This Mediterranean Chopped Salad is full of healthy vegetables like crispy cucumber, crunchy lettuce and then rounded out with briny olives and tangy feta cheese.
Top if off with a simple red wine salad dressing and you have a great side dish or light meal.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Family Friendly - Those of you who like to meal prep at the beginning of the week or want cold lunch ideas for work, you need to give this salad recipe a go. A good chopped salad has endless variations and I am here to serve them up to you!
It’s tasty all year long – while my strawberry spinach salad or arugula and feta salad are more seasonal, this chopped salad can be made all year round. That’s right – between the grape tomatoes and cucumbers, you can still have a fresh tasting salad without skimping on flavor.
Longevity - because it's lightly dressed, this delicious salad will keep for several days in the fridge and tastes just as good the next day.
Ingredients
These ingredients are simple, fresh and ones you'll feel good about!
- romaine hearts - you could also sub in chopped kale or butter lettuce.
- grape tomatoes - cherry tomatoes also work or ripe tomatoes from the garden in the summertime.
- English cucumber - these are the cucumbers wrapped in plastic at the grocery store. They might also be called Persian cucumbers. I like to use them because there's no need to scrape out any seeds and they have a thin skin.
- chickpeas - also sometimes called garbanzo beans
- red onion
- Kalamata olives - the briny, bright flavor of these olives is prevalent in Greek and Italian recipes.
- feta cheese - I love tangy feta cheese. I prefer to buy a block of it and crumble it into small pieces myself.
Salad Dressing Ingredients
- red wine vinegar
- olive oil
- dried oregano
Recipe Variations
Want to amp up the protein? Make it a complete meal and add chopped hard boiled eggs or some grilled chicken, rotisserie chicken or shrimp.
Get herbaceous! If you have fresh herbs like dill, fresh parsley or mint, chop it up and add it to the recipe. It will pair wonderfully with the flavors.
Other ways to mix it up – add artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers…Add whatever you like, there are no rules when it comes to chopped salad recipes!
Stretch it into a potluck friendly dish by adding small cooked pasta like bow tie pasta.
How to make a Mediterranean Chopped Salad
Start by cutting the romaine lettuce into 2 inch pieces. I prefer to cut my lettuce, then wash it and dry it in a salad spinner.
Add the clean and dry lettuce to a large salad bowl.
Cut the cucumber by slicing off the ends, then quarter the cucumber and chop it into bite size pieces. We're trying to keep all the ingredients a uniform size so no one feels left out!
I like to cut the grape tomatoes in half (no tomato seeds randomly flying around here) and the olives, too. It just looks nice and a half bite of olive is the perfect size.
You can arrange the salad in rainbow fashion, or give it a stir. Make sure your salad bowl has some room for stirring action.
Make the red wine vinaigrette by combining the olive oil, vinegar, and oregano in a small mason jar and give it a shake. Drizzle it over the top of the assembled salad and top with crumbled feta cheese.
How to serve and store chopped salad
Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate.
Serve with honey mustard grilled chicken, juicy grilled pork chops or as is.
FAQS
Can I chop salad in a food processor?
No, I really want you to grab your favorite chef's knife. It's minimal cutting, you can do it! The food processor will make the lettuce too fine and yield uneven pieces.
Other salad recipes for you
Mediterranean Cucumber Tomato Salad
I am always on the prowl for good packed lunch ideas. I even made a Pinterest board titled on that very subject matter, so you can say I’m even a little geeky about it.
Check out my free On the Go Meals Guide with over 100 ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner & snacks on the go. I even added recipe links for your viewing pleasure!
Mediterranean Chopped Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 head romaine lettuce washed and chopped
- 1 cup grape tomatoes cut in half
- 2 cups cucumber chopped
- 15 ounce can chickpeas rinsed and drained
- ¼ red onion diced
- ¼ cup Kalamata olives cut in half lengthwise
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
For the salad dressing
- 3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, chickpeas, red onion and olives.
- Make the dressing: add the red wine vinegar, olive oil and dried oregano to a small bowl. Whisk well and pour over the salad. Gently toss to combine.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until ready to serve.
- At serving time, top with the crumbled feta cheese.
Video
Notes
Recipe Variations
Want to amp up the protein? Make it a complete meal and add chopped hard boiled eggs or some grilled chicken, rotisserie chicken or shrimp. Get herbaceous! f you have fresh herbs like dill, fresh parsley or mint, chop it up and add it to the recipe. It will pair wonderfully with the flavors. Other ways to mix it up – add artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers…Add whatever you like, there are no rules when it comes to chopped salad recipes! Stretch it into a potluck friendly dish by adding small cooked pasta like bow tie pasta.Nutrition
This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
