• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Well Vegan
  • Recipes
  • Our Cookbook
  • About
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Frugal Vegan Cookbook
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Salad

    Lentil and Wild Rice Salad with Summer Vegetables

    Jun 5, 2018 · by Katie Koteen · Modified: Nov 1, 2018

    Jump to Recipe·Leave a Review

    Lentil and Wild Rice Salad with Summer Vegetables this recipe

    The rain in Portland has (mostly) stopped and temperatures are on the rise. We have no less than three perfect months ahead of us, not quite summer, but we’ve definitely tipped firmly into salad season. At long last.

    Lentil and Wild Rice Salad with Summer Vegetables

    This Lentil and Wild Rice Salad with Summer Vegetables will be your official salad of summer. It’s absolutely perfect for lunch or a light dinner in the summer.

    Bonus points, it keeps really well thanks to the hearty kale, lentils and wild rice. Ideal for making ahead of time to avoid cooking when the evenings are so nice and warm.

    Lentil and Wild Rice Salad with Summer Vegetables

    This salad adapts easily to whatever vegetables you might have around or growing in your garden. The yellow squash can easily be swapped for zucchini or any of the summer squashes.

    Fun fact: wild rice isn’t even rice. It’s actually a seed cultivated in Minnesota and parts of California. I’m partial to that nutty flavor and love that it’s gluten-free, but if wild rice isn’t your thing, try swapping it for:

    • farro
    • bulgar
    • brown rice
    • quinoa
    • barley
    • couscous

    Rice cooking time aside, this salad comes together quickly with minimal cleanup. I like to buy the steamed (precooked) lentils from Trader Joe’s to save some time and have one less pot to wash.

     

    This recipe is great slightly warm or cold. Perfect for lunches or taking to a party. After it rests in the refrigerator for a while, you may notice it’s soaked up all of the dressing and needs a little refresh.

     thyme balsamic dressing

    Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    Lentil and Wild Rice Salad with Summer Vegetables

    Lentil and Wild Rice Summer Salad

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews
    • Author: Katie Koteen
    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Cook Time: 50 minutes
    • Total Time: 1 hour
    • Yield: 6 1x
    • Category: Salad, Lunch
    • Method: Stovetop
    • Cuisine: Vegan, gluten-free
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    This Lentil and Wild Rice Salad with Summer Vegetables will be your official salad of summer. It’s absolutely perfect as a side or hearty enough for a lunch or light dinner. Gluten-free and vegan.

    Ingredients

    Scale

    Salad

    2 cups cooked lentils or ¾ cup dried lentils

    ½ cup wild rice

    1 yellow squash, diced large

    ½ bunch asparagus, cut in 1 inch pieces

    ½ bunch kale, stemmed and cut in bite-sized pieces

    1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

    ¼ cup slivered almonds

    Thyme Balsamic Dressing

    2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

    ¼ cup olive oil

    ½ tsp. dijon mustard

    1 clove garlic, minced

    ½ tsp. maple syrup

    1 tsp. fresh thyme

    salt and pepper


    Instructions

    If you’re cooking lentils, rinse those and get them started according to package directions. 
    Rinse the wild rice well and drain. Add it, along with 2 cups of water to a medium sized pot. You’ll want something larger than you think, because we’ll be steaming our vegetables in this pot too. Cover and bring to a boil, then turn down heat to simmer for 45 minutes. 
    After the rice has cooked 45 minutes, carefully and quickly remove the lid to add the squash and asparagus, along with another ¼ cup water. Replace the lid and steam the vegetables with the rice another 5 minutes. You may need to turn up the heat if all of the steam escapes, just be careful not to burn the rice. 
    Once the vegetables are just cooked, drain any excess water, fluff up the wild rice and let it all cool for a few minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients. 
    While the rice and vegetables are cooling, you can prepare the the dressing. 
    In a medium sized bowl, combine the balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, garlic, maple syrup
    and fresh thyme. Whisk to combine. Continue to whisk and slowly add in the olive oil until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
    In a large bowl, combine wild rice, squash, asparagus, tomatoes, kale, almonds and lentils. Toss gently, adding a few tablespoons of dressing at a time to taste. 

    Notes

    For the lentils, I like to use a hearty variety, like the french lentil, but a green lentil would work well too. I often buy the steamed (pre-cooked) lentils from Trader Joe's. 
    When I'm washing my kale, I like to give it a good massage in warm water to soften it up a bit.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size:
    • Calories: 217
    • Sugar: 4 g
    • Sodium: 18 mg
    • Fat: 12 g
    • Carbohydrates: 21.2 g
    • Protein: 8.5 g
    • Cholesterol: 0 mg

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Bernadette Morrissey

      August 22, 2018 at 8:39 am

      Mm Mm!

      Made this last night … delicious!!! Used zucchini and yellow beans (no asparagus or yellow squash available).

      Loved the dressing. Will definitely make again!

      Reply
      • Katie Koteen

        August 22, 2018 at 8:58 am

        Glad to hear! And yes, it's so versatile - you can use just about anything in season 🙂

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Our Cookbooks

    cookbook

    IndieBound / Powells / Amazon

    cookbook

    IndieBound / Barnes and Noble / Powells / Amazon

    About Well Vegan

    katie and kate

    Katie and Kate are two vegans maintaining a cross-country friendship swapping recipes and writing cookbooks. About Us...

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS

    Our Favorite Recipes

    vegan thanksgiving recipes

    Almond & Maple Pumpkin Bread

    sloppy joes from frugal vegan

    Lentil and Cauliflower Vegan Sloppy Joes

    creamy pumpkin pasta

    Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Pasta with Apple & Sage

    vegan potstickers

    Delicata Squash & Brussels Sprout Potstickers

    Sweet Potato, Fig, and Rosemary Stuffing.

    Sweet Potato, Fig, and Rosemary Stuffing

    fall harvest bowl

    Warm Fall Harvest Bowl

    More Recipes

    Footer


    Recipes

    • All Recipes
    • Breakfast Recipes
    • Budget Recipes
    • Desserts Recipes
    • Dinner Recipes
    • Easy Recipes
    • Vegan + GF Recipes
    • Pasta Recipes
    • Smoothie Recipes
    • Recipe Roundups

    More

    • About
    • The Frugal Vegan Cookbook
    • Vegan Starter Guide
    • Vegan Batch Cooking Guide
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    Copyright © 2025 Well Vegan · All Rights Reserved · Privacy Policy · Affiliate terms · Legal