Greek Chopped Salad

You Will Need:

• Romaine lettuce: You'll need 1 large head of lettuce for this salad recipe. If you use romaine hearts, use 2 instead.
• Olives: I recommend a combination of kalamata olives and Greek green olives. I've also used an olive blend before with good results.
• Cucumber: Crisp cucumbers are a cornerstone of any Greek salad - traditional or otherwise. Most often I use english cucumbers, but Persian cucumbers are especially tasty if you can find them.
• Cherry tomatoes: Also known as grape tomatoes, these are the easiest to prepare. Alternatively, you could use a good quality slicing tomato that has had the seeds removed.
• Bell pepper: I'm a red bell pepper girlie, and the sweetness is a delicious addition an otherwise savory salad. If you prefer, you could use a green bell pepper, yellow, or orange.
• Red onion: This is the perfect onion for raw eating. If you want to reduce the sharpness, try soaking it in warm water for 10 minutes before prepping.
• Feta cheese: I like to use a block of feta cheese that I crumble with the tines of a fork, but pre-crumbled feta cheese is a great time saver.
• Greek dressing: You can use your favorite Greek salad dressing, but I recommend my homemade Greek Vinaigrette. This uses olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, honey, dijon mustard, dried herbs, salt, and pepper. It's super easy to put together!

Check the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and the quantities needed. 

1. Add all of the dressing recipes to a medium-sized bowl.
   • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
   • 1 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
   • ½ lemon, juiced (1-2 tablespoons)
   • 1 ½ teaspoons honey (optional)
   • ¾ teaspoon dijon mustard
   • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
   • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
   • ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
   • ⅛ teaspoon salt

2. Stir well until combined, then cover and set aside until needed.
   • Refrigerate if you will not be making the salad in the next 1-2 hours.

How to Make Chopped Greek Salad

1. Prep the lettuce. Wash, dry, and chop into bite-sized pieces. Place in a very large bowl.
2. Chop and add the toppings. Cherry tomatoes, red pepper, red onion, cucumber, kalamata olives, and Greek olives.
3. Toss the salad. Using a pair of tongs, toss the toppings and lettuce together until well combined.
4. Add the feta cheese. Sprinkle on the feta cheese, and toss once again.
5. Pour in the dressing. If you're making this for serving right away, add the dressing before serving. If you plan on serving it over several days, reserve the dressing and add it to individual servings as needed.
6. Toss again. Use your tongs to incorporate the dressing, then serve immediately.