Baking your own wedding cake might seem bold — cooking the entire meal is bolder. When Anguel and I first planned our wedding we decided to cater everything ourselves. We were told it was a crazy idea. It was ambitious, but we did it.
Once we committed to catering, we chose a fully vegetarian menu. Only two guests on the list were already vegetarian, so we needed dishes that would satisfy everyone and that could be prepped ahead. Early on we tested a version of a classic Nicoise salad and adjusted it over many trials. We added French lentils for extra substance, altered the ratios (more potatoes, fewer beans), refined the dressing, and simplified the cooking steps. The recipe below is the version that stuck.
This salad is visually striking and perfect for serving a group. Bright colors, varied textures and bold flavors make it feel like a main course rather than a side: lemon, dill and capers brighten the dressing, while potatoes, green beans, olives, lentils and eggs create satisfying contrast. Guests can build plates to their tastes — load up on green beans, skip the olives, or pile on potatoes. Leftovers keep well, making this a great choice for meal prep or packed lunches.
There are several components, but the process is straightforward. While lentils simmer, use a second pot of salted boiling water to cook potatoes, green beans and eggs in batches. An ice bath (a bowl of ice and cold water) helps stop the cooking quickly and keeps the beans bright. If you skip the full ice bath, rinse the vegetables under cold water and avoid overcooking. The dressing comes together in seconds — add the ingredients to a jar and shake, or whisk them in a bowl.
To save time on the day you serve the salad, prepare components in advance: cook the lentils, potatoes, beans and eggs, then chill. On assembly day toss each element with a bit of dressing, arrange on a platter and finish with the remaining dressing and fresh dill.
Eggs add heft and a pleasing texture, but to make the salad vegan omit the eggs and replace the honey in the dressing with maple syrup or another plant-based sweetener. The olive oil and grapeseed oil combination keeps the dressing fluid when chilled, but if you don’t plan to store leftovers you can use only olive oil.
📖 Recipe
Vegetarian Lentil Nicoise Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- ¾ cup dried French lentils (rinsed)
- 1 lb baby potatoes
- 1 lb green beans (trimmed)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup radishes, quartered
- ¼ cup Kalamata or Nicoise olives
Dressing
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
- 2 tablespoons minced shallots
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 2 teaspoons grainy mustard
- 1½ teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey (or maple syrup for vegan)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
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Cook lentils: Place lentils in a medium saucepan and cover with 3 inches (7 cm) of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
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Cook potatoes: In a large pot of salted water, boil potatoes until fork-tender, 10–15 minutes. Prepare an ice bath (large bowl with ice and cold water). Remove potatoes to the ice bath to cool.
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Blanch green beans: Return the pot of water to a boil, add green beans and cook until bright green and tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer beans to the ice bath to stop cooking. Drain potatoes and beans once cool.
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Cook eggs: Gently lower eggs into the boiling pot and cook for 8 minutes. Transfer to the ice bath, peel when cool and quarter.
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Make dressing: Combine lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, grapeseed oil, shallots, capers, dill, grainy mustard, Dijon, honey (or maple), salt and pepper in a jar and shake, or whisk in a bowl, until emulsified.
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Assemble: Toss green beans with 2 tablespoons dressing and arrange on a large platter. Mix lentils with about ¼ cup dressing and add to the platter. Toss potatoes with 2 tablespoons dressing and add. Top with eggs, radishes and olives. Drizzle with remaining dressing and garnish with extra dill.
Notes
- Oil: Olive oil can solidify in the fridge; mixing in grapeseed oil keeps the dressing pourable. If you won’t store leftovers, use only olive oil if you prefer.
- Vegan option: Omit eggs and swap honey for maple syrup. Add extra lentils or chickpeas for more protein.
- Recipe adapted from a classic green bean Nicoise salad.