This Easy Peasy Greek Salad is delicious combination of feta cheese, Kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and red onion, drizzled with a simple olive oil and lemon juice dressing and topped with a good scattering of oregano. Perfect as a side to Greek-style mains like moussaka, souvlaki and kleftiko… and ready in just 10 minutes!
My perfect Greek Salad recipe
I really, really love Greek salad and have worked over many years to perfect my version of it. The result is this very simple but very delicious version of this Greek classic!
All you have to do is place finely sliced red onions and lemon juice in a bowl. Mix together and allow to sit for 5 minutes. (You can use this 5 minutes to prep the rest of the ingredients for the salad.) After 5 minutes, add the cucumber, tomatoes, olives, olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano and mix everything together gently. Finally, scatter over the cubed feta, drizzle with a little extra olive oil and sprinkle over an extra pinch of oregano.
Why marinate the red onion?
Marinating the onion in lemon juice is a really important step, so don’t miss it out! This will soften the onions slightly and take away the harsh edge. The onions will also add extra flavour to the dressing, making it even more delicious.
Lemon juice or wine vinegar in Greek Salad?
In all honesty, most of the Greek Salad recipes I have read, use red wine vinegar in the dressing… but I much prefer the sharp citrus tang of lemon juice in my Easy Peasy Greek Salad. However, if you prefer, you can use red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar or even apple cider vinegar in this recipe.
Best olives for Greek Salad?
Hands down my favourite olives for Greek Salad are Kalamata olives… but if you don’t like them, or can’t get hold of them, regular black olives are just fine too. And if you prefer green olives, or even a mixture, go for it… really ANY olives work well in this salad!
What to serve with Greek Salad?
Greek Salad is an ideal partner for all your Greek recipe favourites, for example:
But it also works well with a wide variety of other dishes, especially:
- Lemon and Garlic Chicken Traybake with Saffron Rice Pilaf
- Pork Chops with Lemon and Oregano
- Chicken Shish Kebabs
- Lamb, Feta and Mint burgers
But honestly, this salad is so delicious, you can serve it as a meal in its own right! Either serve it on its own as a low-carb main, or serve with with toasted pittas.
Greek Style Lamb Traybake (Kleftiko)
What to drink with Greek Salad?
If you are serving this Easy Peasy Greek Salad as a side dish, I recommend you match your wine to the main dish. But if this Greek Salad is going to be the star of the show, then I recommend a citrussy white to stand up to the lemon juice in the salad – something like a zesty New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc would be perfect… or why not stick with the Greek theme and go for a delicious Greek Assyrtiko?
Alternatively, a dry rosé would also be delicious with this dish!
What to do with leftover Greek Salad?
Because there is no lettuce to go limp and soggy, Greek Salad keeps brilliantly in the fridge, making it a great make-ahead option! I highly recommend making extra, so you can have the leftovers for lunch the next day, with a toasted pitta or two!
Place any leftover Greek Salad an airtight container in the fridge, where it will keep for up to 3 days.
Can you freeze Greek Salad?
Er, no. Salad does not generally freeze well!
Greek Style Lamb Traybake (Kleftiko)
If you like this recipe…
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Easy Peasy Greek Salad
Ingredients
- 1 small red onion (or half a large one) sliced very thinly
- Juice of half a lemon (or to taste)
- ½ cucumber cut into half moons
- 12 cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 12 Kalamata olives (or normal black ones , if you prefer) stones removed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (ideally extra virgin) plus a little extra for finishing
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons oregano plus a little extra for garnish
- 100 g feta cheese cubed
Instructions
- Start by placing the finely sliced onions and lemon juice in a serving bowl. Mix together and allow to sit for 5 minutes. (This will soften the onions slightly and take away the harsh edge. The onions will also add extra flavour to the dressing, making it even more delicious. You can use this 5 minutes to prep the rest of the ingredients for the salad.)
- After 5 minutes, add the cucumber, tomatoes, olives, olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano and mix everything together gently.
- Scatter over the cubed feta, drizzle with a little extra olive oil and sprinkle over an extra pinch of oregano.
Notes
- Not suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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