This Mediterranean salad is a blend of tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, red onion, olives and feta, all tossed together in a homemade dressing. A quick and easy side dish option that’s perfect for parties and always gets rave reviews!
You can never go wrong with a good salad, whether it’s a zesty tomato avocado salad, a hearty chicken salad with grapes, or this fresh and colorful Mediterranean salad.
I almost always serve a salad with dinner, but sometimes plain old lettuce can get boring. This Mediterranean salad skips the lettuce in favor of a pile of fresh chopped veggies instead. It takes just minutes to put together and pairs perfectly with grilled steak, roasted chicken and fresh seafood.
How do you make Mediterranean Salad?
Place cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, olives, green bell peppers and parsley in a large bowl. Whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, herbs and spices to make the dressing. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss gently to coat. Top the salad with feta cheese. Add a sprinkle of fresh parsley for garnish, then serve and enjoy.
Tips for the perfect salad
- You can use regular cucumbers, English cucumbers or small Persian cucumbers in this recipe. If you use standard cucumbers with waxy skin, you’ll want to peel them first. There is no need to peel English or Persian cucumbers.
- I buy a block of feta cheese and crumble it myself for the best flavor. The tubs of crumbled cheese at the store are often coated in anti caking agents and I find they’re not quite as good as the block variety.
- This salad will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- My recipe calls for green bell peppers because they’re often found in Mediterranean style salads. Green peppers can sometimes have a stronger flavor, so feel free to use a sweet red, orange or yellow pepper if you prefer.
- I typically use cherry or grape tomatoes because I always have them on hand, but it’s also fine to use diced Roma tomatoes.
- You can prepare the salad dressing up to 3 days before you make the salad. I often double or triple the dressing so that I have it on hand all week long.
- I use a mandoline to shave the red onion into very thin slices.
Mediterranean Salad flavor variations
This salad is great as-is, but you can add other ingredients to make the flavors your own.
- Protein: Make your Mediterranean salad into a main course by adding grilled diced chicken, cooked shrimp, sliced steak or canned chickpeas.
- Vegetables: Amp up the nutrition by adding in some extra veggies such as avocado, shredded carrots, spinach or mixed salad greens. You can also add jarred pepperoncini for an extra zesty flavor.
- Herbs: Swap out the parsley for dill, green onions or fresh basil.
- Cheese: Not a fan of feta cheese? Try shaved parmesan or crumbled goat cheese instead.
Mediterranean salad is the perfect blend of crunchy veggies, creamy and savory cheese and zesty dressing. It’s a healthy addition to any meal that everyone is sure to love.
More salads to savor
Mediterranean Salad Video
Mediterranean Salad
Ingredients
For the salad
- 3 cups sliced cucumbers seeds removed
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/4 cup red onion thinly sliced
- 1 green bell pepper cored, seeded and diced
- 1/3 cup kalamata olives pitted and halved
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1/3 cup feta cheese crumbled
For the dressing
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
For the dressing
- In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
For the salad
- Place the cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, red onion, green bell peppers, kalamata olives and parsley in a large bowl.
- Pour the dressing over the vegetables. Toss gently to coat. Sprinkle the feta cheese over the salad.
- Garnish with additional chopped parsley if desired, then serve immediately.
Love bright salads like this as I’m not a huge fan of lettuce. So crsip and tangy too with the dressing.
This is such a light and refreshing salad! The dressing is delicious with the flavor of the dijon mustard! A keeper!
We love holiday colorful looking sides like this its on our menu for Thanksgiving cant wait thanks!
All my favourite flavours in a salad. I love anything with feta.
The salad was so yummy and fresh! We put it side by side to our falafels during our Middle-Eastern themed dinner last night and it was a hit!
Great recipe! It’s so easy to make and tastes amazing. I will be making this again. Thanks for such an easy and delicious recipe!
Happiness on my plate! This salad was so simple to build, Thank you!
I love the addition of Dijon mustard to salad dressings. This salad boasts a perfect combination of colorful veggies, and the dressing is absolutely delicious. Thanks for sharing another amazing recipe.
This is a great salad! The flavors are all so fresh tasting, and it’s super quick and easy to whip up any night of the week. We really enjoyed this one!
This salad is incredible, but that DRESSING! Oh my goodness, it’s out of this world!