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My favorite Greek Salad Recipe is made with plenty of fresh, crunchy veggies, cubes of salty feta, and a delicious, simple vinaigrette – no lettuce in sight.
Meggan’s notes
My favorite childhood restaurant was a Greek place called Zorba’s on Bluemound Road in Brookfield, Wisconsin. They had an epic salad bar, and from here my life-long love affair with salads blossomed.
My ideal Greek salad has all the usual crunchy vegetables: cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, olives. It’s the stuff you’d put on a gyro if you were eating one, right? I also love to add green bell peppers for a touch of sweetness.
Crumbled feta is fine, but cubes or large chunks are even better. The taste and texture of salty feta is one of life’s great pleasures! The secret ingredient in the salad, though, is a sprinkle of dried oregano. A light dusting over the top is the perfect finishing touch, visually and tastefully.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Cucumbers: If you use hothouse, Persian, or other thin-skinned cucumbers, peeling and seeding is optional.
- Tomatoes: Substitute chopped tomatoes if you want (you’ll want about 12 ounces).
- Bell peppers: Green bell peppers are traditional, but you can use red, yellow, or orange peppers.
Step-by-step instructions
- To make the dressing, in a jar with a tight-fitting lid, or in a small bowl, shake or whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper).
- In a large bowl, add cucumbers, tomatoes, green bell pepper, red onions, and olives.
- Drizzle with the vinaigrette and toss to combine. Top with feta cheese and season to taste with salt, pepper, and oregano.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe serves 4 as a side dish.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. If you want to meal prep the salad, leave out the feta cheese until the day you are going to eat it.
- Make ahead: The Greek salad dressing can be made up to 3 days in advance. Store covered in the refrigerator. The vegetables can be prepped the day before and stored separately in the refrigerator.
- More mix-ins: Get creative with cubed avocado, a can of chickpeas, your favorite fresh herbs, or even 8 ounces cooked pasta (drained and cooled).
- Leafy greens: Any salad is an opportunity for plant diversity, so add romaine lettuce, baby spinach, of herbs like fresh mint, fresh dill, orfresh basil if you love them.
- Make the dressing your own: Try adding a teaspoon of honey, a minced clove of garlic, or a pinch of red pepper flakes.
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Greek Salad Recipe
Ingredients
For the Greek salad dressing:
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the salad:
- 1 large cucumber peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced into 1/4-inch slices (see note 1)
- 1 pint grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, halved (see note 2)
- 1 large green bell pepper stemmed, seeded, and diced (see note 3)
- 1/2 small red onion thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives
- 4 ounces feta cheese cubed or crumbled
Instructions
- To make the dressing, in a small bowl whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper).
- In a large bowl, add cucumbers, tomatoes, green bell pepper, red onions, and olives. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and toss to combine. Top with feta cheese and season to taste with salt, pepper, and oregano.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Cucumbers: If you use hothouse, Persian, or other thin-skinned cucumbers, peeling and seeding is optional.
- Tomatoes: Substitute chopped tomatoes if you want (you’ll want about 12 ounces).
- Bell peppers: Green bell peppers are traditional, but you can use red, yellow, or orange peppers.
- Yield: This recipe serves 4 as a side dish.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. If you want to meal prep the salad, leave out the feta cheese until the day you are going to eat it.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Easy and excellent!!
Happy you enjoyed it, Gigi! Thank you for trying this recipe! – Meggan
This is absolutely delicious, the cucumbers add a dimension that is perfect for a hot summer day Kalamal added, distinctive flavor that completes this fantastic salad!
Excellent!!
This was so good! Thanks for the idea to help me get through some of the veggies in my garden! ๐