Classic Greek Salad

You can easily find a Greek Salad recipe, but don't we all love classics? This Feta Greek Salad is Easy, Quick, and Delicious.

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We decided to take a stab at writing this one, although you might find tons out there. Why? Simply because sometimes, it’s hard to find a good version of this recipe.

This Authentic Greek Salad has a special place in my heart; it’s a dish that I ate countless times during my teenage years because my best friend has Greek relatives, and her mom knew how much I loved this dish.

The Classic Greek Salad was on top of my list along with Tabbouleh Salad, also on this site. I have a thing for Mediterranean flavors and fresh salads.

I have not found an excellent substitute for Sheep’s Milk Feta Cheese (the Greek Salad Cheese), so this one is a vegetarian dish; Greek salad without Feta just doesn't taste the same. Also, the tartness from this cheese is hard to find on another type of cheese.

Ingredients

The secrets to getting a Classic Greek Salad right!

• Plum Tomatoes
• Red Onion
• Feta cheese
• Kalamata black olives
• Green bell pepper.
• Olive oil
• Cucumber

Optional: capers, red wine vinegar, and salt.

Tips

This salad with olives and feta cheese relies heavily on upon:

1. A big chunk of good quality Feta Cheese, un-crumbled!
2. Large pieces of vegetables.
3. Black olives, preferably Kalamata Olives.

Instructions

• Thinly slice the red onion in julienne. And soak in water.
• Coarsely chop all your veggies. Leave the skin.
• Mix. Bring all the veggies together.
• Season. Add the virgin oil, vinegar, oregano, and salt (be careful as the Feta Cheese, Kalamata Olives, and Capers are salty, so you might not need much).

To serve, place the cheese on top. Resist the temptation of crumbling it and mix it (or just do a little), as this will happen as you eat it, and if you do it beforehand, you will lose a lot of the experience of having chunks on it in every bite.

Benefits of cucumbers

Make sure you use Cucumbers, it is not the same without them, and you would miss all its health benefits!

Healthy Weight: not only because it hydrates your cells, but it also fills your belly, and that may help you eat less. A cup of sliced cucumbers has just 16 calories.

Keeps your Heart Healthy: their antioxidant activity helps slow or stop heart-related disease. And some research seems to show that the unique mix of nutrients in cucumber seeds could help improve your cholesterol numbers, which could directly impact heart health. So make sure to leave the seeds on!

Keeps You Regular: eating healthy foods like cucumber leaves less room for high-salt and high-fat foods that can slow your digestion. Plus, the hydration boost you get from all that water in cucumbers can prevent you from getting constipated. They also have fiber, which aids in keeping things moving along.

Looking for more Great Salads?

Learn more about the benefits of cucumber.

• Gorgonzola Lentils Salad
• Couscous And Sprouted Lentils Warm Salad
• Mom's Homemade Salad Vinaigrette
• Traditional Lebanese Tabbouleh Salad

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!

Recipe: Classic Greek Salad

Gus

A classic, but we all love classics, don’t we? The best classic Greek Salad is simple and tasty!

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time 10 mins

Total Time 10 mins

Course Salad, Sides

Cuisine Greek

Servings 4 Servings

Calories 327 kcal

Ingredients

 

CupsMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 7 ounces feta cheese
• 2 cucumbers medium
• 2 plum tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons dry oregano
• 1 green bell pepper large, no red or yellow, it does make a difference
• 1 red onion cut into thin slices
• 5.5 ounces kalamata olives Unpitted, about 20 olives
• 3 tablespoons olive oil extra-virgin

Optional: (I add both and highly recommend it)

• 1 splash red wine vinegar
• 4 tablespoons capers
• sea salt to taste

Instructions

 

• Thinly slice the red onion.
  1 red onion
• Soak the onion in a bowl with water for about 15-30 mins. Doing this will make the onion less pungent. You can skip this step if you don’t mind remaining with onion breath for the rest of the day.
  1 red onion
• Coarsely chop all your veggies. Leave the skin.
  2 cucumbers medium, 2 plum tomatoes, 1 green bell pepper
• Bring all the veggies together.
  2 cucumbers medium, 2 plum tomatoes, 1 green bell pepper, 1 red onion
• Add the virgin oil, vinegar, oregano, and salt (be careful as the Feta Cheese, Kalamata Olives, and Capers are salty, so you might not need much).
  2 tablespoons dry oregano, 5.5 ounces kalamata olives, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 splash red wine vinegar
• Place the cheese on top. Resist the temptation of crumbling it and mix it (or just do a little), as this will happen as you eat it, and if you do it beforehand, you will lose a lot of the experience of having chunks on it in every bite.
  7 ounces feta cheese

Notes

If you have leftovers, they are well-kept in the fridge for up to 3 days. The flavor improves every day, so you might want to double the amounts on this recipe.

Remember that The Daily Value for sodium is less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) per day.  So limit any added capers or sea salt as the kalamata olives and feta cheese are pretty salty.

Nutrition

Calories: 327kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 9gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 1168mgPotassium: 448mgFiber: 5gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 882IUVitamin C: 35mgCalcium: 338mgIron: 2mg

Keyword feta, greek, quick, summer

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Food safety

We sometimes take for granted that we have years (or decades) of cooking experience that the average visitor may not. Add to, or remove from, the list below with health and safety tips.

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full Nutritional Disclosure here.

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full Nutritional Disclosure here.

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