Mediterranean-Inspired Chopped Salad with Feta and Olives
This chopped salad with crunchy romaine, chickpeas, sweet baby tomatoes, cucumber, feta, olives, and lemon vinaigrette makes for a quick and easy but filling lunch. It’s also great as a side dish for a dinner party.
Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients for four salads:
- Romaine Heart – 1 large Romaine heart (about 4 cups when chopped)
- Chickpeas – 1 small can (14oz or 400 grams can) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
- Baby Tomatoes – 8 oz sweet baby tomatoes (about 1 1/2 cup, 225 grams)
- English Cucumber – 1/2 English cucumber
- Sweet Mini Peppers (or Bell Peppers) – 2 sweet mini peppers or half a bell pepper
- Kalamata Olives – 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted. Other flavorful black or green olives work as well.
- Red Onion – 1/4 medium red onion.
- Feta – 4 oz feta (110 grams).
For the Salad Dressing:
- Lemon – 2 tbsp lemon juice
- Salt – a pinch of kosher salt or flaky sea salt
- Black Pepper – a pinch of freshly-ground black pepper
- Olive Oil – 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- Fresh Herbs – 5 large basil leaves and a handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley (about 2 tbsp when minced).
How to Make It
Step 1. Wash and chop the romaine heart. If you don’t have a salad spinner, wash the leaves first and pat them dry before chopping. If you have a salad spinner, you can chop and then rinse the chopped romaine and dry it in the salad spinner.
Step 2. Make the salad dressing. Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper until emulsified. Add the chopped parsley and finely sliced basil.
Step 3. Prepare all the remaining salad ingredients:
- chop the sweet mini peppers (or the bell pepper),
- finely dice the onion,
- chop the cucumber (peel it first if the skin is thick or bitter)
- chop the olives, and
- cut the baby tomatoes in half.
Add the chickpeas and the crumbled feta. Toss everything with the romaine and the salad dressing until evenly coated. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Step 4. Serve the salad after tossing it with the dressing.
You can serve the salads as individual servings for lunch or a light meal, or you can serve the salad family-style as a side for a dinner party or family dinner.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1 large Romaine heart
- 1 small can 14oz or 400 grams can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
- 8 oz sweet baby tomatoes
- 1/2 English cucumber
- 2 sweet mini peppers or half a bell pepper
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives pitted. Other flavorful black or green olives work as well.
- 1/4 medium red onion
- 4 oz feta
Salad Dressing:
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- a pinch of kosher salt or flaky sea salt
- a pinch of freshly-ground black pepper
- 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 large basil leaves finely sliced
- 2 tbsp minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- Wash and chop the romaine heart. If you don’t have a salad spinner, wash the leaves first and pat them dry before chopping. If you have a salad spinner, you can chop and then rinse the chopped romaine and dry it in the salad spinner.
- Make the salad dressing. Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper until emulsified. Add the chopped parsley and finely sliced basil.
- Prepare all the remaining salad ingredients: chop the sweet mini peppers (or the bell pepper), finely dice the onion, chop the cucumber (peel it first if the skin is thick or bitter), chop the olives, and cut the baby tomatoes in half. Add the chickpeas and the crumbled feta. Toss everything with the romaine and the salad dressing until evenly coated. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Serve the salad after tossing it with the dressing.
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