Make a delicious, healthy Traditional Greek Salad to serve four people as a side dish. It’s very easy to make and serve in under 15 minutes.
Do you enjoy Greek salads? We sure do. The different recipes for Greek salads I have made over the years usually include romaine lettuce as the base for the salad.
This traditional Greek salad has no lettuce in it at all, yet it actually is an authentic Greek salad. It it full of fresh crisp veggies, tangy kalamata olives and creamy feta cheese, which are all coated in a simple, classic Greek dressing.
The end result is an absolutely superb, fresh and healthy Greek salad that is a cinch to prepare and tastes amazing! Here’s how to make it.
Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page
Prepare The Salad
Slice, peel and cut up fresh tomatoes, red onions, a large cucumber, red bell pepper. Add these ingredients, plus kalamata olives to a large salad bowl.
For this recipe I like to use a large English cucumber, but a large “regular” cucumber will also be okay, if that is what you have!
Crumble Feta Cheese On Top Of The Salad
Now it’s time to add the great flavor of feta cheese, a classic Greek ingredient in this salad. I typically will buy a flat “block” of feta at the grocery store, then cut it in half.
Crumble the cheese in fairly large pieces over the top of the veggies in the salad bowl, then set the bowl aside.
Make The Salad Dressing
It’s super easy to make a basic salad dressing for the traditional Greek salad. Place extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, ground oregano, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
Use a fork or small whisk to fully mix these ingredients together until they become emulsified. This means the oil and vinegar are fully combined and not separated (like oil and water).
Add Salad Dressing And Toss To Combine
Immediately pour the salad dressing over the top of the salad. Use tongs to gently toss the ingredients together. Toss the salad until the dressing coats all the veggies, olives and feta cheese.
Once the veggies, olives and feta are covered with the dressing, this yummy salad is ready to be served and enjoyed!
Serve The Traditional Greek Salad
You can serve the salad as four side salads, OR if you want a meatless meal, divide the entire salad into two portions and go for it! I usually divide the salad into 4 portions.
NOTE: If you want to make the salad up ahead of time, you can cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for several hours. Do NOT add the salad dressing until you’re ready to serve the salad.
We love to have this traditional Greek salad with grilled or pan-seared, lightly seasoned chicken. This salad has such big, bold flavors that simply seasoned chicken pairs very well with it, and is a good balance!
The veggies are crisp and crunchy, and the slightly salty creamy feta cheese knocks it out of the park. YUM!
I really hope you enjoy the classic flavors of this Traditional Greek Salad as much as we do! Store any leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
The recipe, as written, will yield enough for 4 side salads, but it can also be served as a meatless main dish for two, if desired.
Thanks for stopping by, and I invite you to come back again soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, and have a GREAT day!
Looking For More SALAD Recipes?
You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have lots of delicious salad recipes, including:
- Thanksgiving Salad
- Fruit Feta Salad with Candied Pecans
- Greek Garbanzo Salad
- Cauliflower Broccoli Bacon Salad
- Bacon Lover’s Spinach Salad
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Recipe adapted from: George Zikos, via https://www.mediterraneanliving.com/authentic-greek-salad-horiatiki-salata/
↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓
Make a delicious, healthy Traditional Greek Salad to serve four people as a side dish. It's very easy to make and serve in under 15 minutes.
- 3 medium tomatoes each cut in 6 wedges
- 1 large English cucumber or large standard cucumber
- 15 kalamata olives pitted
- ¼ cup red onion sliced into thin strips
- ⅓ red bell pepper sliced into thin strips
- 4 ounces feta cheese big crumbles
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon ground oregano
- 2 pinches salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
Place prepped tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, red onion, red bell pepper and kalamata olives in a large salad bowl.
Crumble feta cheese over the top of the salad, then set the bowl aside.
Place olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Use a fork or whisk to mix these ingredients together until they become emulsified. Emulsification means oil and vinegar are fully combined and not separated.
Pour salad dressing over salad. Use tongs to gently toss ingredients together until salad dressing covers all the salad ingredients. Serve and enjoy!
NOTE: If you want to make the salad up ahead of time, you can cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for several hours. Do NOT add the salad dressing until you're ready to serve the salad.
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!