Mediterranean Salad
Whether served as a side dish, or the main event, this Mediterranean Salad is a delicious blend of fresh flavors tossed with a mouthwatering red wine vinaigrette dressing.
To add some protein to this salad, try serving with our amazing Cajun Butter Steak Bites or tender Greek Yogurt Chicken Marinade.
Mediterranean Salad:
Fresh, light, flavorful. This Mediterranean Salad is balanced with chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, salty crumbled feta cheese, light cucumbers, crisp red onions, and of course olives! All tossed together in a tangy red wine vinaigrette dressing that marries all the flavors together beautifully.
This recipe can be used as a quick side dish to compliment a myriad of meals. Or add chicken and a bed of greens to make it a whole meal for lunch or dinner. This recipe can easily be doubled to make a large batch to serve at showers, potlucks, BBQs, and more.
Customize it to fit your tastes and add in extras like peppery artichoke hearts or savory roasted red peppers. Add in a burst of citrus flavor with lemon juice and lemon wedges as a bright garnish. Make the salad and the dressing in advance, toss, and serve. It’s as easy as can be!
How To Make Mediterranean Salad
- For the salad dressing, you’ll need a jar or container with a sealable lid. Combine the olive oil, vinegar, oregano, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper to the container. Give it a good shake to combine all the ingredients and set aside.
- Now in a large mixing bowl combine the chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, diced bell pepper, crumbled feta cheese, cucumber, sliced red onion, and the Kalamata and Castelvetrano olives. Toss to combine.
- Pour over the dressing and gently toss once more to fully combine the salad and dressing. Chill the salad in the refrigerator for at least half an hour before serving to allow the flavors to marinate together.
- Serve this salad with extra dressing, a splash of lemon juice (or lemon wedges), fresh oregano, mint, or parsley, and enjoy.
Tips and Variations
- Any of the ingredients used can be increased, decreased, or omitted depending on your taste and preference. Feel free to play around with the recipe to fit your needs!
- This salad will soak up some of the dressing, so you may want to make extra for serving. The dressing used for this salad is actually our Red Wine Vinaigrette. Make a whole batch to keep on hand for future salads.
- Artichoke hearts and roasted red peppers are amazing additions.
- You can also serve this salad over a bed of greens to make it more of a traditional salad.
- Add Italian marinated chicken to include more protein in your salad or to make it more of a full meal.
Storage
Storage: Store leftover Mediterranean salad in an airtight container for 3 days. Store additional salad dressing separately. We don’t recommend freezing any portion of this salad.
Let Your Taste Buds Set Sail With More Mediterranean Flavors and Recipes:
- Farro Salad
- Greek Flatbread
- Greek Orzo Salad
- Olive Bread
Ingredients
Dressing
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoon(s) oregano, dried
- 1 teaspoon(s) Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Salad:
- 30 ounces chickpeas, drained and rinsed; 2 (15 ounce) cans
- 10 ounces cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- ¾ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- ½ English cucumber, cut into ¼ inch slices then quartered
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup Kalamata olives, chopped
- ¼ cup Castelvetrano olives, chopped
Optional Garnishes:
- lemon juice
- Fresh oregano
- Fresh mint
- Fresh parsley
Instructions
For the Dressing
- Add the olive oil, vinegar, oregano, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper to a jar or container with a sealable lid. Shake to combine then set aside.½ cup extra virgin olive oil¼ cup red wine vinegar1 ½ teaspoon(s) oregano1 teaspoon(s) Dijon mustardSalt and pepper
For the Salad
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the chickpeas, tomatoes, bell pepper, feta cheese, cucumber, onion, and olives.30 ounces chickpeas10 ounces cherry tomatoes1 red bell pepper¾ cup feta cheese½ English cucumber½ red onion¼ cup Kalamata olives¼ cup Castelvetrano olives
- Pour in the dressing and stir to combine. Allow the salad to chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Serve with extra dressing, fresh lemon juice, lemon wedges, fresh oregano, fresh mint, or fresh parsley if desired.
- See post for storage options.