Greek Salad with Feta Vinaigrette

Everyone loves a big fat Greek salad. This one is just like you get at a restaurant!

It features crisp romaine lettuce with cucumbers, tomato, kalamata olives, green pepper, loads of feta cheese and the BEST feta dressing with olive oil and oregano.

How to make the best Greek Salad with Feta Vinaigrette

Featured Ingredients

For the feta vinaigrette:

• Lemon zest and juice: A fresh lemon is crucial for a delicious Greek salad dressing, and the zest provides a ton of bold lemon flavor!
• Red wine vinegar: Also classic in a feta vinaigrette, and provides a nice red wine flavor. It pairs nicely with fresh lemon.
• Olive oil: Your favorite brand!
• Garlic: A few cloves of fresh garlic is so delish in this dressing.
• Dried oregano and basil: So. much. flavor.
• Feta: Break it up into little crumbles and whisk it in. YUM.

For the Greek salad:

• Romaine lettuce: Classic in a Greek salad!
• Cucumber: Thinly slice an English cucumber or a few mini cucumbers.
• Bell pepper: A green bell pepper, seeded, stemmed and thinly sliced.
• Tomato: I use ripe cherry or grape tomatoes and slice them in half.
• Olives: Kalamata, pitted. There is no other kind for Greek salad! Okay, I guess a Greek medley would work, too. 😉
• Feta: Yes, more feta! I like to put some in the dressing, then also top the salad with some more feta. You won't regret it.

Step-by-Step Instructions

To make the feta vinaigrette:

• Whisk together lemon zest and juice, vinegar, garlic, sugar, honey, oregano and basil. Drizzle in olive oil until combined.
• Season with salt and black pepper and taste. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.
• Whisk in feta cheese. Set aside.

To make the Greek salad:

• In a large bowl, combine romaine lettuce, cucumber, bell pepper, tomatoes, olives and feta cheese. Toss with desired amount of dressing.
• Sprinkle with coarse salt and black pepper and top with Parmesan cheese and garnish with pepperoncini, if desired.

Nutrition Considerations

• To make this gluten free: This salad is naturally gluten free. Be sure all packaged ingredients are gluten free.
• To make this dairy free: Skip the cheese or use a dairy free feta substitution.
• To make this vegan: Skip the cheese or use a plant-based feta substitution.
• To make this nut free: This recipe is nut free. Be sure all pacakged ingredients are nut free.
• Add protein: This salad is delicious with grilled chicken or salmon or gyro meat.

Tips for making restaurant quality salads

• Make your own salad dressing. It's super easy and generally pretty fast to whip up your own salad dressing, which restaurants always do. It'll taste fresh, flavorful and is easy to customize based on your salad ingredients.
• Season your salad. Yes, that means ADD SALT! The dressing needs some salt, and it's okay to add a few pinches to your greens as well. Don't go overboard, though, just a little will elevate all of the flavors in your salad.
• Dress the salad before plating it. Grab a big bowl, toss the greens in a bit of the dressing (and salt, of course), then plate it. Add your toppings, then drizzle with a little more dressing for good measure.
• Use a variety of greens and fresh herbs. You can mix up your greens (think spinach, kale, romaine, mixed greens, spring mix, baby greens, arugula and iceberg). They each have unique flavors and textures and some go really well together. You can also add some fresh herbs, like parsley, basil and cilantro, depening on what flavors go well with your salad "theme".
• Add a variety of toppings. Think salty, crunchy, briny, sweet, chewy, nutty, cheesy, etc. It's a good rule of thumb to add a few fresh and dried fruits and/or vegetables (fresh for crunch, dried for chewy) , something briny (like olives), some toasted nuts and some cheese. Remember, though, that you want your flavors to come together and compliment each other. Generally, you'll want 3-5 toppings (you don't have to overdo it, either).

Satisfying salad recipes:

• Citrus Arugula Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
• Salmon Nicoise Salad
• Almond Strawberry Salad with Fennel
• Berry Chicken Salad with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Vegetarian Taco Salad
• Mediterranean Kale Salad
• Roasted Acorn Squash Salad

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Friends, I hope you love it as much as I do!

XOXO