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Nugget Market’s Herbed Fennel French Lentil Salad


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Photo credit: Nugget Markets

Nugget Markets, founded in Woodland, California in 1926, is one of our favorite grocery store chains around. They focus on high quality products, including a great selection of Rancho Gordo heirloom beans. They shared this French-style lentil salad recipe from their deli department, packed with fresh produce and finished with a fennel-herb dressing. 

French Lentil Salad:

  • 12 cloves garlic
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 heads fennel
  • ½ cup yellow onion, small diced
  • 1 cup uncooked French lentils, such as Rancho Gordo French-Style Green Lentils, checked for stones and rinsed
  • 2 yellow squash, small diced
  • 2 zucchini, small diced
  • 1 bunch baby carrots, peeled and oblique cut
  • 5 ounces arugula
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Fennel Herb Dressing:

  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 2 tablespoons fennel seeds, toasted and coarse ground
  • 1 bunch parsley
  • 1 sprig rosemary, picked
  • 2 tablespoons thyme, picked
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced
  • ½ cup sunflower oil
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Makes 4 to 6 servings

  1. For the lentil salad, slice 10 cloves of garlic very thin and place in a small sauce pot with extra virgin olive oil. Stir gently and heat on medium-low until garlic is golden brown and stops bubbling. Remove garlic chips from oil and drain on a towel; reserve the oil.
  2. Mince remaining 2 cloves of garlic. Fine dice ½ cup fennel and medium dice the rest. Heat 1 tablespoon of garlic oil in an 8-quart sauce pot on medium heat. Sauté the fine-diced fennel with the onion and minced garlic until they begin to caramelize. Add the lentils and cover with water by 1 inch. Bring to a simmer and cook gently until the lentils are tender and still hold their shape. Drain any excess water then chill the lentils.
  3. In a large sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of garlic oil on high. Add the squash and zucchini in a single layer and quickly sauté to brown. Remove to a tray to chill. In the same sauté pan, add the remaining garlic oil and the carrots and medium-diced fennel. Cook on medium until the fennel and carrots are tender and lightly caramelized; set aside to chill with the zucchini.
  4. For the dressing, combine all ingredients in a blender and puree for 10–15 seconds until combined. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. In a work bowl, mix the cooked vegetables with the lentils, arugula and garlic chips. Dress with the fennel herb dressing to taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

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