Awhile ago I was contacted by Melissa’s Produce asking if I would be interested in trying out some of their new products, and of course I said yes! As much as I love cooking a meal completely from scratch, sometimes I just don’t have the time and I was so excited to get these steamed and packaged foods in the mail!
Not only are they steamed, packaged, and ready to go, they are also all GMO free which is a huge plus! And if you look closely you can see that the garbanzo beans are PEELED!! I’ve talked a little bit in the past about my experiences with peeling garbanzo beans and they are no fun! Pretty much one of my least favorite things to do. I have another very special recipe planned for those garbanzo beans so stay tuned 🙂
We eat a lot of potatoes in this house and I usually spend at least half an hour either roasting them or boiling them before adding them to a dish. I also cook with lentils quite a bit which take about 30-40 minutes to soften when boiled. As I said before, I really do love cooking everything from scratch, but this salad that normally would have taken about 45 minutes to throw together only took 15 and it was so good!
It is one of those salad recipes that is so good to bring for lunches throughout the week because it just gets better and better the longer it sits in the lemon dijon dressing. Salads aren’t usually the first thing you think of this time of year, but this salad will leave you warm and satisfied even if your house is covered with snow drifts right now! I honestly can’t believe some of the photos I have been seeing from the East coast! I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much snow in my life. I hope all my East coast friends and readers are staying warm out there!! If not, it was 70 degrees today and we have an extra room! Although you might have to share it with a certain orange cat. I would say he doesn’t bite but that would be a lie 🙂
PrintWarm Lentil, Kale & Potato Salad with Lemon Dijon Dressing
Yield: 2-3
Category: Entree, Salad, Gluten Free, Vegan
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeIngredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 17.6 ounce package of steamed & peeled potatoes or about 15 baby potatoes*
- 1 1/2 cup steamed lentils
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 bunch lacinato kale, 3-4 cups chopped
- 1 handful dried cranberries, about 1/4 cup
- 1/4 cup toasted pecans or walnuts
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
Lemon Dijon Dressing:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon maple syrup, or honey
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large pan over medium heat and add olive oil. Cut potatoes into quarters and add to the pan. Season with salt and pepper and cook until crispy and browned, about 12 minutes. Add garlic, thyme and lentils and stir for 2 minutes. Then add the kale, cover and cook for another 2-3 minutes until kale is starting to soften and wilt. Transfer to a large bowl and add dried cranberries and toasted nuts.
- Make the dressing by adding all dressing ingredients into a small bowl and whisking until combined. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat.
Notes
*If you are not using pre-packaged steamed and peeled potatoes, peel baby potatoes, cover with cold, salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for about 20 minutes until they are fork tender but not too soft. Drain, pat dry, and then cut into fourths and follow above directions.
That’s so fun that you got to try those products! They all sound delicious. And what a refreshing salad, Izzy! I love the combination of potatoes and kale. And that lemon dijon dressing sounds delicious! Sounds like the perfect lunch to me!
I’m thinking I need to go out and buy more now because they really are so handy! As much as I love to cook, sometimes I just want to warm something up quickly and eat it! The lemon dijon dressing goes so well on pretty much everything 🙂
Peeled garbanzo beans?? How awesome! I totally agree, this is exactly the kind of meal I love to bring for lunch leftovers. That dressing sounds amazing!
I know, right?! I loath peeling them myself, but I love the texture of peeled garbanzo beans. I’m pretty excited to use them!
This salad is genius! I love every single ingredient here! I eat a lots of kale salads, but I’ve never tried a warm one but now I will! 🙂
I love this salad so much too, Evi!! I could eat it everyday! I love kale when it is a little bit warm so it softens a bit but not completely wilted. It tastes so good!
I am going to have to keep my eye out for those Melissa Produce items. Pre peeled and steamed potatoes would make dinner a flash. And I love that their garbanzo beans are pre-peeled! Peeled garbanzo beans make the best hummus. This salad looks delicious!
the potatoes are so awesome!! I’ve been using them for breakfast a lot lately and they are so quick and easy to brown up when they are already cooked! And I can’t wait to make some hummus with those chickpeas 🙂
Ooooh – that looks tasty! And the pre-peeled garbanzos make it extra special!
The pre-peeled garbanzo beans are pretty much the best things ever!!
What a beautiful salad! I love the tangy lemon dressing you paired with this salad, just delicious! 🙂
Thanks Annie!! I could almost drink the dressing by itself 🙂
What a beautiful salad! I love how fresh this looks, I could go for one of these right now with all of this snow outside.
Thanks Danielle! I just talked to my parents in Eureka Springs today and they said they got a bunch of snow yesterday! I hope you are staying warm!
Oooo this sounds so good! I love warm lentil salads like this … and with that dressing!!! So completely right up my alley!
Mine too, Ashley! The dressing goes well on pretty much everything!!
What a great combination of flavors, Izzy. Love the potatoes with lentils and kale – and a lemony dressing too! Look forward to trying this salad and Melissa’s Produce. Yes to peeled chickpeas!
Thank you Geraldine! The lemony dressing might be the best part! I’ve been putting a similar dressing on pretty much everything these days 🙂 Peeled chickpeas are my new best friends!
This salad is beautiful, Izzy! I love warm kale salad during the winter months and the lentils, potatoes and cranberries sound perfect with the lemon dressing!
Thank you so much, Kelly! Me too! I might even like warm salads more than cold salads, especially when they have potatoes in them 🙂
What a beautiful salad. I am loving kale at the moment, so this is my ideal salad.
Thank you, Dannii!! I’m loving kale too and even though it is still technically winter, I’m still loving salads 🙂
I need more recipes like this! Looks so delicious and super healthy! I always have lentils on hand, but I never know how I should use them.
Hi Brittaney! Lentils are so great because you can use them in so many things like soups and salads!
We have very similar taste when it comes to salads, this one is just perfect! Love the dressing, too! Lovely pictures! Must try Melissa’s produce 🙂
★★★★★
Thanks Mira! It is one of my favorites so far!
This looks like such a wonderful and comforting lunch!! That line of products looks wonderful! I love that they are GMO free and ready to go 🙂 Wishing I had that delicious lentil salad right now 🙂 Pinned!
Thank you, Ceara!! As much as I love to cook, sometimes it is so nice to just have things cooked and ready to go! I’ve really been loving them! Thanks for pinning 🙂
I love Melissa’s Produce, I buy their stuff all the time. Sometimes, I just need my produce cleaned and ready to go or I won’t be able to cook at all (with 2 kids and myself with the stomach flu for the past 2 weeks, things have not been fun, need those shortcuts, ya know!!) I can’t wait till my appetite comes back because I love a good potato salad!!!! The lemons make it so pretty too =)
That is awesome Laura! I love them too! I was so tired the other night and all I had to do was open the lentil package and add a few things and dinner was ready so quickly! I hope you are fully recovered from the stomach flu by now, that sounds like no fun!
What a refreshing salad! I love that you used Melissa’s produce to create a flavorful, fresh and delicious salad. I wish I had this for lunch today.
Thanks Ashley! I brought it for lunch all week and it was so good 🙂
This salad looks so nutrient packed and delicious!! Seriously, it looks like something you’d find in the hot bar at whole foods. SO YUMMY!! <3
Thank you so much, Jess!! It is one of my favorite salads I’ve made so far 🙂
This is my kind of salad, Izzy! It’s so full of ingredients I love in one big bowl, and Melissa’s products sound great! Pinned. 🙂
My kind of salad too, Marcie! I just realized that this is my third kale salad with potatoes, but the combo is just so good! Thanks for pinning 🙂
This recipe is so so so good!!!! I doubled the ingredients so that I can eat it all week.
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Denise!! It is one of my favorite salads too! 🙂
How much thyme goes in? I see it in the instructions but not the ingredients list.
Oh no, sorry about that! 1 teaspoon should be good! I’ve now added it to the recipe 🙂
Fabulous! This is one great tasting recipe. Delicious and easy to make–who could ask for more! I cooked my potatoes in the pressure cooker than browned in the pan and they came out moist and tasty with a crisp crust. My husband doesn’t like kale so I chopped the kale extremely fine and he actually ate it. I certainly do enjoy your blog. Good job!!
★★★★★
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Theresa! I’m also really impressed you got your husband to eat kale!! 🙂
Hi! Would you have the serving portion (in cups) with the amount of calories including the dressing? Thanks!
Hi Emily, I don’t currently have that information but I can try to get it posted soon!
Do we have to peel the baby potatoes? Mine are really tiny red potatoes?
Unpeeled will work just fine!
What kind of lentils did you use? Thank you!
I actually used pre-cooked brown lentils but you could really use any kind of lentils you like!