is that I don’t work out at all. Maybe eating healthy dishes such as this one will motivate me better towards a more active lifestyle 🙂
I really believe that there is a connection. If you workout you want to make sure it coins into more muscles or a leaner body. So you autmatically try to improve your diet to leverage the effect of your workout. The same the other way round. The healthier you eat the more you’ll want to treatyour body well with physical activities. 🙂
Great recipe I use it regularly. I add a bit of hot sauce and put it inside a wholemeal pitta bread. Very satisfying
Mmm the hot sauce sounds great actually!
I love the ingredients, the whole meal must be delicious. I have to make this recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Let us know when you do! If you’re cooking the lentils from scratch then you can cook them in stock too – I love them done that way…
Lentils and beans in one dish. Wow, here is the super healthy dish I need!
It really is a healthy one! And somehow the ingredients just go great together 🙂