The Ultimate Guide to Making Mediterranean Salads

The Ultimate Guide to Making Mediterranean Salads: With a simple Greek vinaigrette, this Everyday Mediterranean Salad recipe is quick and easy to make. It can be used as either a side salad or the main dish. This week, I asked on Instagram what you would like to see next in our collection of side salad recipes. One written request made it clear who the winner was.

Actually, about half of you asked for a recipe for a Greek side salad. That being said, I already have a real Greek salad recipe on the blog, and that salad is made without leafy greens. So I thought I would make a simple Mediterranean green salad for you today. Anyway, I have to say that this one was a real winner!

There are a lot of Mediterranean flavors I love in this salad: spicy arugula, hearty chickpeas, cool cucumbers, smoky roasted red peppers, tangy feta cheese, and a very easy Greek vinaigrette with herbs that ties it all together. It only takes 10 to 15 minutes to put together. For those who want to make it ahead of time (see tips below), it keeps well in the fridge.

You can also bring it to a party or potluck. Additionally, you can make it fancier by adding extra proteins, vegetables, olives, or nuts. As a bonus, you can easily turn it into a tasty pasta salad by adding some cooked orzo or pretty farfalle. But the best thing about it is that it’s so fresh and tasty, and I love it.

Make it a meal, serve it as a salad, or do anything else that sounds good. I believe you will enjoy it!

WHAT YOU NEED FOR A DAILY MEDIEVAL SALAD:

These things are needed to make this Everyday Mediterranean Salad recipe:

1. For this salad, I like to use hearty arugula, but you can use any of your favorite salad greens.
2. For the fresh vegetables, I just thinly sliced some English cucumber and red onion. You can add any other vegetables you want or have on hand.
3. Red Peppers: I cut up about half a jar of store-bought roasted red peppers. You can roast your own peppers or use fresh bell peppers instead.
4. Feta Cheese: Please give me a lot of it!
5. One can of rinsed and drained chickpeas to make this salad heartier.
6. You can easily make Greek vinaigrette with things you already have in your kitchen, like olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic (or garlic powder), dried oregano, salt, and pepper.

THIS IS HOW YOU MAKE THE SALAD:

To make this recipe for a Mediterranean salad, just…

1. Get your dressing ready. In a small bowl, whisk all of the ingredients together until they are well mixed. You could also just put them in a mason jar and shake it like crazy until the dressing is ready. That’s how I like to do it.
2. Toss the salad together. Then, put all of your salad ingredients in a big bowl and mix them together. Spread out the dressing and toss the salad until everything is well mixed.
3. Do it. Enjoy it right away, while it’s still fresh!
4. If you want to make this salad ahead of time, just put all of the ingredients (except the arugula) in a large bowl, mix them together, sprinkle some arugula on top, cover, and put it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. Once you’re ready to serve, give the salad a good stir.

WHAT OTHERS ARE POSSIBLE:

1. You can change this salad in about a million different ways. Use the ingredients you like best (or need to get rid of!) and make this recipe your own. Among other things, feel free to:
2. What to add: cooked chicken, steak, pork, shrimp, salmon, or tofu would all taste great in this salad.
3. Add falafel: I also love adding crispy falafel to this salad—it tastes so good!
4. Add more fresh vegetables, like radishes, bell pepper, or tomatoes.
5. You can add more vegetables in a jar, like artichoke hearts or sun-dried tomatoes.
6. Add olives. You can use Kalamata olives or any other olives you like from the Mediterranean.
7. Add nuts. You can use pepitas, almonds, pine nuts, or anything else that sounds good.
8. Cut up some fresh herbs. If you have fresh basil or oregano on hand, add some to the vinaigrette to make it taste even better.
9. If you don’t like chickpeas, you can use white beans instead. No beans at all, please.
10. Change the cheese. If you don’t like feta, crumbled blue cheese or goat cheese would also taste great in this salad. You can also use Parmesan, Pecorino, or mozzarella instead.
11. Change it to vegan: Either leave out the cheese all together or use a vegan cheese.