Hey there, I'm Fatima (you can call me Faye). Welcome to Faye's Food where you'll find easy to follow, tested and approachable recipes.
Hey there!
Greek Salad in America involves ingredients such as lettuce, olives, beets, peppers, and more. In Greece, not so much. The traditional Greek Salad is actually very simple. It's all about the few ingredients being of great quality and letting the ingredients shine. I should also mention that there is no such thing as lettuce in the OG salad. Yup, it's just veggies. But, don't let that scare you off. This easy traditional Greek salad is still so flavorful and has an amazing texture. It may be the easiest and quickest salad you make in your life.
Crunchy. Tangy. Salty.
This traditional Greek Salad is:
quick to make
full of flavor
refreshing
simple to make and requires only a few ingredients
What makes my version *slightly* traditional:
Feta: Our feta is crumbled, but traditionally it is cut up into large chunks or served in large blocks. Crumbled is all I had on hand so that's what I used. If you can get the large block, by all means use it.
Oregano: I totally went to the grocery store and got every fresh herb BUT oregano. Epic fail by me haha. So, I used dried oregano, but traditionally you should use fresh Greek oregano. I highly recommend it.
Onion: I used a red onion which is traditional in some regions of Greece, but in others, they prefer to use white onion in this salad.
Ingredients for my *slightly* traditional Greek salad:
Cucumber– Gives the salad a wonderful crunch as well as flavor
Feta– Adds a salty tang and creamy texture
Tomato - Adds flavor
Green Pepper– Adds more texture and flavor
Red Onion – Adds a bit of a sweet bite
Kalamata Olives– Adds wonderful saltiness and creaminess
Salt – Brings out the rest of the flavors
Oregano – Adds a bit of pungency and seasons the salad
Olive Oil and Red Wine Vinegar –This mixture is our dressing and really complements our ingredients well
How to Make Traditional Greek Salad
Traditional Greek Salad is such a wonderful warm-weather salad. It's made with very few ingredients but is big on flavor.
Peel and chop the cucumber- Peel and wash the cucumber and then cut it twice in half. Chop in large chunks and place the chunks in a large bowl.
Wash, chop, slice - Wash the tomato and cut in half down the middle and then cut in half again and then cut in half to form large wedges. Wash the green pepper and cut in half down the middle, chop into a medium dice. Slice the red onion thinly. Place in the bowl with the cucumbers.
Chop the olives and add the feta – Chop the kalamata olives in large chunks and add the feta in large chunks or blocks. If all you have is crumbled feta, just add it in.
Season – Season with a bit of salt and oregano.
Dressing and Serve -In a measuring cup, mix the olive oil and red wine vinegar. In a large bowl, toss the salad lightly and place some in your serving bowl. Lightly drizzle some dressing over the top of the veggies. Serve and enjoy!
1 English or House cucumber (washed, peeled and chopped into large chunks)
1 Roma tomato (washed and chopped into large wedges)
1 green pepper (washed and chopped into medium dice)
¼ of a medium-sized red onion (sliced)
⅛ cup Kalamata olives (chopped roughly)
¼ cup chopped or crumbled feta or more to your liking
small pinch of salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano or 1 teaspoon fresh Greek oregano
½ cup dressing (drizzled as needed)
Peel and wash the cucumber and then cut it twice in half. Chop in large chunks and place the chunks in a large bowl.
Wash the tomato and cut in half down the middle and then cut in half again and then cut in half to form large wedges. Wash the green pepper and cut in half down the middle, chop into a medium dice. Slice the red onion thinly. Place in the bowl with the cucumbers.
Chop the kalamata olives in large chunks and add the feta in large chunks or blocks. If all you have is crumbled feta, just add it in.
Season with a bit of salt and oregano.
In a measuring cup, mix the olive oil and red wine vinegar. In a large bowl, toss the salad lightly and place some in your serving bowl. Lightly drizzle some dressing over the top of the veggies. Serve and enjoy!
Use a block of feta for a more traditional presentation