If your quest for green salad recipes turned up this elegant Mediterranean Salad, you’re gonna’ be a happy camper! This isn’t one of those run of the mill salad recipes that fills space on the table.
This salad is full of crisp greens, rich cheese, and plenty of summer veggies all blended together in a tangy vinaigrette dressing to make one of the most delicious side dishes you’ve tasted. Plus, it’s elegant enough to be one of your special Easter recipes.
Actually, I toss this salad and my strawberry spinach salad in my favorite easy, homemade balsamic vinaigrette. It has so much delicious potential! Or you can trade the Balsamic for white wine vinegar to serve up a cool creamy cucumber salad. Either way, your taste buds are gonna’ be like WOW!!
Check it out…..
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What I Love About This Recipe
- It’s quick and easy to make and it’s delicious with virtually everything!
- It’s versatile and I can customize to whatever I’m craving.
- I’m crazy about this dressing!
Mediterranean Salad Video Tutorial
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How To Make Mediterranean Salad Recipe
Whipping up this sophisticated refreshing salad only takes a few minutes. Just chop the veggies and combine them in a large bowl. Now mix up that tangy vinaigrette in a separate container.
Toss the salad in the dressing to coat and cover in feta cheese. BAM! Fresh deliciousness.
Recipe Notes
The good news is that this is a traditional salad so you can add and remove ingredients as desired. The classic recipe is typically made with crispy romaine lettuce. Sometimes when I want a little extra spice, I’ll substitute nice peppery arugula. The sky’s the limit!
Ingredient Notes
Greens: Most Mediterranean salad recipes call for romaine lettuce. But when I’m feeling a little spicy, I like to replace some of the romaine lettuce with peppery arugula, which is slightly bitter (in a good way). It adds a very welcome extra bite.
Cucumbers: I prefer to use English cucumbers in this classy salad but any kind will work. English cucumbers have thinner skin and fewer seeds than others making them more desirable for salads. They also have a milder flavor than slicers and usually come wrapped in plastic.
Tomatoes: Grape tomatoes are my favorite in this and most salads these days. I adore their flavor and they seem to have fewer seeds and more tomato flesh.
If you don’t have access to grape tomatoes, go ahead and substitute either grape tomatoes, chopped regular tomatoes, or the Roma variety, which has more flesh and less juice than a regular tomato.
Onions: I love red onions in this salad. They are the perfect combination of pungent, and sweet combination with “just the right onion-i-ness” (my new favorite word!) to enjoy raw.
Feta: I love the tangy, saltiness of this cheese. It’s like a flavor powerhouse. If you add the Feta to the salad before you toss it all together with the dressing, the feta will break down into the salad creating a bit more creaminess to the overall dish. If you like your feta whole and in more separate chunks, sprinkle it on top of the salad at the end.
Tools to Make
Serving up this tasty Mediterranean salad is so easy it’s gonna’ make your head spin! All you need is your chopping knife and a serving platter. If you want to get technical, a mason jar works really well for mixing and storing the Balsamic vinaigrette.
How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge?
This yummy salad is only good for a day or two after its dressed but there typically aren’t any leftovers. You can keep the tangy Balsamic Vinaigrette for up to a week in the fridge, but I bet you’ll eat it sooner.
Can You Freeze This?
I’m sure you know that salads just can’t survive the freezer but that’s nothing new. I have been known to freeze my Balsamic vinaigrette in ice cube trays. That way it’s handy and ready when I need it.
If you choose to do this, you’ll want to thaw in a covered container so you can give it a shake to blend. It does tend to separate when frozen.
Make Ahead Tips
Your salad can be made up to a few hours ahead of time, but it must stay in the fridge. I like to throw the Balsamic together in the morning and let it chill in the fridge. Then I’ll put the salad together around lunchtime and its ready to go for dinner. A little chill time can be a good thing.
Serving Recommendations
This classic salad has a modern twist and layers upon layers of flavor. In fact, its scrumptious and hearty enough to be the meal instead of the side dish.
If you do decide to have it complement the main course, it pairs really well with Greek chicken or Italian dressing chicken. It’s just a flavor explosion in your mouth! You can also try it for lunch with a chicken gyro. I promise you’ll be full ‘till dinner.
Recipe Variations
If you’re feeling frisky and looking for some new flavors, you can tweak this Mediterranean salad for even more dishes. Here are some amazing options!
- Turn this into a Quinoa Salad with truckloads of protein, vitamins, and fiber.
- Add garbanzos to whip up a Mediterranean Chickpea Salad that’ll keep you full for hours.
- A few simple substitutions will turn it into a fabulous Greek Salad to curb that craving.
- Some tricks of the trade and a couple of secret ingredients will turn this into the best Italian Salad you’ve ever had!
- Toss it with pasta for a Mediterranean Pasta Salad that eats like a meal.
Mediterranean Salad
Ingredients
Salad:
- 8 cups romaine leaves, torn
- 1 (10-ounce) container grape tomatoes, cut in half
- 2 English cucumbers, seeded chopped in small cubes
- 1 cup red onion, sliced
- 1 1/2 cups pitted kalamata olives, sliced
- 1 jar sun-dried tomatoes rinsed, well-drained and sliced
- 10-12 ounces feta crumbled
- homemade balsamic vinaigrette
Instructions
Salad:
- In a large bowl combine the romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, olives and sun-dried tomatoes. Add dressing to taste and toss well. Sprinkle Feta evenly over salad.
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More Easter Side Dishes
This elegant Mediterranean salad makes one of the best Easter Side Dishes but it simple enough to eat all year round – and the family will thank you for it! In the meantime, here are some other scrumptious dishes you may enjoy.
- 7 Layer Salad – Beauty and deliciousness doesn’t have to be complicated!
- Broccoli Salad – Even better than grandma used to make and nutritious too.
- Marinated Tomato Salad – Fresh vibrant flavors will wake up those taste buds.
- Cucumber Tomato Salad – Light, refreshing, and suitable for almost any warm-weather meal.
- Spinach Salad – So delicious they’ll never know how healthy it is.
Conclusion
This yummy Mediterranean salad is the flavor by which all others are measured. Its fresh, delicious, and terribly simple. Enjoy it a la cart for lunch or pair it with other dishes for a mouth full of a happy dance. It tastes so good it’s almost hard to believe how nutritious it is.
This tangy salad is one of my favorite Easter side dishes and I’m willing to bet you’re gonna’ feel the same way – and yes, they’re gonna’ want seconds!
I like this recipe very much and keep on posting these kind of recipes.
thank you!
My new favorite salad
It looks delicious I loved it Thanks for sharing
You’re welcome! <3