Fattoush Salad with Lentils, Easy and High Protein

Who doesn't love a fattoush salad?! Crispy baked pita chips, fresh crunchy vegetables mixed with bright herbs, a lemony sumac pomegranate dressing over fresh greens. The ingredients for this fattoush salad recipe are simple, yet so flavourful and fresh. Personally, I adore the flavours of a fattoush salad.

You can find a version of the fattoush salad all throughout the Middle East, however often in Lebanese restaurants. It's bright, delicious and perfectly paired with lentils for a high protein meal.

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Why You'll Love This Fattoush Salad

• It's incredibly bright and fresh! With fresh herbs like mint mixed through out the fattoush salad leaving you feeling light and refreshed, while also satisfied. 
• Although the lentils aren't a traditional add-in, with the addition of lentils to the fattoush salad you can enjoy this hearty dish as a meal.
• A perfect way to use up old bread or dried out pitas!
• Fattoush salad is naturally plant-based and easy to make gluten free. 
• Filled with fibre, healthy fats from olive oil, and protein from lentils, and as a result this fattoush salad will keep you feeling full!

What You'll Need To Make The Fattoush Salad

• Cooked lentils. You can use pre-cooked canned or jarred lentils to make this incredibly quick and easy. While the lentils aren't traditionally on a fattoush salad, they add a great boost of protein!
• Whole wheat pitas. While I prefer pitas, you can actually use any stale bread you might have on hand. A great way to use stale bread!
• Fresh vegetables. For fattoush salad I like Persian cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, mint leaves, radishes and green onions, but this salad can also be a great way to use up produce you already have!
• Pomegranate molasses. You can find this in Middle Eastern grocery stores. However if you can't find it, or don't want to purchase it, you can substitute maple syrup for the fattoush salad dressing. 
• Sumac powder/spice. This is a zesty lemony flavoured spice you can also find in Middle Eastern grocery stores. However if you don't have it you can use smoked paprika for a different, but beautiful flavour. The sumac is used in the fattoush salad dressing. 
• Lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. The classic fattoush salad dressing recipe
  

Substitutions:

• When it comes to a protein for the fattoush salad you can substitute the lentils or another preferred protein option. While a Middle Eastern protein side might be beef, chicken or lamb kebabs, to keep it vegan you could use meatless beef grounds or a nicely seasoned and baked tofu slice.
• For pita you can substitute gluten free pita if needed, or any preferred bread. 
• In place of pomegranate molasses for the fattoush salad dressing you can use maple syrup, but keep in mind it's much lighter in colour, texture, and flavour so it will be different from a traditional fattoush salad dressing, but still tasty!
• Instead of sumac spice you could also add some smoked paprika for the nice red tint to the dressing. 
• However when building your fattoush salad you can use any fresh veggies you have on hand!

Other Salad Recipe To Try Next

Balsamic Vegan Bacon Salad

The Best Vegan Caesar Salad

 

Please note: all calories and macros have been calculated to the best of my ability but may vary slightly. 

 

Lentil Fattoush Salad

Recipe makes 4 servings

Macros per serving:

528 cals - 16g fat - 72g carbs - 24g protein

 

Ingredients:

• 4 cups cooked, lentils
• 4 persian cucumbers
• 1 large tomato
• 4 radish
• 1 small bunch green onions
• 1 small package mint (20g)
• 4 cups lettuce (small container - 140g)
• 4 whole wheat pitas
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Fattoush Salad Dressing Recipe:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses OR maple syrup (see note)
• 1 tbsp sumac spice (see note)
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper

 

Instructions:

1. If cooking your lentils from scratch - cook them first. Pro-tip I learned not to long ago when it comes to cooking lentils from scratch: Don’t measure the lentils to water like you do rice. Simply fill a pot with water, add lentils, and boil until tender and cooked through. Usually 24-28 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

3 Slice your pitas into 8 triangles each.

4. Season sliced pitas with 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder, and ½ tsp salt.

5. Spread seasoned pita triangles across a baking tray and bake for 12 minutes. Flip and bake another 5-8 minutes or until browned and crispy on both sides. Set aside to cool.

6. Wash and prepare all the veggies: slice the cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes (if using), green onions, and mint.

7. Add all the prepared veggies to a bowl.

8. Add cooked and cooled lentils to the veggie bowl and mix everything together well.

9. Make the dressing by adding all the salad dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and whisking to combine.

 

FOR MEAL PREP if you don’t have a way to keep the dressing separate:

10. Divide the dressing across the bottom of 4 meal prep containers.

11. Top each with ¼ of the lentil and vegetable mix.

12. Then add the salad greens last.

13. Keep the crispy pita croutons on the side until ready to eat. When ready to eat, break the crountons slightly over the salad and enjoy!

 

14. IF you have all the containers or you work from home - keep the dressing separate until ready to eat.

These are my favourite glass meal prep containers.

 

This "Lentil Fattoush Salad" and "Fattoush Salad Dressing Recipe" comes from my weekly high protein vegan meal planner! Subscribers get 6 new high protein plant-based meal prep recipes sent to their e-mail every Friday morning. Want to join the club? Check it out here!

Leave a comment below if you made this recipe!