A delicious vegetarian take on a Nicoise salad. Crisp green beans, potatoes, lentils, eggs, and crunchy radishes are drizzled with a fresh lemon dill dressing. This hearty, fresh and flavorful salad works for both dinner and meal-prepped lunches. Can be easily made vegan.
Cook lentils: Add lentils to a medium saucepan and cover with 3-inches (7 cm) water. Cover with lid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until lentils are tender (not mushy), about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Cook potatoes: Meanwhile, add potatoes to a large pot of salted water. Cover with a lid, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil potatoes until fork-tender (10 to 15 minutes). Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice and cold water to make an ice bath. Scoop out potatoes and transfer to ice bath.
Blanch green beans: Bring the pot of water back up to a boil. Add green beans, cook until bright green and tender (but still crisp), about 2 minutes. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer green beans to the ice bath. (Keep the water in the pot). Once the potatoes and green beans are no longer hot, remove from ice bath and let drain in a colander over the sink.
Cook eggs: Gently lower eggs into the large pot of boiling water. Cook for 8 minutes. (If the ice in ice bath has melted, top up with more ice). Transfer eggs to ice bath. When cool enough to handle, peel eggs and cut into quarters.
Make dressing: Meanwhile, add lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, grapeseed oil, shallots, capers, dill, grainy mustard, dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper) to a jar. Give the jar a good shake to mix. (Alternatively whisk dressing in a small bowl).
Assemble: In a large bowl, toss green beans with 2 tablespoons of the dressing. Transfer green beans to a large serving platter. Add lentils to the bowl, gently mix with ¼ cup of the dressing, then transfer to platter. Add potatoes to the bowl, toss with 2 tablespoons of the dressing, then transfer to platter. Arrange eggs, radishes, and olives on top. Drizzle with remaining dressing and garnish with more dill.
Notes
Oil: Since olive oil tends to solidify in the fridge, we use a mix of olive oil and grapeseed oil to keep the dressing loose when its cold. If you don't plan to have leftovers, you can replace the grapeseed oil with more olive oil.
Vegan option: Omit eggs (you can add more lentils or chickpeas if you'd like). Use maple syrup instead of honey.