Perfect for the summer, this classic Greek Salad recipe with a homemade red wine vinaigrette is bright, fresh, and flavorful! It comes together quickly with just a handful of ingredients.
Looking for more easy salad recipes? Try my Brussels Sprout Salad or Broccoli Salad next!
About This Recipe
Whether you're preparing a dish for a barbecue, picnic, or just need something healthy for dinner, this Greek Salad is the perfect summertime dish! It's bright, fresh, flavorful, and so easy to make. With vegetables at their peak, who can resist making this salad? It has juicy cherry tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, and snappy bell peppers, all tossed with salty feta cheese, olives, and a sharp red wine vinaigrette.
One thing to keep in mind with Greek salad is that it tastes best served immediately. Because the vegetables are so juicy, once the dressing is mixed with them, they will immediately start softening, and their juices will come out. This is perfectly fine in the short term, but if youโre making this ahead of time for a gathering, I recommend storing the dressing and salad separately and combining them just before serving. This keeps the vegetables crisp and crunchy.
Key Ingredients
Cherry tomatoes: There's nothing worse than flavorless cherry tomatoes! To pick the best ones for this salad, look for tomatoes that are bright in color and firm to the touch.
Cucumber: I use English cucumbers because they are less seedy. If you aren't a fan of the seeds, you can also scoop them out with a spoon.
Green bell pepper: Look for a firm bell pepper. You can also use red or yellow.
Red onion: A traditional Greek Salad contains red onion, but you can omit this if you don't like onions. Another option is to soak the onions in ice water for 20 minutes to "deflame" them.
Olives: I like using pitted kalamata olives and keeping them whole.
Feta cheese: Adds tangy and salty flavor! I recommend buying a block of feta that's in brine as opposed to pre-crumbled, as it's fresher and moister.
For the dressing: Nothing beats a homemade dressing. For mine, I use olive oil, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, dried basil, salt, and pepper. Red wine vinegar has a sharp flavor that pairs exceptionally well with the vegetables.
Instructions
STEP 1: In a large bowl, add all the vegetables, olives, and feta cheese. Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and drizzle over.
๐ Recipe
Greek Salad
Ingredients
For the dressing
- โ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ยฝ teaspoon dried basil
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- ยฝ teaspoon black pepper
For the salad
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 1 large cucumber (cubed)
- 1 medium green bell pepper (cubed)
- ยฝ small red onion (sliced)
- โ cup pitted Kalamata olives
- ยฝ cup feta cheese (crumbled)
Instructions
- To make the dressing, whisk together all the ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside. The dressing may separate later on, if so, just rewhisk until combined.
- In a large bowl, add all the vegetables, olives, and feta cheese.
- If you're serving the salad immediately, drizzle the dressing over and toss to combine. If you're making ahead of time, refrigerate the salad and dressing separately, then combine them just before serving to keep the vegetables crisp.
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