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French Lentil Salad

A salad of cooked French green lentils with carrots, bell pepper, olives, parsley, garlic, walnuts, and balsamic vinaigrette.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 9 ingredients
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Why it works: Carrot and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,053 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

French Lentil Salad

Timeabout 20 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Cook the lentils

  1. Bring large pot of water and lentils to a boil.

  2. Cook lentils until just tender, about 20 minutes.

  3. Drain any excess water.

  4. Transfer lentils to large serving bowl.

Dress and serve

  1. Add carrots, bell pepper, olives, parsley and garlic, and stir well.

  2. Stir in balsamic vinegar and walnuts, and salt and pepper to taste.

  3. Drizzle oil over salad to taste.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

213Calories
2 gProtein
17 gFat
14 gCarbs

Counts 8 of 9 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 8 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Walnut1 walnut half (4g)26
Carrot1 medium (61g)25
Olive1 large (4g)4
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Green Lentilnot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Carrot + parsleytop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together8,053 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  2. Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together34,122 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  3. Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together25,665 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  4. Lentils + garlictop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together633 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  5. Parsley + garlictop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together9,308 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Dried french green lentils
Provide the bulk and firm, slightly earthy texture of the salad.
Balsamic vinegar
Adds acidity and sweetness that brighten the lentils and balance the olive oil.
Kalamata olives
Contribute salty, briny flavour and a savoury richness.
Toasted walnuts
Add crunch and a nutty, toasted aroma against the soft lentils.
Garlic
Adds pungent aroma that mellows as the salad rests.

The step that matters

Cook lentils until just tender. Lentils cooked too long turn mushy and lose their shape, while undercooked lentils stay tough. Stopping at just tender keeps them intact so they hold up when dressed.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (lentils, carrot, pepper, olive, parsley, garlic, vinegar):

  1. Cuminfits better
  2. Thymefits better
  3. Turmericfits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against lentils, carrot, pepper, olive, parsley, garlic, vinegar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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