Hear, I do know it’s most likely bizarre, but when I had to decide on a final meal, it could be a salad, 100%! Not a steak, burger, or fried rooster…a crispy, recent, clear salad, and this simple Greek Salad is prime of my record! Feta cheese, grape tomatoes, Kalamata olives, and romaine lettuce are drizzled in probably the most addictive Greek dressing, which takes me simply minutes to make. It’s the proper budget-friendly (high-yield!) meal prep recipe, and you may customise it with no matter proteins you want greatest. Or do as I do and revel in it as-is!
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What’s a Greek Salad?
A standard Greek salad, often known as Horiatiki or ‘Greek village salad,’ is made with recent, summery components generally present in Greek delicacies. It normally consists of feta cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, crimson onions, olives, and oregano, which is wearing a easy mixture of olive oil, herbs, and typically vinegar (or lemon juice). In Greece, this salad not often consists of lettuce (area dependent), however within the American variation, romaine lettuce is usually added. My recipe is extra akin to the salads you’d discover in Greek eating places within the US, as I like the added crunch and texture of romaine lettuce on this dish!
Right here’s what you’ll must make this recipe for Greek salad:
- Romaine Lettuce: The right filler ingredient to stretch this salad additional and make it extra substantial on a funds (which is what we’re all about right here at Funds Bytes!).
- Feta Cheese: Provides a salty, tangy, creamy taste that brings every little thing collectively. I crumble it up so every chunk has a little bit of cheese, and I additionally add some to the dressing for further taste.
- Pitted Kalamata Olives: One other signature ingredient in a Greek salad—these olives have a definite taste and add a bit extra saltiness. Store round for the very best costs on these! A Mediterranean combine, as I exploit in my marinated olives recipe, may even work in a pinch.
- Grape Tomatoes: These juicy tomatoes add shade and texture. I like grape tomatoes, however you may substitute them with cherry tomatoes in the event that they’re priced higher on the retailer.
- Cucumber: Provides a crisp, cool crunch that balances out the saltiness from the feta and olives. I peel half of it, leaving a number of the pores and skin to create a striped sample for each aesthetics and texture!
- Crimson Onion: I thinly slice half a crimson onion for a punch of taste.
- Greek Dressing: I exploit crimson wine vinegar, olive oil, honey, salt, black pepper, recent oregano, olive brine (from the Kalamata olives), Dijon mustard, garlic, and crumbled feta cheese to make my home made dressing. It’s candy, tangy, and completely balanced—whereas highlighting the Greek flavors within the salad.
What Else Can I Add?
I’m all about taking advantage of what you’ve obtained! So, be happy so as to add some extra components to this Greek salad recipe you probably have them available. Listed here are a couple of concepts:
- Shock the onion in the event you don’t just like the uncooked chunk. And no, I don’t imply to scare it! You may ‘shock’ an onion by including the slices to a bowl of chilly water for 10-Quarter-hour. This may mellow out the sharpness and make it extra palatable for many who are delicate to uncooked onion.
- Use recent oregano, not dried. Oregano is an anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and antioxidant powerhouse in any kind. However on this recipe, it is best to use recent oregano because it provides a vivid, herbaceous taste to the dressing that’s arduous to copy with dried oregano. Dried herbs are greatest saved for long-cooking dishes, like stews, soups, and roasts, the place they’ve an opportunity to rehydrate and launch their flavors. I at all times suggest utilizing no matter sort of herb a recipe requires, and on this case, that’s recent oregano!
- Your dressing will separate, and that’s okay. As a result of this home made dressing doesn’t include emulsifiers or stabilizers like store-bought dressings, it’ll naturally separate. I simply give it a great shake or stir earlier than utilizing it once more.
Serving Solutions
It doesn’t matter what you serve this salad with, it NEEDS some kind of bread to sop up the scrumptious dressing. I normally go for pita bread as a result of it’s conventional and scrumptious, however any crusty bread will do. It additionally pairs nicely with grilled meats, roasted greens, or any of the mix-ins I discussed above for a simple lunch possibility. Nonetheless, if you wish to create a full Greek-inspired meal, I like to recommend serving it with our Greek rooster wraps or sheet pan Greek rooster and greens!
Tips on how to Meal Prep Greek Salad
This salad is ideal for meal prepping…however solely when saved accurately. Nobody desires a wilted, unhappy Greek salad! I like to recommend holding the dressing separate from the remainder of the components till able to serve. The dressing is nice for as much as 1 week when saved in an hermetic container within the fridge.
Wash and completely dry your veggies. Chop them forward of time and crumble the feta, however preserve them saved in separate hermetic containers. Add a paper towel to every container of veggies to soak up any extra moisture and preserve them recent. When able to serve, merely toss every little thing collectively and revel in! You can retailer the salad pre-mixed (with out the dressing), however the lettuce can wilt faster this fashion.
Greek Salad Recipe
This simple Greek Salad recipe is stuffed with recent flavors and consists of probably the most scrumptious home made Greek dressing! A easy facet dish for ANY meal.
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Dressing Elements
- ⅓ cup crimson wine vinegar ($0.53)
- 1 Tbsp honey ($0.15)
- ½ tsp salt ($0.01)
- ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.10)
- 2 tsp recent oregano ($0.22)
- 2 Tbsp olive brine ($0.00)
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard ($0.02)
- 1 Tbsp feta cheese, crumbled ($0.27)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced ($0.24)
- ½ cup olive oil ($1.55)
Salad Elements
- 3 heads romaine, rinsed and chopped into bite-sized items* ($3.42)
- ⅓ block of feta cheese + 1 Tbsp, about 3 oz, crumbled and divided** ($1.35)
- ⅓ cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped ($1.44)
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved ($0.82)
- 1 cucumber, peeled and diced ($0.72)
- ½ crimson onion, sliced skinny ($0.53)
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Collect the dressing components (crimson wine vinegar, honey, salt, black pepper, recent oregano, olive brine, Dijon mustard, crumbled feta cheese, and minced garlic).
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Whisk all dressing components collectively, streaming oil in slowly, and put aside.***
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Collect salad components; rinse and chop romaine, crumble feta, chop Kalamata olives, halve tomatoes, peel and cube cucumbers, and julienne (slice thinly) crimson onion.
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Toss all components along with a drizzle of salad dressing till it’s dressed to your liking. Save any leftover dressing within the fridge for as much as one week.
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**Reserve 1 Tbsp of crumbled feta cheese for the dressing
***This dressing is a “short-term emulsion”, so it would be best to give it a great whisk (or a shake in the event you made it in a jar) earlier than dressing your salad.
Serving: 1serving (2 cups)Energy: 219kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 5gFats: 18gSodium: 502mgFiber: 6g
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the right way to make Greek Salad – step-by-step images
Collect ⅓ cup crimson wine vinegar, 1 Tbsp honey, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, 2 tsp recent oregano, 2 Tbsp olive brine, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese, and 4 cloves minced garlic to make your salad dressing.
Whisk all dressing components collectively till mixed. Stream in ½ cup of olive oil slowly whereas nonetheless whisking, and put aside.
Collect your salad components; rinse and chop 3 heads romaine, crumble ⅓ block of feta, chop ⅓ cup Kalamata olives, slice 1 cup of grape tomatoes in half, peel and cube 1 cucumber, and julienne (slice thinly) ½ a crimson onion.
Add all of the salad components to a bowl and add a drizzle of the home made dressing. Begin with a small quantity, as you may at all times add extra to style.
Toss the salad with the dressing, including extra dressing as wanted, till it’s dressed to your liking.
Retailer any leftover dressing within the fridge for as much as one week. Serve your scrumptious Greek tomato salad, and revel in!
