Greek Salad

ByJanice Pattie
131 Comments
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Greek Salad is a delicious fresh salad made with feta cheese, olives and tomatoes. It’s full of Mediterranean flavours and so easy to put together. It’s ideal as an appetiser or serve it as a side dish with fish or meat dishes.

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What is a Greek Salad?

Horiatiki, the traditional Greek salad is a simple side dish made from roughly chopped  tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, red onions, olives, and the classic Greek Feta cheese.

Why make Greek Salad?

If you love Mediterranean flavours you will love this salad. There is nothing complicated about the recipe, but the combination of ingredients is bigger than the sum of the parts. This is a salad that you can put together for a quick lunch and it’s also good enough to serve when you are entertaining.

Greek Salad in bowl with knife and fork

What ingredients do I need to make Greek Salad?

The ingredients are simple and easily available, here is what you need:

  • lettuce
  • tomatoes
  • cucumber 
  • Feta cheese
  • olives
  • onion 
  • sweet (bell) peppers
  • red wine vinegar 
  • salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • olive oil

What kind of lettuce should I use in a Greek Salad?

Use crisp lettuce such as romaine or cos lettuce, and tear it into bite-sized pieces. There is no lettuce in the traditional Greek Salad recipe but I think it works well with the other ingredients and is great with the simple dressing.

What are the best tomatoes to use in this salad?

Use the best quality tomatoes you can. The tomatoes should be red and ripe and juicy. I like to use large round vine tomatoes which can be cut into nice big wedges.

FETA CHEESE

What is Feta Cheese?

Feta is a brined curd cheese made from sheep’s milk or a mixture of goat and sheep’s milk.  It has a firm texture that doesn’t melt when cooked. Feta adds a deliciously salty tang and provides the protein in this delicious salad.

What kind of olives should I use?

You can use any olives that you like, but I like to use Greek Halkidiki olives. They are large, oval and pale green and they get their name from the Halkidiki region of Greece where they grow.

What kind of onions should I use in the salad?

I use red onions because I love the colour, but you can use white or yellow onions. If you like you can soak the onions in vinegar to take away a little of the sharpness from the onions, but that’s not essential.

What kind of peppers should I use?

I use red, yellow or orange sweet (bell) peppers because I like the sweet taste of the ripe peppers. Green pepper is the traditional pepper for a Greek Salad so you can use those if you prefer.

I don’t have red wine vinegar, what can I substitute?

You can use lemon juice, white wine vinegar, cider vinegar or sherry vinegar instead of red wine vinegar.

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What kind of olive oil should I use in Greek Salad?

Use the best extra virgin olive oil you can afford, preferably Greek olive oil. In this simple recipe, the dressing is key to bringing together the salad ingredients and good olive oil is essential for the best results.

Can I make Greek Salad ahead of time?

Yes, you can prepare the salad ingredients two or three hours before you plan to serve the salad. Keep them in airtight containers and keep the tomatoes separate from the other ingredients as they can release a lot of liquid. Combine the ingredients with the dressing up to an hour before serving and keep cool but not in the fridge.

freezer with boxes

Can I freeze Greek Salad?

No, this salad is not suitable to freeze. Salad ingredients contain a lot of water and will become limp and soggy if frozen and then defrosted.

Vegetarian

There are no meat products in this salad. Feta cheese is not traditionally vegetarian but you can get a vegetarian version, so be sure to check the labels.

Gluten Free

Feta cheese and the other ingredients in this salad are gluten-free.

For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.

Greek Salad with Tomato Tart

How do I serve Greek Salad?

Serve Greek Salad at room temperature. It is an ideal salad to serve for a casual lunch with some crusty bread and fresh butter.

Serve the salad with a savoury tart like my Mediterranean inspired Tomato Tart with Olives for a more substantial meal. Of course, it’s ideal with Greek dishes such as Moussaka and Spanikopita. And, the salty flavours of this salad are also a perfect match for simple grilled steak and chicken.

More Feta Recipes

I’m a huge fan of feta cheese, I love the creamy salty flavour and use it in many of my recipes. Here are a few you might like to try:

Beetroot Chorizo & Feta Salad plate

Beetroot Chorizo & Feta Salad is a wonderful plate of tastes and textures. The beetroot brings a sweet earthy flavour, the chorizo is crisp and spicy and the feta brings a salty, creamy luxury to this simple salad plate.

Courgette Feta Tart on plate with salad

Courgette and Feta Tart is a tasty savoury tart that is a great way to use summer vegetables. It is filled with roasted courgettes (zucchini), cubes of feta cheese and flavoured with fresh basil. Ideal to serve with a crisp green salad on a summer day.

Enjoy a forkfull of Slow Cooker Greek Baker's Pot

Slow Cooker Greek Baker’s Pot is a really simple and totally delicious vegetarian recipe. It’s an ideal recipe for an everyday easy dinner and it is perfect for all the family

Greek Salad Get the Recipe

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Greek Salad

Greek Salad

Inspired by a traditional recipe
A fresh salad that's full of flavour, perfect as an appetiser or to accompany other dishes.
5 from 5 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Bookmark
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Appetizer, Salad
Cuisine Greek, Mediterranean
Servings 6
Calories 247 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 Romaine or Cos lettuce
  • 2 ripe tomatoes
  • 1/3 cucumber
  • 115 g feta cubed or crumbled
  • 45 g Greek olives
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 red pepper
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 120 ml extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions
 

  • 1 Romaine or Cos lettuce
    Wash dry and tear the lettuce into bite-sized pieces.
    lettuce
  • 2 ripe tomatoes, 1/3 cucumber
    Wash the tomatoes and slice them into large wedges. Cut the cucumber into slices on the diagonal.
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  • 1 red onion, 1 red pepper
    Remove the core and seeds from the red pepper and cut them into slices.
    red bell pepper
  • Peel the red onion and slice it thinly into circles.
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  • 45 g Greek olives
    Remove the stones from the olives (if they have them) and slice into thick circles.
    olives
  • Place the lettuce in a large salad bowl. Add the tomatoes and cucumber, and mix them together.
    Lettuce for Greek Salad
  • 115 g feta
    Place the olives, onion and pepper over the top of the salad bowl and crumble over the feta.
    Greek Salad with feat and fork

Make the dressing

  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, 120 ml extra-virgin olive oil
    Pour the red wine vinegar into a small bowl. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and slowly pour in the olive oil. Whisk until combined and slightly thickened.
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  • Pour the dressing over the salad and serve immediately.
    Greek Salad with feta

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 247kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 4gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 438mgPotassium: 219mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1492IUVitamin C: 33mgCalcium: 113mgIron: 1mg
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131 Comments

  2. Great review as ever Janice. Very informative- not sure about the kale pesto tho? Seems more American than Mediterranean to me! I totally agree that it's easier to follow such a diet in the summer when most of the ingredients are available as opposed to the depths of winter when you want a slow cooked meal.

    Reply

    1. Thanks Deon, I see Amy has replied to you below. I was not all that struck with kale, and had only had it in broth, but some of the newer cultivars are not as tough or so strong tasting and really very good!

      Reply

    1. Thanks Nayna, there are a high proportion of vegetarian and vegan recipes, plant foods are top of the Mediterranean Diet food chain.

      Reply

  13. Thank you all for the kind comments and for your great review, Janet! It is true that the Kale Pesto recipe is not traditional nor the original basil pesto recipe (which I have used in other books and videos), I felt that it was important to include because it is an easy, delicious, nutritional power house of a recipe that people can make when they want to boost their vitamin intake and basil is no longer in season. Enjoy with pleasure and health, and happy Sunday to all!

    Reply

    1. Thank you for commenting Amy, it's really appreciated. As you can see there is lots of interest in your eating plan and the healthy recipes.

      Reply

  23. Italy. I've been three times but never as a gluten free eater. They are way ahead when it comes to gluten free pasta etc so I'd love that!

    Reply

  49. I'd love to go back to Turkey – have only visited certain coastal areas, and I'd love to see Istanbul!

    Reply

  55. We eat lots of Mediterranean food and love it, I've been lucky enough to visit a few but would love to go to Corsica. Corsica belongs to France so it sounds a bit odd that the Mediterranean country I'd love to visit would be France!

    Reply

  58. I'd love to go to Italy – Rome in particular – and I'd make sure I didn't spend the whole time just eating pizza!!

    Reply

  83. Italy, spent time living in Rome but never got to explore the country as much as I would have liked to, would love to go back and travel around the South of the Country

    Reply

  87. I would love to return to Greece.As a vegetarian I loved the abundance and flavours of all the meat-free dishes.

    Reply

  105. I ordered a Greek salad in a cafe once. The tomatoes were straight from the fridge – hard, cold and tasteless. It put me off completely and I’ve never had it again. But you’ve made this look and sound so delicious, I think I’ll have to try and make it.

    Reply

    1. Oh what a shame. You definitely need nice ripe tomatoes, it’s such a simple recipe that the ingredients have to be just right.

      Reply

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Recipe Rating




5 from 5 votes