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. 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.
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Greek Salad
Traditional Greek salad is simple and vibrant. Fresh tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, olive and feta, tossed in an herby salad dressing.
Course Salad
Cuisine Greek
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 0 minutesminutes
Total Time 20 minutesminutes
Servings 6servings
Calories 236kcal
Author Erin Clarke / Well Plated
Ingredients
For the Salad:
1/2cupthinly sliced and halved red onion
1head romaine lettucetough ends trimmed and roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces
1English cucumberhalved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1pintgrape or cherry tomatoeshalved
1green bell peppercored and cut into 1-inch cubes
2/3cupKalamata olivespitted (leave whole)
1tablespooncapersdrained (optional)
8ouncesfeta cheesecut 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:
3tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oil
3tablespoonsred wine vinegar
1small garlic clovegrated or finely minced
3/4teaspoonkosher salt
1/2teaspoondried oregano
1/4teaspoonblack 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.
