Salads with green lentils are both filling and delicious! We added feta, cherry tomatoes and some crispy lamb to ours and finished it with a generous drizzle of harissa dressing. So if you are looking for leftover lamb recipes, look no further! This recipe is by far our favourite way to use any leftover lamb after a Sunday Roast or leftover lamb shashlik cooked in one of our summer BBQs! Read on to learn how we make our warm Green Lentil, Crispy Lamb and Feta Salad!
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What Makes a Salad That You Want to Eat?
The one thing today that I've been looking forward to is making one of my favourite lamb salads for lunch. We had some lamb shashlik leftover. Truth be told I had to deprive Seb of his last lamb skewer, just so I can make this salad today. I am sure he will forgive me as soon as he sees what's on the menu for lunch. It is one of his favourites - a salad that's filling, nutritious and delicious, with a naughty twist of crispy lamb!
Salads that are healthy and 'good-for-you' are great. But when they have that little something extra that is just a bit more decadent, just a tiny bit naughty, a little oomph, a little fried crunch, just a little bit of something 'forbidden', the salad tastes so much better. I love vegetables, the freshness of the salad, the grains, the legumes, you name it. We love it all here at Somebody Feed Seb. But if there's one thing that I've learned about myself and my eating habits, it's that I will have a hugely unhealthy dessert if you don't put something extra special in my otherwise healthy salad!
This time, our baby leaf, protein-rich lentil, red onion and cherry tomato salad is topped with feta and crispy lamb, all drizzled with spicy harissa vinaigrette! It is delicious and so very satisfying to eat!
Frequently Asked Questions
Almost any cooked lamb will do just fine. If you have some slow-cooked shoulder or neck, shred it to pieces using two forks. If you have some lamb roast or chops leftover, simply cut them into thin pieces. Even lamb mince can be used (but cook it only for a minute or so). The important thing to make your lamb crispy is to cover it with cornflour and add it to hot oil.
We love lemon and garlic dressing with this salad too. Simply mix the following ingredients in a small bowl:
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 lemon, zest and juice
1½ tsp runny honey
3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.
If you fancy something creamier, try our Maple Tahini Dressing instead!
We think leftover lamb is the best meat to use in this lentil and feta salad, however, we have tested it with some leftover beef brisket, as well as a cook chicken thigh and it worked well too! Shred whatever leftover meat you have and make it crispy in a pan!
How to Make Leftover Lamb, Feta & Lentil Salad?
Rinse and cook green lentils following packet instructions. It normally takes about 30-35 minutes.
In the meantime, thinly slice the red onion and halve cherry tomatoes.
Heat 3 tablespoon of odourless oil (like sunflower or vegetable) in a frying pan. When hot, tip the lamb in and fry for 3-4 minutes or until crispy. Using a slotted spoon, take the lamb out onto a paper towel-lined plate to absorb any excess oil. Sprinkle the lamb with some salt.
To make the dressing, mix the olive oil, harissa and juice of a lemon. Season with salt and pepper.
When the lentils are cooked, drain them and tip them back into the bowl. Mix in half of the harissa dressing. Add cherry tomatoes and red onion and a pinch of salt. Mix well.
Divide the baby leaves between two bowls. Top with the lentil mixture. Crumble feta all over and top with crispy lamb. Drizzle the lamb salad with the rest of the harissa dressing and serve whilst it is still warm!
Related Salad Recipes
For other delicious salads and bowls, we have some inspiration below:
- Mandarin & Halloumi Couscous Bowl
- Spicy Paneer Salad
- Warm Moroccan Aubergine Salad With Feta
- Grilled Chicken & Peach Salad
Leftover Lamb Salad with Harissa Dressing
Ingredients
- 150 g cooked lamb leftover from roast dinner, lamb chops or shashlik
- 1 tablespoon cornflour
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 100 g green lentils
- 140 g baby salad leaves
- 8 cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- 50 g feta crumbled
For Harissa Dressing:
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon harissa
- 1 lemon juice only
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Rinse and cook green lentils following packet instructions. It normally takes about 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, shred your cooked lamb into small pieces, or simply cut it into small bits depending on the type of lamb that you have leftover. Place the lamb in a bowl, add a tablespoon of cornflour and mix well to cover.
- Heat 3 tablespoon of odourless oil in a frying pan. When hot, tip the lamb in and fry for 3-4 minutes or until crispy. Using a slotted spoon, take the lamb out onto a paper towel-lined plate to absorb any excess oil. Sprinkle the lamb with some salt.
- To make the dressing, mix the olive oil, harissa and juice of lemon. Season with salt and pepper.
- When the lentils are cooked, drain them and tip them back into the bowl. Mix half of the harissa dressing. Add cherry tomatoes and red onion and a pinch of salt. Mix well.
- Divide the baby leaves between two bowls. Top with the lentil mixture. Crumble feta all over and top with crispy lamb. Drizzle the rest of harissa dressing on top and serve!
Nutrition
Michelle says
I love this way to use up leftover lamb. And the harissa dressing is amazing!
Ieva says
Thanks, Michelle! We love the harissa dressing with lamb too! 🙂
Tayler says
We had this salad for dinner last night and my whole family enjoyed it! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Ieva says
Thanks, Tayler! Great to hear 😀
Cat says
Just had this for lunch - absolutely DELICIOUS!! And flavours all perfectly balanced - thank you so much! 🙏🏻😊
Ieva says
Thank you for taking the time to leave this lovely feedback 🙂 Glad you liked it!
Gina says
Really delicious way to use up lamb leftovers. I foresee a bunch of these salads after our Easter dinner in a few weeks!
Ieva says
Yes! We have the same idea - definitely using any lamb leftovers in this salad! 🙂