This easy Black Beluga Lentil Salad makes a fresh, plant-based lunch. Thinly sliced fennel, fresh mint, and an easy oil-free dressing come together for this vegan recipe. Great for summer entertaining!
Fennel: How to Cook this Healthy, Plant-Based Vegetable
Fennel can be quite divisive. It’s licorice flavor tends to win friends as rarely as the black jellybeans in an Easter basket: You either love it or hate it. However, the beauty of fennel is that it’s flavor changes depending on how you cook it.
Raw Fennel is best if you really enjoy that black licorice flavor. It can be thinly shaved for salad. Raw fennel pairs really well with citrus. In an Orange Fennel Salad, the natural sweetness and acid from the oranges helps mellow out the raw fennel.
Steamed or sauteed fennel, like the kind in this recipes, helps mellow out the flavor even more. The fennel becomes more delicate and its natural sugars release. Instead of strong anise flavor, you get fennel that marries better with other ingredients. This is great for pastas, warm grain bowls, soup. I love simmering fennel with carrots for a warming, Spiced Carrot Fennel Soup.
Roasted or Braised fennel is the ultimate in sweet, mellow flavor. With either of these oil-free cooking methods, you get a slight caramelization. This happens when you get golden brown edges of the fennel. These are the natural sugars, developing sweetness. The fennel becomes a background note, adding a subtle layer of flavor. I love braised Italian Fennel with Peppers and Cannellini Beans. The perfect comfort food for winter.
How to Peel and Trim Fennel
Fennel has three parts: the bulb, the stalks, and the fronds. To work with fennel, first you want to trim it. Use a knife to separate the stalks from the bulb. Then, use a good vegetable peeler to peel off a thin layer of the bulb. Now, use a knife to cut the bulb in half and cut out the core.
You can use the bub for most of your cooking. It’s great for salads, soups, roasted, or braised. You can save the stalks for vegetable stock or broth. However, they are are a bit too tough to eat. Pluck off the fennel fronds to use like you would fresh herbs. Add them to salads or use to garnish soups.
Lentils: A Healthy Source of Plant-Based Protein and Fiber
Lentils are full of healthy, plant-based nutrition. They are a great source of vegan protein with about 18g per cup. Plus, lentils have heart-healthy fiber and other key nutrients like Iron, Folate, Magnesium, vitamin B6, and Thiamin. In addition, lentils are a source of plant compounds called phytochemicals. These protect your body from chronic diseases like type-2 diabetes and heart disease.
Lentils: Full of Antioxidants
You probably already know that lentils are a good source of plant-based protein and fiber. However, black beluga lentils are also pack with healthy antioxidants. Antioxidants are those phytochemicals that are in “superfoods” like blueberries, kale, and sweet potatoes. This compounds help attack free radicals in the body.
Watch to Learn More:
Why You’ll Love this Healthy Salad:
This black beluga lentil salad is so fresh and easy. It’s full of light, summer flavor. You can easily throw this together for a simple weekday lunch. But, it’s also elegant enough for entertaining. This salad is:
- Full of fresh, bright flavors
- Easy to make
- Tastes like Summer
- A healthy source of plant-based vegan protein
Chef Katie’s Healthy Cooking Tips:
Good Quality Balsamic Vinegar: A good-quality Balsamic balances sweetness and tang. Typically, balsamic that is aged longer is milder and sweeter. For help choosing a good balsamic, check the acidity level on the bottle (opt for less acidity). Or, some brand rate their options with leaves, stars, or other guides.
Lentil Options: Black Beluga lentils are my favorite for this meat-free chili. Au Puy (petite French lentils) or any other small green or brown lentil will work.
Make Ahead: Everything in this salad can be made ahead of time. However, the mint tends to turn brown after a day sitting with the vinegar. To keep the bright green color of the mint, add this component just before serving.
Oil-Free: I’m on a mission to get rid of empty calories, like those found in refined oils. This salad skips the oil for Champagne vinegar. You don’t need the oil in this recipe. There’s plenty of delicious, natural flavor from the beautiful, fresh ingredients!
Cook black lentils like you would cook rice. Cover with a few inches of water and simmer until tender. 
Combine the sliced fennel with the lentils about 10 minutes into cooking. 
Stone ground mustard adds creamy texture and a tangy flavor 
Champagne vinegar has bright flavor, perfect for salads. It is less acidic than white wine or cider vinegar. 
Fresh mint adds bright, fresh flavor. 
French Black Beluga Lentil Fennel Salad – Plant-based, Oil-Free, Gluten-Free Vegan Recipe from Plants-Rule
French Fennel Black Beluga Lentil Vegan Salad
- Medium
- Servings: 4
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups
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French Fennel Black Beluga Lentil Salad
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Black Beluga lentils
- 1 fennel bulb peeled
- 1/4 cup mint chopped
- 2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
- 2 tablespoons stone ground mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
To cook the Black Beluga lentils and fennel:
- In a small pot, combine the lentils and 1 1/2 cups water. Cover, bring to a boil, and reduce to simmer. Pluck off some of the fennel fronds and set aside. Discard the stalks and bulb (or save for vegetable stock). Cut out the core. Thinly slice the fennel into ¼-inch thick pieces.
- After the first 10 minutes of cooking, add the sliced fennel. Continue cooking until the lentils are tender, about 20-25 minutes total. Drain off any excess water.
To make the French Fennel Black Lentil Salad:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the Champagne vinegar and Dijon. Season with salt and pepper. Roughly chop any fennel fronds you plucked off. Add the cooked lentils and fennel, as well as any fennel fronds. Toss together while still warm. Let cool 1-2 minutes. Add the chopped mint. Taste again to check seasoning. Serve. Delicious both slightly warm or chilled.
- Chill and enjoy for up to 7 days.
Notes
Servings: 4
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 3 cups
Nutrition Facts
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings 4.0 | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| calories 161 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 1 g | 1 % |
| Saturated Fat 0 g | 0 % |
| Monounsaturated Fat 0 g | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g | |
| Trans Fat 0 g | |
| Cholesterol 0 mg | 0 % |
| Sodium 285 mg | 12 % |
| Potassium 283 mg | 8 % |
| Total Carbohydrate 29 g | 10 % |
| Dietary Fiber 9 g | 37 % |
| Sugars 5 g | |
| Protein 11 g | 22 % |
| Vitamin A | 17 % |
| Vitamin C | 15 % |
| Calcium | 6 % |
| Iron | 19 % |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
Shopping and Gear List
- Hunza Organic Black Beluga Lentils (2-lbs)
- O Olive Oil, California Champagne Vinegar, 10.1 Fl Oz
- Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peeler 3-Pack Red/Green/Yellow
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I grew up in an Italian family eating fennel raw, like celery… but cooking it takes the flavor to a new level, the sweetness is incredible! Genius combination of gorgeous black lentils, fresh mint, mustard and vinegar. Another great recipe, Chef Katie!
I know your family! My good friend in college was always bringing raw fennel to dinner parties as a digestive appertif — so good!