If you’re ready for warm weather and energizing green salads, raise your hand! I apologize if I jumped the ball here by talking about spring and summer vegetables, but I was powerless to resist. Here in Kansas City, it feels like spring today, so I’m eating Greek salad to celebrate.
This Greek salad is chopped and is crisp, fresh, and bursting with strong Greek flavors. In my bowl, you’ll find romaine lettuce, Kalamata olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, and feta cheese. Since cherry tomatoes are excellent all year round, that is what I chose.
You get a huge, delicious Greek salad when you combine it with crisp lettuce and a straightforward homemade Greek vinaigrette.
The following is how I make the finest Greek salad: The ingredients are finely chopped. In this manner, each bite is filled to the brim with fresh taste.
Greens are frequently absent from traditional Greek salads. In American restaurants, sad iceberg lettuce is frequently included in Greek salads, which can be awkward and distracting. My favorite of them all is this chopped variation with fresh romaine!
I used my partner OXO’s useful kitchen tools to make this salad, including their chopping board (which I adore for its grooved edges to capture liquid and the anti-slip edges), large, robust 4.5-quart glass bowl, and salad spinner (which I routinely refer to friends).
This salad is part of my ongoing “huge salad challenge,” in which I prepare a large salad at the start of the week and preserve the dressing in a separate container so I can eat fresh salad throughout the whole week.
When I have a delicious, crisp salad in the fridge that is ready to eat, I tend to choose salad over tortilla chips. I do, really.
Notes on a Greek salad recipe
Any Mediterranean dish that calls for a light side salad can be paired with this Greek salad. Additionally, it would be delicious with lentil soup, pita sandwiches, and vegetable pizza.
You can add cooked beans or lentils or top it with crunchy baked falafel for more protein. For lunch, this salad travels wonderfully. Just keep the dressing in a separate container until it’s time to serve.
Also read: Masala Lentil Salad with Cumin Roasted Carrots
INGREDIENTS
Greek Salad
- 10 ounces chopped romaine lettuce* (about 2 medium or 3 small heads, chopped)
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 medium cucumber (about 8 ounces), seeded and chopped
- 1 yellow or orange bell pepper
- ½ medium red onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ½ cup pitted and halved Kalamata olives
- 6 ounces feta cheese, sliced into ¼” cubes (about 1 ¼ cups)
Greek vinaigrette
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 medium cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt, more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Pinch of red pepper flakes, for heat (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large serving bowl, combine the chopped lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, onion, parsley, olives and feta. Toss the ingredients together and set aside.
- To prepare the vinaigrette, combine all of the ingredients in a liquid measuring cup and whisk until blended. Taste, and add more vinegar if you’d like a more tangy dressing, or more honey for a more tame dressing.
- If you’ll be serving all of the salad at once, go ahead and drizzle enough dressing in to lightly coat the salad and toss to combine. I prefer to store the salad and dressing separately so I can enjoy salad for a few days. Whisk the dressing again before drizzling (if the olive oil solidifies a bit in the refrigerator, don’t worry, that’s normal—just let it warm up for about 5 minutes at room temperature or microwave for 10 to 20 seconds).
NOTES
*ROMAINE NOTE: If you want to make this salad in a hurry, just buy two bags (5 ounces each) of chopped romaine, and chop it into even smaller, bite-sized pieces.
MAKE IT DAIRY FREE: Omit the feta cheese! To make up for feta’s salty punch, you might want to add some extra olives or some sliced pepperoncini peppers.
MAKE IT VEGAN: Omit the feta (see notes above). To make the dressing vegan, use maple syrup instead of honey (or skip the sweetener altogether).
CHANGE IT UP: To make this salad more of a complete meal, add chickpeas (1 can, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas).