It’s all Greek Salad to me, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the translation! Crunchy, chunky, vibrant veggies and creamy feta come to life in a light, herby Mediterranean dressing.
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Why You’ll Love This Greek Salad Recipe With Lettuce
- Greek Salad: Now Featuring Lettuce! Traditional Greek salad consists of raw veggies like juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumber, bell pepper, and red onions tossed in an herby vinaigrette with feta cheese and olives. Lettuce is not part of the equation, but I like my Greek salad with lettuce. There I said it.
- Make It a Side or a Meal. Proteins like chicken and chickpeas are popular additions (just like in Mediterranean Chickpea Salad) if you want to make a meal out of your salad, or serve it up as a side dish with Slow Cooker Greek Chicken or Greek Crock Pot Sloppy Joes.
- Authentic Flavor. Greek salad, or Horiatiki, is actually a common dish in Greek cuisine. While this specific recipe is my inauthentic version (ahem: lettuce), the flavors here are true to the original.
5 Star Review
“I ALSO like romaine in my Greek salads, so this was a winner for me! My husband also loved it, regarding it as ‘Wow. This is just SO FRESH!’ Win-win in our household.”
— Victoria —
How to Make Greek Salad
The Ingredients
- Romaine. Lettuce helps make the salad a little more satisfying, adds crunch, and gives the dressing something to cling to. You can certainly make the salad without it for a more traditional recipe!
- Red Onion. Soak it in water first to take away a little of the harshness.
- Cucumber. Refreshing, crunchy, and hydrating.
- Tomatoes. Cherry or grape tomatoes add little bursts of sweetness.
- Green Bell Pepper. Another fresh, crunchy element.
- Kalamata Olives. A huge flavor component in Greek salad. Kalamata olives are deliciously salty and richly flavored.
- Capers. Another non-traditional addition that I love. Capers are salty, tangy, and have a slight lemon flavor.
- Feta. If you don’t enjoy the taste of feta, you could try swapping it for Grilled Halloumi or pile the salad on top of creamy ricotta.
- Greek Salad Dressing. This Mediterranean dressing is made of classic ingredients like olive oil, a splash of red wine vinegar (or fresh lemon juice if you prefer), and garlic star in this simple, light dressing. It complements the other ingredients without overpowering them.
The Directions
- Mellow the Onions. Soak the red onion in water.
- Make the Dressing. Whisk the Greek salad dressing ingredients together.
- Dress the Romaine. Toss the lettuce and part of the dressing in a large bowl.
- Finish. Toss all the vegetables together, finishing the salad with part of the feta, salt, and pepper. ENJOY!
Leftover Ideas
Tuck the leftovers into a wrap or pita bread. Another great way to use leftovers is to turn them into a Greek pasta salad. Toss the leftover salad with cooked and cooled short pasta noodles (see this Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad for inspo). Orzo would be delicious.
What to Serve with Greek Salad
- Chicken. Sheet Pan Greek Chicken, Air Fryer Chicken Breast and Baked Chicken Breast pair well with Greek salad.
- Stuffed Peppers. Keep with the Mediterranean theme and serve this salad with Greek Stuffed Peppers.
- Bread. A slice of No Knead Focaccia would be scrumptious with this salad.
- Fish. Grilled Swordfish or Baked Salmon would be delicious.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Get a Head Start. Chop all the salad ingredients as directed. Mix the dressing together and store it in a jar. Refrigerate each ingredient in a separate airtight storage container until you’re ready to finish assembling.
- Make It in a Mason Jar. For a meal prep lunch, layer the feta at the bottom of a mason jar with some dressing, followed by the olives, crunchy veggies, and finally the lettuce. Dump the salad into a bowl when you’re ready to eat and toss to distribute the dressing.
- Don’t Use Feta Crumbles. Use feta in brine, not the pre-crumbled feta. The crumbled type is much drier and doesn’t have as much flavor.
Greek Salad
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 0 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Traditional Greek salad is simple and vibrant. Fresh tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, olive and feta, tossed in an herby salad dressing.
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Ingredients
For the Salad:
- ½ cup thinly sliced and halved red onion
- 1 head romaine lettuce tough ends trimmed and roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 English cucumber halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 green bell pepper cored and cut into 1-inch cubes
- ⅔ cup Kalamata olives pitted (leave whole)
- 1 tablespoon capers drained (optional)
- 8 ounces feta cheese cut into 1/2-inch cubes (for best results, use feta in brine), divided
- Fresh herbs (while not necessary, any extra dill or parsley you have on hand would taste great)
For the Dressing:
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 small garlic clove grated or finely minced
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the red onion in a small bowl and cover with cold water. Let sit at least 5 minutes, then drain (this removes some of the harsh bite).
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, stir together the dressing: olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt, oregano, and black pepper.
- Place the romaine in a large bowl and drizzle lightly with the dressing. Toss to coat.
- Add the cucumber, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, black olives, capers, and drained red onion. Drizzle with a little more dressing then toss gently to combine.
- Last, add 3/4 of the feta, and toss very gently. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the remaining feta over the top. Divide between serving bowls and serve with additional dressing as desired.
Video
Notes
- TO STORE: Refrigerate leftover salad in an airtight storage container for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1(of 6)Calories: 236kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 8gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 34mgPotassium: 596mgFiber: 4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 9823IUVitamin C: 41mgCalcium: 255mgIron: 2mg
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I ALSO like romaine in my Greek salads, so this was a winner for me! I have been craving VEGETABLES after many a holiday treat. Although seasonally, Winter may not be the best time for all these vibrant veggies, it felt like such a treat to bite into something crunchy, delicious, and healthy. My husband also loved it, regarding it as “Wow. This is just SO FRESH!” Win-win in our household. We ate it alongside our homemade gyros1
Hi Victoria! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Yummy on a sunny day like today. Very refreshing salad, the feta cheese and olive makes up the flavor. Thoroughly enjoyed your fresh take on this classic Greek salad, Erin! I appreciate your detailed instructions and insightful tips. Thank you!
Thanks Susan!
Every single bit of it is so fresh and delicious. I can’t think of anything that would make this recipe better. The dressing is everything. I use good quality red wine vinegar. Thank you so much for this recipe! As always, no recipe of yours disappoints.
So glad you enjoyed it, Loraine!
This recipe couldn’t have come at a better time for me Erin. My garden is producing lots of English cucumbers and cherry tomatoes right now so this is perfect. It is absolutely delish.
Yay! Love to hear that, Krystal! Thank you!
So good! Perfect on a hot summer day eating dinner on the deck!
Glad you enjoyed it, Jackie! Thank you!