Lentil Salad with Red Pepper Hummus Dressing

I was poking through my pantry recently, and I found I have a lot of lentils ... 3 bags of lentils - brown, yellow and red.  And it seemed to me that if I have this many lentils at my disposal, perhaps I should actually make something with them!

And so, on one of our recent warm, sunny, Spring-y days, I made a light and nutritious salad rather than a warm and hearty soup which might have been the option had I cleaned out the pantry only a few days earlier when the high was 40F rather than 70F.

This salad offers gorgeous colors, vibrant flavors, and tremendous health benefits.  Serve it on its own for a light meal, or as an accompaniment to meats or fish.

How great is it when one simple recipe provides so much?

Lentil Salad with Red Pepper Hummus Dressing

1 cup brown lentils
1/2 small red onion, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/2 small cucumber, seeded, chopped
1/2 small orange pepper, chopped
1/2 small yellow pepper, chopped
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons red pepper hummus
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
generous pinches of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place lentils into a medium saucepan and cover generously with water.  Bring to a boil, then turn heat to "low" and cook for 25-30 minutes until lentils are tender; drain, rinse under cold water, and place into a medium bowl.

Add onion, tomato, cucumber, peppers, and feta to the lentils.  Combine the hummus, oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper; pour over the salad and stir to combine.

Serves 6-8 as a side dish.