Jennifer Aniston-Inspired Spring Lentil Tabbouleh Salad Recipe

If you're not an avid social media user, you may have missed the buzz about the viral Jenifer Aniston salad, but it's rumored that this salad is something that she ate every day while on the set of "Friends." As it turns out, these rumors may be greatly exaggerated since Aniston's daily salad, by her own account, consisted of iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, chickpeas, salami, turkey bacon, and chicken. The internet-trendy version, however, omits the meat and lettuce and includes bulgur wheat, pistachios, cucumbers, onions, parsley, mint, and a lemon juice-olive oil dressing. 

While developer Deniz Vergara retains the tomatoes from the original salad and a few other ingredients from the social media-famous one, she puts her own spin on it by leaving out the chickpeas, wheat, and nuts and using lentils instead. She calls the results "vibrant, ... healthy, [and] grain-free" and says the salad is great for picnics and potlucks. On its own, it works as either a side dish or a light vegetarian entree, but Vergara notes that you can always add some protein, such as chicken, fish, or even salami and bacon, if you'd like to turn it into an even heartier meal.

The base of this salad is green lentils mixed with chopped onion and cucumber. It's flavored with parsley, scallions, and mint and garnished with Kalamata olives, while the dressing is made from lemon juice, olive oil, and salt.

In a large saucepan, combine the lentils, ½ teaspoon salt, and water.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Turn the heat to low and cook for 15–20 minutes, or until the lentils are soft but still slightly firm. Do not overcook the lentils or they will become mushy.

While the lentils are cooking, whisk together the lemon juice, ½ teaspoon salt, and olive oil in a large bowl.

Mix the red onion, diced cucumber, parsley, scallions, and mint into the dressing.

Once the lentils are cooked, drain off any excess water.

Add the lentils to the large bowl and toss until fully combined.

Top with olives and, if desired, crumbled feta cheese to serve.

Vergara likes to use green lentils to make her salads because this variety "hold[s] their shape the best and do[es]n't get mushy." She feels that brown lentils would be an acceptable substitute, while black lentils can also work quite well, but Vergara cautions against overcooking them as they might become too soft if you do. You might want to steer clear of quick-cooking red lentils as this softer variety may be better used in soups and dals, but they'll do in a pinch as long as you reduce the cooking time to just 5 minutes.

One shortcut that can reduce the time required to make this salad is to substitute canned lentils for the dried ones Vergara uses. Canned lentils, like canned beans, can be just as delicious as the cooked-from-dried kind and are a lot less work (if slightly more expensive). If you do use the canned kind, there's no need to heat them, but be sure to drain the lentils before adding them to the rest of the salad ingredients.

If you plan on serving this lentil-tabbouleh salad as a side dish, it would suit a light, summery entree such as grilled chicken or fish. If you'd like to keep your meal meat-free, you can pair the salad with tofu or another variety of meat substitute, such as seitan or an Impossible burger. In keeping with the Middle Eastern flavor profile, this salad would also work well with falafel, shawarma, or kebabs, or you could pay homage to Aniston's chickpeas by serving it with hummus and pita triangles.

Vergara feels that this versatile salad could work as a stand-alone meal if paired with a side of bread. She also suggests serving it in tandem with a lettuce-based salad. It could also be teamed up with other types of salads, such as corn-based elote, tomato-based Caprese, or even a bulgur-based tabbouleh. A cold buffet with several of these salads would make for a perfect summertime spread.