Best Greek Salad

When you’re looking for simple, refreshing, and reliable, you’d be hard pressed to find a dish better than classic Greek salad. Filled with fresh veggies, tangy feta, and a simple dressing made of ingredients you might already have in your fridge, this bright salad is one you’ll turn to all spring and summer long. The best part? This Mediterranean recipe only takes 15 minutes to prepare, making it a perfect last-minute addition to any meal. Read on for everything you need to know: 

Classic Greek salad ingredients & substitutions:
Also known as horiatiki, this traditional Greek recipe is made with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, Kalamata olives, thinly sliced red onion, and feta. That said, this salad is adaptable based on your tastes and what you can find at the store. When tomatoes aren't in season, we prefer grape or cherry varieties because they're usually juicier and less mealy than winter tomatoes on the vine. When shopping, select whatever type of tomatoes looks best to you.

Sensitive to raw red onion? Try soaking the slices in hot water for 10 to 15 minutes, then rinse with cold water, drain, and pat them dry to help mellow them out a bit before mixing them into your salad. If you can't find Kalamata olives, black olives work well too—whichever you choose, make sure you remove the pits first! Want to add a little something extra? Roughly chop up some pita chips for a bit of crunch, or add some whole anchovies for a briny, salty punch.

Greek salad dressing.
The simple dressing is made from a mixture of red wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice, dried oregano, and extra-virgin olive oil. We think this combo of pantry staples balances perfectly together, but feel free to experiment with your favorite dry herbs. Make it ahead, then store in the fridge to use on all your favorite salads!

Make ahead and storage.
One of our favorite parts of this dish? Everything in this recipe can be prepped ahead. Go ahead and refrigerate each salad ingredient separately in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also make your dressing ahead of time and store it in the fridge, where it will keep for up to 2 weeks.

This salad is best eaten fresh, but if you have any leftovers, store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.

If you made this amazing salad, let us know how it came out in the comments below!