Mediterranean Chopped Salad
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This Mediterranean Chopped Salad is a crisp, fresh, and healthy tossed salad with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, chickpeas, Greek olives, and feta. It’s a perfect salad for the season!
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As the weather begins to warm and outdoor dining, picnics, and cool, crispy, delicious food is on your mind, there’s nothing better than salads. Especially Mediterranean-inspired salads.
This Chopped Salad is inspired by the flavors and ingredients in my 10 Minute Greek Salad and also my Mediterranean Salad recipes. The difference is this salad is an everyday salad, a chopped, tossed-together, easy to make salad that’s perfect for on-the-go, picnics, lunches and side salads.
If you follow the Mediterranean Diet, you will be familiar with these ingredients! Summer is all about delicious salads, and this one is a favorite!
What to Serve with a Mediterranean Chopped Salad?
This salad also tastes great served with chicken, shrimp or steak and is easily customizable to your liking! So much flavor in every bite!
What to Love About This Salad
- Crisp, light, and incredibly flavorful!
- Supports a Mediterranean Diet.
- Quick and easy to make with simple ingredients you may already have on hand.
- Make ahead friendly for servings later (like lunches) or summer gatherings so you can prep ahead.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Lettuce—I’m using my garden romaine, which I love, but you can use whichever leafy greens you prefer: leaf lettuce, arugula, kale, or even spinach.
- Tomatoes—My preference is round cherry tomatoes, but grape tomatoes work fine too. When using cherry tomatoes, I half them; when using grape tomatoes, I chop them into quarters. Large tomatoes are not recommended because they tend to become watery.
- Cucumbers—Look for mini cucumbers (like Persian cucumbers) or use an English cucumber in this recipe. If the seeds are large, quarter the cucumber and slice off the seeds or halve it and scoop them out with a spoon. Seeds retain excess moisture, which can make the salad less crisp.
- Red onion—Gives the salad a mild but savory note that’s delicious!
- Chickpeas—Canned chickpeas (or garbanzo beans) bring healthy protein to the salad and adds a buttery flavor I love. Be sure to drain and rinse them before adding to the salad.
- Olives—I love using a Mediterranean mix of olives, but Greek or Kalamata olives are also delicious. Use your favorite, but be sure they are pitted olives. (One time, rushing through the market before dinner guests arrived, I made the mistake of grabbing unpitted olives. Removing the pits was not fun.) Olives will bring a nice salty flavor to the salad.
- Fresh herbs—Don’t skip the fresh herbs, as they bring delicious flavor to the salad. My preference is fresh basil, which I stack and cut into chiffonads. If you don’t have it handy, parsley, mint, or oregano will also work.
- Vinaigrette—This easy Mediterranean salad dressing takes a couple of minutes to make and is utterly delicious. It combines extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and dried oregano. For added zestiness, you might like to add 1/4 teaspoon of Dijon mustard or red pepper flakes.
- Feta cheese—Brings a nice salty, creamy flavor to the salad.
How to Make a Mediterranean Chopped Salad
A chopped salad does require a bit of chopping, but the end result is worth it. Here is the order I use when making this Mediterranean salad.
Step 1: Chop the cucumbers and tomatoes.
I like to begin by chopping the cucumbers and tomatoes first. Then add them to a fine mesh sieve or collander, toss them in salt and let them drain over a bowl or the sink for 10 to 15 minutes. This helps draw out excess moisture, preventing the salad from becoming soggy.
Step 2: Chop onions, olives, lettuce, and fresh herbs
While the tomatoes and cucumbers are draining, chop the remaining salad ingredients.
Step 3: Make the dressing
Whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and dried oregano in a small bowl or lidded mason jar. Whisk or shake until the dressing is emulsified. You might want to make double the amount and store it in the refrigerator for homemade salad dressing or as a marinade for chicken!
Step 4: Toss the vegetables with the dressing
Transfer the drained cucumbers and tomatoes into a large bowl, and add the chickpeas, onion, olives, and herbs (save the lettuce for later). Let them marinate in the dressing for a few minutes to soak up all that delicious flavor. We’ll add the lettuce just before serving.
Step 5: Serving the salad
Just before serving, add the greens to a serving bowl, along with the marinaded vegetables and feta cheese. Toss together, season with salt and pepper if necessary, and serve!
What to Serve with Mediterranean Chopped Salad
The great thing about this Mediterranean chopped salad recipe is it can be served as a whole meal or enjoyed as a delicious side dish! Here are some of my favorite ways to serve up this salad:
- All on its own as a big delicious salad!
- Mix in a protein such as chicken, shrimp or grilled steak.
- Serve alongside chicken skewers or Greek Chicken Souvlaki.
- Make it creamy with some chopped avocado.
- Throw this salad in a wrap or gyro and drizzle with some tzatziki sauce or 2 Minute Greek Dill Yogurt Sauce.
How to Make This Salad Ahead
When prepping this salad ahead, chop the vegetables and store a separate container, then chop the lettuce and store separately to prevent the greens from wilting. I also like to prep the salad dressing ahead as well. A mason jar works great for storing the dressing.
How to Store
This salad can be refrigerated in an airtight container for about two days. If you want to prep the salad for meals, consider layering them in containers like mason jars. Add the chickpeas and onions to the bottom, top with tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives, and finally, add the lettuce to the top to help keep it crisp. Add the feta just before serving.
Substitutions and Variations
- Protein: While chickpeas add delicious protein to the salad, you can substitute them with shredded chicken, thin slices of grilled steak, or seafood like salmon or shrimp.
- Vegetables and Herbs: You might try adding or substituting these vegetables in the salad: chopped zucchini, peppers, carrots, and marinated artichoke hearts. A variety of herbs also brings a lot of flavor. You might try herbs like mint, parsley, or oregano.
- Add Grains: Cooked grains, like quinoa or farro (much like my Quinoa Salad), add delicious texture to the salad.
- Cheese: For variety, you could swap the feta or goat cheese.
More Mediterranean Salads to Try
- Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
- Mediterranean Couscous Salad with Salmon
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Roasted Antipasto Salad
- Caprese Pasta Salad
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Mediterranean Chopped Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 cups romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 cup chopped cucumbers (Persian or English cucumber, peeled and chopped)
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt for the cucumbers and tomatoes
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup Greek olives pitted and chopped
- 1/2 cup red onion chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1/4 cup feta cheese crumbled
Greek Salad Dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice about 1 lemon
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Chop the tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, olives, fresh parsley and romaine lettuce, set aside.
- Place the chopped cucumbers and tomatoes in a colander in the sink, toss them in about a teaspoon of salt and let them drain for about 10 or 15 minutes. This is a little trick I do that helps draw out excess moisture from the cucumbers and tomatoes which helps prevent the salad from getting soggy.
- While the cucumbers and tomatoes are draining, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and dried oregano in a small bowl (or mason jar) and mix until the dressing is emulsified.
- Transfer the cucumbers and tomatoes to a large bowl and add in the chickpeas, red onion, olives and fresh parsley (don’t add the lettuce just yet). Toss with the dressing and let the veggies sit for about 10 minutes. This allows the veggies to soak up all that flavor without making the lettuce soggy.
- Add in the romaine lettuce and feta cheese, tossing to combine. Season with salt and black pepper, as needed, serve and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.