I think you’ll love this fresh and healthy Tempeh Lentil Salad! This recipe is full of nourishing ingredients that support optimal digestion, plus it serves up 32 grams of protein. It’s perfect for Summer or anytime you’re looking for something you can serve warm or chilled!
If you’re a vegetarian, or simply want to incorporate more plants into your diet, lentils have incredible benefits for your health! They are an excellent source of protein and iron and are great for your digestive health since they’re high in fiber and also contain prebiotics, which help feed the good bacteria in your gut (1). They have also been shown to help decrease intestinal permeability which causes leaky gut (2).
Tempeh is a versatile food traditionally made from soybeans that also comes with many health benefits (3). It’s high in protein, prebiotics, and has been shown to help contribute to recovery from exercise (4). (If tempeh is not accessible or to your taste, you can always substitute chicken for an additional protein source in this recipe.)
A healthy and diverse gut microbiome helps support the balance of our hormones, a robust immune system and impacts how efficiently we absorb the nutrients in the food we eat. (Check out this podcast where I really dive into how gut health affects your entire body!)
Remember, what we eat plays a big role in how effective our workouts are. We need the building blocks from our protein, carbs and healthy fats to nourish and support us from the inside out.
This is a super easy meal to put together with lots of variations you can try depending on your preferences and what’s in season. Let me know how you like it!
Tempeh Lentil Salad
Yield: 4 servings
You will need: measuring cups and spoons, cutting board and knife, baking sheet, parchment paper (optional), medium sized mixing bowl
Key: T = Tablespoon; tsp = teaspoon 
Ingredients:
- 1 T olive oil
- 12 oz tempeh, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 1⁄4 tsp pepper
- 1 15-oz can lentils, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
- 1 medium red onion, diced
- 1 cup parsley, chopped (about one large bunch)
- 1 T lemon juice
- 1 cup plain, nonfat Greek yogurt*
*You can substitute for a similar dairy free product; the protein total may change.
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, toss cubed tempeh, olive oil, 1⁄2 tsp salt and black pepper.
- Evenly spread the cubed tempeh on the baking sheet. Bake for 30-35 minutes, flipping halfway.
- In a medium sized bowl, mix lentils, tomatoes, red onion, lemon juice and 1⁄2 tsp salt.
- Remove tempeh from the oven and once cool, add to the lentil mixture.
- Divide into 4 portions and serve topped with 1⁄4 cup Greek yogurt.
Nutrition Facts
I hope you enjoy this recipe! Let me know in the comments below if you make it and how it turns out.
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- Ganesan, Kumar, and Baojun Xu. “Polyphenol-Rich Lentils and Their Health Promoting Effects.” International journal of molecular sciences vol. 18,11 2390. 10 Nov. 2017, doi:10.3390/ijms18112390 Web. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5713359/
- Graf, Daniela et al. “Cooked Red Lentils Dose-Dependently Modulate the Colonic Microenvironment in Healthy C57Bl/6 Male Mice.” Nutrients vol. 11,8 1853. 9 Aug. 2019, doi:10.3390/nu11081853 Web. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6724071/
- Chatterjee, Cynthia et al. “Soybean Bioactive Peptides and Their Functional Properties.” Nutrients vol. 10,9 1211. 1 Sep. 2018, doi:10.3390/nu10091211 Web. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30200502/
- Subali, Dionysius et al. “Soy-Based Tempeh Rich in Paraprobiotics Properties as Functional Sports Food: More Than a Protein Source.” Nutrients vol. 15,11 2599. 1 Jun. 2023, doi:10.3390/nu15112599 Web. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37299562/
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