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Everyday Mediterranean Salad

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This Everyday Mediterranean Salad recipe is quick and easy to make, tossed with a simple Greek vinaigrette, and can easily double as a side salad or main dish.

Everyday Mediterranean Salad

When I asked on Instagram what you would like to see next in our side salad recipe collection this week, there was one write-in request that won by a landslide…

…a Mediterranean salad!

Well, technically, about half of you requested a Greek side salad recipe. But since I already have an authentic Greek salad recipe here on the blog (which traditionally is made without leafy greens), I thought that would whip up a simple Mediterranean green salad for you here today. And I’ve gotta say — this one turned out to be a total winner! ♡

This salad is perfectly balanced with so many of the Mediterranean flavors I love most — peppery arugula, hearty chickpeas, cool cucumbers, smoky roasted reds, tangy feta cheese and a super-simple herby Greek vinaigrette that brings it all together. It is easy to throw together in just 10 or 15 minutes. It holds up well in the fridge if you would like to make it a few hours in advance (see tips below) or bring it along to a party or potluck. It’s also easy to gussy up with any extra proteins, veggies, olives or nuts that you might want to toss in, or (bonus!) it be easily be transformed into a delicious pasta salad if you would like to add in some cooked orzo or pretty farfalle. But best of all, it’s just super fresh and flavorful and a total fave of mine.

Feel free to make a meal out of it, or serve it as a side salad, or whatever sounds good. I think you’re going to love it!

Greek Vinaigrette | Everyday Mediterranean Salad Recipe

Everyday Mediterranean Salad Ingredients:

To make this Everyday Mediterranean Salad recipe, you will need:

  • Greens: I love using hearty arugula for this salad, but any of your favorite salad greens will work well too.
  • Fresh Veggies: I just thinly sliced some red onion and English cucumber, but feel free to add in any extra veggies that you are craving or have on hand.
  • Roasted Red Peppers: I diced about half a jar of store-bought roasted reds, but feel free to roast your own peppers or use fresh bell peppers instead.
  • Feta Cheese: Lots of it, please! ♡
  • Chickpeas: One can, rinsed and drained, to add some extra heartiness to this salad.
  • Greek Vinaigrette: Made easily with pantry staples, including olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon, garlic (or garlic powder), dried oregano, salt and pepper.

Mediterranean Salad with Arugula and Chickpeas

How To Make This Salad:

To make this Mediterranean salad recipe, simply…

  1. Make your dressing. Whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl until combined. Or — my preferred method — just add them to a mason jar and shake-shake-shake until the dressing is ready to go.
  2. Mix the salad. Then combine all of your salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle evenly with the dressing and toss until combined.
  3. Serve. Enjoy right away while it’s nice and fresh!

If you would like to prep this salad a few hours in advance, just combine everything except the arugula in a large mixing bowl, place the arugula lightly on top, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Then give the salad a good toss right before serving and enjoy!

Greek Salad with Arugula and Chickpeas

Possible Variations:

There are about a million ways that you can customize this salad. So feel free to get creative and use what ingredients you love most (or need to use up in your kitchen!) and make this one your own. For example, feel free to:

  • Add a protein: Cooked chickensteakporkshrimpsalmon, or tofu would all be great added to this salad.
  • Add falafel: I’m also obsessed with adding some crispy falafel to this salad — so yummy!
  • Add extra fresh veggies: Such as fresh bell pepper, tomatoes or radishes.
  • Add extra jarred veggies: Such as artichoke hearts or sun-dried tomatoes.
  • Add olives: Kalamatas or any other Mediterranean olives you love would be delicious!
  • Add nuts: Pine nuts, pepitas, almonds or whatever might sounds good.
  • Add fresh herbs: If you happen to have any fresh basil or oregano on hand, chop them up to add to the vinaigrette for extra fresh flavor.
  • Use different beans: If chickpeas aren’t your jam, feel free to add in white beans instead. Or nix the beans altogether.
  • Use different cheese: If you don’t love feta, crumbled goat or blue cheese would also be delicious in this salad. Or feel free to go the Parmesan, Pecorino, or mozzarella route instead!
  • Make it vegan: Just omit the cheese altogether, or use a vegan cheese.

Mediterranean Salad Recipe

More Side Salad Recipes:

If you’re looking for more side salad inspiration, here are some of my faves!

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Everyday Mediterranean Salad

Everyday Mediterranean Salad

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 23 reviews
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x

Description

This Everyday Mediterranean Salad recipe is quick and easy to make, tossed with a simple Greek vinaigrette, and it can easily double as a side salad or main dish.  See notes above for possible ingredient variations.


Ingredients

Scale

Mediterranean Salad Ingredients:

  • 5 ounces baby arugula (or whatever salad greens you prefer)
  • 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • half of a small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
  • half of an English cucumber, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup diced roasted red peppers
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Greek Vinaigrette Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
  • 1 small clove garlic, pressed or minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)

Instructions

  1. To Make The Vinaigrette: Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl (or shake together in a mason jar) until combined.  Taste and add additional sweetener if desired.  Use immediately or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
  2. To Make The Salad: Combine all ingredients in a large salad bowl, drizzle evenly with the vinaigrette, and toss until evenly combined.  Serve immediately, topped with extra feta cheese and black pepper if desired.

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29 comments on “Everyday Mediterranean Salad”

  1. Love the concept. And, I really like that you are with the trend of giving conceptual ideas of what to include, for example, arugula (or any salad greens), etc.

    I see the cheeses that you offer as alternatives. A cheese that I’ve been incorporating into my rotation is cotija. It crumbles really nicely and keeps well in a sealed container in the fridge. Good to use as a topping or whisked into a viniagrette.

    Why do you recommend refrigerating the dressing? In my estimation, there are no ingredients that will spoil, especially when submerged in a vinegar and oil solution. And, refrigeration will cause the olive oil to solidify, creating the need for a long thawing of the oil ahead of time for the next time.

    Thanks again for your dedication to delicious and healthy eating! We love your recipes.

    • Have made this salad several times and love the chickpea addition. Brought this to the New Years Eve party and it was devoured with many complements on the dressing. I have notched up the oil to vinegar ratio 4:2 for my liking. Cheers and thanks for the recipe.






  2. I adore feta! and chickpeas! Can’t wait to make this for lunches :)

  3. What a pretty salad! Now that the weather is warming up, I will be making more salads for dinner. I can’t wait to try this one! Thanks for the inspiration.

  4. Hello Ali, I was looking for some Mediterranean salad recipes last two days, then I found your recipe it is very easy to make and low time-consuming. And besides all of these things, the taste was awesome. I add some shrimps as per your suggestion and it worked.






  5. Just made this and it’s so so tasty! Definitely going to be a staple for my lunches from now on!!






  6. what a great post, u have won my heart ..! what a way u have used to explain these in simple. appreciate it Jackie keep it up good work…..!






  7. Great salad to have with kabobs






  8. I like it very much! I like your Authentic Greek Salad, also. Thanks for sharing.






  9. This salad is easy and delicious! My husband was asking for more! Thank you!






  10. I loveddddd this every day salad. Its so refreshing to see and then eat it. Body got refreshed and i got stomach problems yet. Thanks for sharing such a useful salad making.






  11. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.I am going to try these salad.






  12. This is the simplest salad recipe I have ever seen. Simple, yet tasty and healthy. This is how we, Greeks prepare our meal. I know a place where you can get simple, healthy, authentic greek food taste around UAE. You can go or call El Greco, a known greek food restaurant. They have the best menu — rotisserie chicken, greek salad, pita wraps and kebabs.

  13. OUTSTANDING! Will be making this regularly!!!! Great with tofu, chicken or falafel






  14. I replaced the canned chickpeas with store-bought fried chickpeas, they gave the salad a really nice crunch. The salad paired really well with a Moroccan chicken with apricot and olive relish and couscous. To roast the bell pepper, I threw a fresh one in the oven while the chicken was cooking (at 400 F for about 20 min). After making the salad, I had some roasted bell pepper left over, so I made hummus the next day and blended them together, so the hummus came out even better (just in case that helps anyone). I will definitely be making this salad again.






  15. It’s so good!
    So easy to follow and my family absolutely loved it. I added in some sumac, rosemary and chili flakes. Best salad dressing I’ve tried so far. Thank you !






  16. The vinaigrette was perfection! Made it as a side for a pasta dinner but the salad stole the show. I added olives and some sweet corn.






  17. I adore feta! and chickpeas! Can’t wait to make this for lunches :) also please make a review on the best espresso coffee espresso machine under 400

  18. I made this as a side and it did not disappoint! My husband, who is not a salad lover, thought it was the best salad ever! I’ll definitely be making this one again!






  19. I love fresh sides and salads in the summer and this was perfect! I substituted yellow mustard for Dijon mustard as I didn’t have any on hand. I added tomatoes and fresh cilantro from my garden! It was perfect!
    I’ll be making this again and sharing it with others so they can come get the recipe and make it themselves :)






  20. This recipe was so good will be making this a lot.






  21. Excellent salad we paired to the main course loaded fettuccine with bacon ham chicken green onion Alfredo with grilled shrimp scollops skewers resting on top. Pinot Gris






  22. I used the vinaigrette recipe for this salad on my Israeli Couscous Mediterranean salad and from this point forward, I’ll never use another vinaigrette for it again. Looking forward to trying it on the salad for which it was intended. Thanks Ali!






  23. My family and I love this salad! The vinaigrette is perfect. I know I will be making it regularly. Thanks!






  24. This salad is so good!






  25. My high school culinary arts class made this salad and we all loved it. For many students it was their first time trying this type of lettuce and salad ingredients.

  26. delicious and easy to make.






  27. Very nice. This is my kind of recipe. I used fresh red pepper, and added some kalamata olives and salmon cooked per your Greek Salmon Salad Bowls.






  28. Great salad for those of us that have slightly elevated cholesterol!