Quick Mediterranean Salad in 15 Minutes
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This Mediterranean Salad is a delicious, healthy, festive salad filled with vegetables, chickpeas, feta, Greek olives, and tomatoes tossed with a lemon herb dressing. It’s a 15-minute recipe you’ll love!
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What is a Mediterranean Salad
This Mediterranean Chopped Salad serves a crowd. It’s beautiful, with vertical lines of Mediterranean-inspired vegetables and ingredients that are easy to grab at the market. And… it only takes minutes to make.
If you need to make it ahead, no problem! The dressing keeps for weeks in the fridge, and the salad is simple to assemble and serve immediately or later. Drizzle the dressing over the top just before serving and garnish with fresh herbs.
What to Love About This Mediterranean Salad
- Easy to make in 15 minutes or less.
- Perfect for making ahead (1 to 2 days) and dressing when you’re ready to serve.
- Healthy and packed with Mediterranean Diet friendly foods.
- Delicious and beautiful for serving guests.
Mediterranean Salad Ingredients
This salad is essentially a chopped salad, which, as you know, makes it exceedingly versatile. Below is a list of ingredients I’ve used based on Mediterranean-inspired ingredients and bright summer colors. But use the ingredients you love most and experiment with different ideas until you find the perfect combination!
- Lettuce: Use the variety of greens you prefer or are available. My garden is producing a bumper crop of lettuce this year, so I’ve used a combination of romaine and various leaf lettuces. Chop finely.
- Tomatoes: Look for small cherry or grape tomatoes and slice them in half or quarter if they are larger.
- Cucumbers: An essential element (for me) in this salad is cucumbers. Use smaller English or Persian cucumbers and cut your ingredients into uniform sizes.
- Chickpeas are a great healthy addition to this salad, and add a plate-based protein to make it a complete meal. Other beans you may prefer can be substituted.
- Mediterranean olives: I’m using Kalamata olives for their salty flavor, but if they’re not your favorite, you may want to substitute jarred artichokes or pepperoncini.
- Red onions: Chop the red onion finely so blend in with the other ingredients.
- Feta Cheese: The ultimate Mediterranean ingredient!
- Fresh herbs like basil, parsley, dill, or oregano bring delicious flavor to this chopped salad.
Greek Lemon Herb Dressing Ingredients
The exact measurements are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but here is a quick overview of what you will need. You can also use your favorite olive oil-based store-bought vinaigrette.
- Olive oil
- Lemon juice
- Dijon mustard
- Minced garlic
- Dried Italian Seasoning or dried oregano
How to Make Mediterranean Salad
This salad comes together in minutes, which is one of the reasons you’ll find it on my table many times during the summer! Make the dressing first so the flavors can mingle while prepping the vegetables.
Making the Greek Lemon Herb Dressing
I often use a blender to whirl the ingredients together in seconds. But you can also whisk the ingredients or add them to a lidded jar and shake until emulsified.
Assembling the Chopped Salad
- Add chopped lettuce to the bottom of your serving bowl or platter.
- Create even lines of vegetables beginning in the center and working outward.
- Drizzle dressing over the salad and top with fresh herbs just before serving.
Tip for Making a Chopped Salad
- Chop vegetables in similar sizes. A vegetable chopper (affiliate link) makes it easy!
- Add fresh herbs and use more than you think, adding tremendous flavor to the chopped salad.
- Don’t forget salt and pepper. Season and taste the salad and dressing before serving to brighten the flavors.
Substitutions and Variations
Think of this chopped salad as a blueprint for adding your own unique style and flavor. Here are some ideas of what you can add to the salad.
- Add protein. While chickpeas make this salad a complete meal, adding additional protein, like chicken or grilled shrimp, are great additions.
- Avocados often top my list of additions to this delicious salad!
- Add additional ingredients: You can experiment with a variety of vegetables like artichokes, roasted red peppers, or sun-dried tomatoes. Additionally, you can include other Mediterranean ingredients like toasted pine nuts or cooked couscous to add texture and flavor.
Storing the Salad
If you have leftovers, store the chopped salad in a covered container for 3 to 4 days. Store the dressing separately.
Mediterranean Salad FAQs
A traditional Mediterranean chopped salad usually includes ingredients such as cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, red onions, olives, feta cheese, and fresh herbs like parsley or mint. However, you can customize the salad by adding or substituting ingredients according to your taste preferences.
Yes, you can prepare the ingredients for the salad in advance and store them separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator. However, it is best to combine and dress the salad just before serving to maintain its freshness and crispness.
If you don’t want to make your own dressing, any store-bought vinaigrette with a combination of lemon, herbs, and olive oil is a classic favorite.
Absolutely! If you follow a vegan or dairy-free diet, you can easily modify the salad by omitting the feta cheese or replacing it with a plant-based alternative. The salad will still be flavorful and delicious.
Absolutely! The salad is perfect for picnics and potlucks as it can be easily transported and served at room temperature. Just make sure to keep it chilled before serving to maintain its freshness.
More Mediterranean Salad Recipes
Mediterranean Salad Recipe
Equipment
- Blender for the dressing
Ingredients
- 6 cups chopped lettuce any variety you prefer
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes quartered
- 1 cup cucumber (English or Persian), quartered
- 15 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup red onions finely chopped
- 1/3 cup Greek olives (like Kalama), pitted and sliced
- 1/4 cup Feta cheese crumbled
- 2 tablespoons fresh herbs like basil, parsley, oregano, or mint
Salad Dressing
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 lemon , juiced
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Make the Dressing
- It's easiest to add the dressing ingredients into a blender and whirl for a few seconds until emulsified, but you can also vigiorouslywhisk the ingredients or add it to a lidded jar and shake until emulsified.
Prepare the Salad
- Assemble salad greens in a large bowl or serving platter. Then top the greens with lines of tomatoes, cucumbers, chickpeas, red onions, olives, and feta. I've used 7 lines in this salad in this order:
Serving the Salad
- When you're ready to serve, pour the dressing over the salad and garnish with fresh herbs.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Wow! So amazing and beautiful and has bright colors. I will give it a shot. Thanks for such excellent recipes.
Thank you so much for your kind words!