If you are looking to eat healthier this year, you can’t beat this Mediterranean Salad. Made with chopped vegetables, olives, cheese, and the simplest light dressing, this dish makes a great lunch or dinner side dish.
How to Make Mediterranean Salad
Red Wine Vinegar
Half the dressing in this recipe is made from Red Wine Vinegar. Red Wine Vinegar is a really common ingredient in Mediterranean cooking. As the name implies it’s base ingredient is red wine. Despite that, because the wine is turned into vinegar and is acidic, it contains almost no alcohol. Like many vinegars, it is very acidic on it’s own. But when you balance it with the olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper, it is perfection.
Greek Oregano
In the United States most often we purchase oregano under the generic name, “Oregano” and don’t really give it a second though. But, truthfully, oregano from different regions holds very different tastes. The taste in oregano from Mexico can have notes of citrus and be just a hint sweeter. Alternatively, oregano from Greece is more earthy in flavor. In this recipe, I am calling for Greek Oregano as this is a Mediterranean salad recipe. It is what will make this recipe most authentic. That being said, if you can’t find Greek oregano, go with what is in your pantry. It will also be delicious.
Variations for this Mediterranean Salad Recipe
Make it a Mediterranean pasta salad. To stretch this into a whole meal, add in half a pound of bow tie pasta. Taste it, and adjust seasonings. You may choose to double the dressing.Make it a Mediterranean Chickpea Salad. To make this a filling lunch add in a can of garbanzo beans drained and rinsed.Make it a simple Mediterranean Quinoa Salad. Toss this salad with 2 cups of cooked quinoa to make a low carb meal. As with the pasta variation, you may want to double the dressing.
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
My favorite variation by far is adding in garbanzo beans. They are such a natural fit with the rest of the ingredients. A 15 ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed, can be tossed in with the vegetables. There is no need to change any of the other ingredients. This will add in 385 calories, 70 grams of carbs, and 18 grams of protein. It will also stretch this from four lunches to six.
Storing Leftovers
This Mediterranean cucumber salad is best when eaten right after it is made. That being said, it will still be delicious as left overs. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Please note that the longer it sits the more the vegetables will soften and break down. This is fine from a food safety perspective, but you might not enjoy it as much. Tastes do vary, so it might turn out you enjoy it more.
Other Mediterranean Inspired Dishes
My Greek Quinoa Salad is filling and great for making ahead.This Greek Pasta Salad is perfect for serving a crowd.You will love the seasonings on this Greek Salad with Chicken.
If you make this Mediterranean Salad recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think. I love hearing from you.
