Quinoa, Bean + Lentil Salad

Are you in the habit of brown-bagging (or rather, eco-friendly-, reusable-, insulated-bagging) your lunch yet? Bringing your own homemade lunches to work is a fantastic way to stay healthy and save money, and if you bring leftovers from dinner, it doesn’t have to take more than a few minutes of your time each night.

Of course, it’s not always fun to eat the same thing you had for last night’s dinner day after day. That’s where re-purposing comes in, and where this particular salad really shines.

There’s something exceptionally satisfying about transforming a bunch of random leftovers in your fridge into a complete and delicious meal. By tossing together some leftover quinoa, beans, veggies and seasonings, you’ll have a delicious one-dish meal ready to go in no time. Feel free to change up the ingredients here based on what you’ve got in your fridge — swap the quinoa for brown rice, the black beans and green lentils for whatever legumes you have on hand, and toss in extra veggies. Make it your own!

Quinoa, Bean + Lentil Salad

Category: Breads + Baked GoodsBreakfastDips + SaucesDips and SaucesKitchen TricksSaladSide DishesSnacks
Ingredients:

2 cups fresh green beans, steamed lightly and sliced into 1-inch pieces

1 BPA-free can black beans, drained and rinsed (or 2 cups leftover cooked black beans)

1 BPA-free can green lentils, drained and rinsed (or 2 cups leftover cooked green lentils)

2 cups leftover cooked quinoa

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tomatoes, chopped and de-seeded

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp dried parsley

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

3 tbsp lemon juice

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. This salad tastes even better the next day.

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