Greek Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette

Inspired by a trip to Greece, this Greek Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette recipe features all the flavors of the mediterranean into one single bowl.  

This recipe was originally posted here on this site last summer, however, the pictures and post have been updated and reposted.

My Favorite Dish

Second only to fresh calamari caught right off the coast, Greek Salad was my absolutely favorite meal to order while vacationing in Greece a few years ago. Nothing compares to authentic feta cheese and greek olives straight from the source itself.

Since that trip, I have searched many restaurants trying to find a similar salad, but none lived up to  the traditional style served all over Greece. So, I decided to quit looking and just perfect my own recipe.

I probably made this recipe about 40 times before I finally got it right. Since then, it’s become a weekly staple at my house. In the summer, I will typically have this salad for lunch at least 3 times a week. It’s a great way to utilize the bounty of tomatoes, basil and cucumber from our garden in a dish that doesn’t require any cooking.

Fresh Ingredients Matter

The key to this greek salad is to use the freshest ingredients that you can. Vine ripe tomatoes will take this dish from average to extraordinary.

A really good extra virgin olive oil makes a huge difference when dressing this salad. Have you ever tasted a really good olive oil on a piece of warm baked bread and just thought “wow”? That’s what really good olive oil will do for this salad. I have two separate bottles of olive oil at my house – an average one for cooking and a better one for dressings and dips.

Fresh herbs really finish off the dish without being overpowering or too seasoned. I like to add a little chopped basil and oregano right on top to bring all the flavors together.

Making a homemade spice blend can save time in the kitchen when cooking. I regularly make a batch of this Homemade Greek Seasoning and use it whenever I can to season dressings, veggies, and even roasted chicken. It’s used in the vinaigrette recipe below for this salad.

I like to add a bit of creamy avocado because I think everything tastes better with avocado. Judging by the amount of avocado memes on the internet, I know I’m not alone. It also adds some healthy fat to this dish, since i often have it for a meal all on its own. The traditional salads I had in Greece didn’t have avocado, so feel free to omit it if you want to be as authentic as possible.

All The Mediterranean Diet Flavors

This Greek Salad also incorporates many of the guidelines of The Mediterranean Diet in one delicious bowl – 

• Plant based recipe featuring an assortment of colorful veggies
• Heart healthy olives
• Fresh herbs and spices
• Olive oil based vinaigrette 

Read more about The Mediterranean Diet Guidelines 

Greek Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette Recipe

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Greek Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette

Inspired by a trip to Greece, this Greek Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette recipe features all the flavors of the mediterranean into one single bowl.

Course dressing, Salad, sauce

Cuisine Mediterranean

Keyword greek salad

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4 -6 servings

Author Brynn at The Domestic Dietitian

Ingredients

• 2 medium cucumbers peeled and sliced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 red onion thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup kalamata or greek style olives
• 1/2 avocado diced
• 1/4 cup feta cheese
• 1/3 cup really good olive oil
• 1 tbsp greek seasoning see link above for recipe
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh basil and oregano garnish

Instructions

• To make the dressing, whisk together olive oil, greek seasoning, and red wine vinegar
• In a large bowl, combine the sliced cucumber, tomatoes, red onion and olives
• Add 2/3 of the vinaigrette over the bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes
• Right before serving, add diced avocado, feta cheese and pour remaining vinaigrette over the top
• Garnish with fresh chopped basil and oregano

Even More Vacation Inspired Dishes

We’ve been lucky enough to travel to great places over the years. Here are a few of my other vacation-inspired recipes.