Greek Salad (Horiatiki)
With a host of vibrant colours, crumbly feta cheese, olives, an herby oregano dressing and loads of sweet and crunchy vegetables…this traditional greek salad is so delicious and refreshing.
It can be served as a side or enjoyed on its own. It’s simple to prepare, nutritious and tastes so good! :)
CONTENTS OF THIS RECIPE POST
It’ll take you just a couple of minutes to read through this recipe post and you’ll learn a lot! I always recommend reading the entire post to get the best understanding of the recipe, helpful tips, information about ingredients, storage advice etc.
Here’s a quick look at what topics are included in this recipe post :)
INGREDIENTS
Cucumber
Provides freshness and a crispy crunch. I peel the cucumber, but you can use it unpeeled if you prefer.
Tomatoes
Adds sweetness and juiciness to the salad. You can use either chopped tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, depending to your preference.
Green Capsicum / Bell Pepper
This also gives great crunch and juiciness to the salad while adding another flavour.
Red Onion
The addition of raw red onion doesn’t overwhelm the salad but provides a nice contrasting flavour to diversify the dish and give a bit more dimension to the taste of the salad..
Pitted Olives
I use pitted Kalamata olives for this recipe.
Feta Cheese
Gives a creamy texture and salty flavour that balances out the other ingredients in the salad. I like to purchase the feta cheese that comes packaged in the brine (liquid) as I think it carries more flavour than the vacuum sealed blocks of feta cheese you can buy, but both are still delicious and will work well for this salad. Once you remove the feta from the brine, make sure to give it a quick rinse before adding it to the salad. The feta cheese is often served as a large square or block on top of the salad. However, I prefer to slice it up into bite size squares and mix it through as I find this more practical for serving and eating and I also like that it allows the dressing to coat the feta too. Ultimately, it is a matter of preference so do as you like! :)
Olive Oil
Is one of three components required for the simple “dressing” of this greek salad. I always use extra-virgin olive oil and think it is important to opt for a high quality oil any time it is one of the main components or flavours of a recipe, like in this salad.
Dried Oregano
Another traditional component of the greek salad which sets it apart from other salads is the inclusion of dried oregano.
Red Wine Vinegar
This is the recommended vinegar traditionally used when seasoning a Greek salad, however you can substitute with another vinegar if you don’t have any on hand. This acidity of the vinegar with the silkiness of the olive oil and herby notes of the dried oregano make for a fantastic dressing over this salad.
Salt
Of course, I also season the salad with just a bit of salt.
OPTIONAL:
Mint
It is not necessary but I chose to garnish this greek salad with a large sprig of mint leaves as I think it adds to the appearance and refreshing flavour of this dish :)
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE GREEK SALAD?
This Greek salad is so quick and easy to put together, with only a little prep work required - chopping just a few vegetables and cubing some feta cheese, Then it’s as simple as placing all of your ingredients into a bowl and tossing together :)
That means you can have this delicious salad prepared in less than 10 minutes!
Fun Fact: “Horiatiki” means “village-style”. You just learned a little Greek! :)
CAN YOU MEAL PREP GREEK SALAD?
Yes! You can partially meal prep greek salad by washing and chopping/slicing all your vegetables and then storing these in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the fridge. You can also prepare the dressing in advance but store it separately to prevent the salad from going soggy; then when ready to serve, simply add the olives and feta cheese to the prepared vegetables and toss in the dressing to coat :)
RECIPE
GREEK SALAD (HORIATIKI)
Serves: 2
Time: 10 minutes
Difficulty: Easy / Beginner
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INGREDIENTS
1 large cucumber, peeled or unpeeled, to your preference
2 tomatoes
1/2 red onion, peeled
1 green capsicum a.k.a bell pepper
6 - 8 pitted Kalamata olives, to your preference
1/2 block feta cheese
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp salt, or to taste
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
OPTIONAL:
Large sprig of mint, to garnish
METHOD
Slice the cucumber into rounds and the tomatoes into quarters. Then remove the seeds and stem from the capsicum (bell pepper) and slice the flesh of the capsicum into rounds or bite size strips, as you prefer. Cut the red onion in half from top to bottom, store one half for use in another recipe and place the half needed for this salad down so its flat side is against the chopping board and slice strips - this should create natural half rings of red onion.
Place the above ingredients in a bowl and add olives, dried oregano, salt, olive oil and red wine vinegar. Toss to combine and coat the ingredients evenly with the dressing.
Remove the feta cheese from its brine and rinse (if packaged in brine), then slice into bite sized cubes. Place the feta cubes over the salad and if you like, gently toss again to coat, being mindful not to crumble the feta.
Garnish with a spring of mint and serve the salad immediately.
When you try this recipe…
I’d love to know!
Please leave a comment below and share with me your thoughts on this Greek Salad recipe :)
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