This Classic Greek Salad is bursting with summertime flavor! Made with vine-ripened tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper, kalamata olives and sheep’s milk feta, this salad highlights the best of summer produce and lets the vegetables shine!
This Greek Salad is everything you want in a summer salad- refreshing, vibrant, flavorful and healthy.
For many of you who live in the southern states, tomato season has already begun. I can’t help but feel a little envious! We still have a few more weeks here before they start really showing up here in the Northwest, but I wanted to share this recipe now so those of you like us who have a little more waiting to do, will have something delicious to dream about.
Here’s a classic recipe for Greek Salad that I’ve enjoyed on my travels through Greece. I’ve made a couple of slight tweaks, just based on personal preference, but you’ll find the recipe is quite flexible and really hard to mess up! So simple and incredibly delicious!
Is Greek Salad healthy?
Yes! Greek Salad is ket0, low in carbs, vegetarian and full of vitamins and nutrients from fresh produce!
What you will need to make a Greek Salad:
- Vine-ripened Tomatoes
- Cucumber
- Bell Pepper
- Red Onion
- Feta (preferably sheep’s milk)
- kalamata olives
- fresh herbs (oregano, dill or mint)
Expert Tips:
- Using the best, locally grown, vine-ripened produce will elevate this simple salad to new heights!
- Seek out Sheep’s Milk Feta for the most authentic flavor.
- Use fresh herbs
- Marinate the red onions, to remove bitterness!
Greek Salad Dressing Ingredients:
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Olive oil
- Garlic (not traditional but I like the bite)
- Salt and pepper
How to make Greek Salad:
Step 1: Slice the red onions and marinate in the vinegar and salt while you prep the remaining ingredeints. This will take the “bite” out of them if you are sesnsitve to red onions.
Step 2: Prep the veggies.
Cut the tomatoes, cucumber and bell pepper into bite-sized peices. If using cherry tomatoes, cut them in half to help them better “grab” the dressing.
Step 3: Cut the kalamata olives in half- also to “catch” the flavorful dressing.
Step 4: Chop the herbs. Here we are using oregano and dill, but feel free to sub mint- or a combo of all three is nice too.
Step 5: Place the chopped veggies and herbs in the bowl with the marinating onions, and grate a clove of garlic over top.
Step 6: Add the olive oil and toss to combine.
Season with salt and pepper.
Step 7: Place the Greek Salad in a nice serving bowl and top it with the feta cheese.
Last Step: Sprinkle the feta with fresh herbs and drizzle with olive oil. Add cracked pepper or chili flakes if you like.
Feta options: Cut one piece of feta for each person you are serving, or serve in one large (3/4 inch thick) piece that people can break apart. This one measures about 3.5″x 5″ and is 3/4 inch thick.
To bump up the protein, add Grilled Lemon Herb Chicken for a light but hearty summer meal.
Hope you enjoy this classic Greek Salad – such a refreshing summer side to all things grilled. Make it ahead for the busy workweek- a cool and refreshing treat, full of healthy delicious nutrients!
What to serve with Greek Salad:
- Grilled Lemon-Herb Chicken
- Easy Authentic Greek Tzatziki Sauce
- Zucchini Fritters with Feta and Dill
- Simple Homemade Pita Bread!
- Greek Lamb Tacos with Minted Yogurt Sauce
- Skordalia Recipe
- Turkish Lamb Wraps
- Rainbow Veggie Hummus
Greek Salad
- Prep Time: 20
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4-6
- Category: salad, vegetarian
- Method: tossed
- Cuisine: Greek
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Greek Salad is everything you want in a summer salad- refreshing, vibrant, flavorful and healthy. Simple ingredients, that can be made in 20 mins!
Ingredients
- 1/4 of a red onion, finely sliced
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 pounds tomatoes- heirloom tomatoes, cherry, grape, etc. (4 cups chopped)
- 1 large English Cucumber – cut into half-moons (or sub Persian or Turkish Cucumber)
- 1 bell pepper- chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 12–15 kalamata olives, pitted, sliced in half
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, finely chopped (or use 1 teaspoon dried)
- 2–3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped, (or sub fresh mint or Italian Parsley)
- 1 garlic clove, finely grated
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4–6 ounces of feta
Fresh Herbs for sprinkling, olive oil for drizzling the feta, crack pepper, chili flakes or Aleppo or Urfa Biber (optional)
Instructions
- Finely slice the red onion and place it in a large bowl. Toss onion with the red wine vinegar and the salt, and let this stand while you prep the remaining ingredients.
- Place tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, kalamata olives, oregano and dill in the bowl.
- Grate the garlic clove over top and pour in the olive oil.
- Give the salad a good toss and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Place in a serving bowl and nestle the feta over top. You can use one large thin piece or cut it into smaller pieces (like one per person).
- Drizzle the feta with a tiny bit of olive oil. Sprinkle with more dill and cracked pepper and chili flakes if you like. (Aleppo or Urfa Biber both work great here!)
Notes
The Greek Salad will keep 3 days in the fridge.
Feel free to serve it over greens, add grilled chicken, chickpeas, or grilled tofu, to make it more of a meal.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 187
- Sugar: 6.5 g
- Sodium: 344.3 mg
- Fat: 14.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 11.5 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4.7 g
- Cholesterol: 16.8 mg
Wow! As always your recipes are so scrumptious!! Made enough for a few days. We are having a heatwave at the moment in u.k so salad wraps with chicken for us..
Glad you enoyed this!
I made this for dinner last night along with the chicken. I really enjoyed seeing all the colors come together. I used sheep/goat block of feta which was surprisingly good. The fresh herbs were an absolute winner – oh my the dill, that adds a special touch to the taste. We enjoyed it with the chicken and I cut up avocado to serve on the side.
Awesome TJ, so perfect for summer weather.
Amazing! Will definitely do it again! Thank you, Sylvia!
So happy you enjoyed!
This recipe is crazy simple and so delicious. Sometimes I forget how easy AND delicious a recipe can be. This is one of those recipes. It essentially looks like there’s not much to it but then it turns out absolutely amazing. I practically lived off of this recipe for 2 months this summer. Again, thank you for awesome recipes that so far never fail.
Awesome Tina! So glad you like this one!
This method with the onions in the vinegar is awesome! Super fresh and flavorful, made for a group everyone loved. Used Italian parsley and oregano as fresh herbs, otherwise followed recipe just as is. Making again today!