Greek salad step by step recipe. We prepare homemade Greek salad according to classic recipes - exactly like in Greece. Step-by-step recipe with simple instructions, complete with photos.

What is a classic Greek salad? This is a simple to the point of disgrace, “country” dish from large quantity vegetables and feta cheese, sprinkled with aromatic olive oil and seasoned with aromatic herbs. The Greeks call it Horiatiki and serve it with croutons made from coarse barley bread, sardines and anchovies. This dish is prepared from products available to every resident of a Greek village - large red tomatoes and crispy cucumbers, meaty sweet peppers, spicy olives and delicate feta cheese. But outside of Greece, some of the key ingredients may not be easy to come by. Therefore, we offer you several classic recipes to choose from - cook with pleasure.

Classic recipe for Greek village salad with feta (Choriatiki) – how it’s prepared in Greece

Ingredients for 2 servings:

feta cheese – 100 g;
red tomatoes (medium size) – 2 pcs.;
bell pepper(light or dark green) – 1 pc. (quite large);
salad onion – 0.5 medium onion;
cucumbers – 2 pcs. (moderately large);
olives (green or brown, with pits) – 10-12 pcs.;
oregano (dried oregano) – a couple of pinches;
sea salt - to taste;
extra virgin olive oil, unrefined – 3-4 tbsp. l.

Step-by-step recipe with simple instructions, supplemented with photos:

Peel the onion, cut it in half. Chop one half into thin half rings. The rest will not be needed. It is better to use non-evil lettuce onions. Regular onions can overwhelm the taste of other vegetables. Place the chopped onion in a large deep salad bowl, separating it into individual pieces with your hands.

The cucumber must be peeled before slicing. It should be cut coarsely, the thickness of the pieces should not be less than 1 cm. If the cucumbers are thick, it is better to cut them first lengthwise into 2 equal parts, and then chop them into semicircles. A thin vegetable can be chopped into thick slices. Add cucumber to onion.

The tomato cutting is also rough, large, “rustic”. First you need to cut the tomato in half, and then into slices, which are cut into 2-3 parts. Add the chopped tomatoes to the remaining vegetables. Ideally, the tomatoes were not stored in the refrigerator before slicing, but were picked from the bush the day before.

Traditionally, the Greeks use regular red tomatoes, not cherry tomatoes.

Surprisingly, the color of the pepper also matters. In Greece, green is most often added to this dish. sweet pepper– dark or light. It is also advisable to choose a pod with 4 tubercles at the base. It will be juicier than a pepper with 3 “mounds”. After cutting the pod into 2 parts, remove the seed box. Cut each half into moderately thin half rings. Add to a common salad bowl. After this, pour olive oil over the ingredients (a couple of spoons will be enough for now), sprinkle with salt and oregano. Mix gently, as if shaking the ingredients with a spoon, so that the vegetables do not get crushed.

Now the cheese. If you follow the classics, you need to add feta. But this type of pickled cheese, as you know, is produced exclusively in Greece, so it can be difficult to find in other countries. We have already written about what types of cheese can be used to prepare Greek salad; there are plenty to choose from. Main feature: feta (or its analogue) is not cut into cubes, as we are used to, but placed in a whole piece. For 2 servings of the dish, half a 200-gram package, that is, 100 g, will be enough. Place the cheese on the vegetables. Also place 10-12 olives with pits on top. Spread a little more oregano over the surface and pour aromatic oil.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-XJn-OzBkQ

In some traditional recipes Also used are pickled capers, fresh basil, lemon zest, and balsamic vinaigrette.

The dish, prepared in the best Greek traditions, is ready to be served. It is better to serve it in a large deep salad bowl. white. You can offer it with toasted whole grain bread. The Greeks prefer to eat it with barley croutons and salted fish.

A simple Greek salad with fetax, cherry tomatoes and croutons - very tasty

To prepare 1-2 servings you will need:

fresh cucumber, dinofruit – 1 pc.;
fleshy bell pepper – 1 pc.;
cherry tomatoes – 4-5 pcs. (you can take 1 regular one);
fetax cheese (similar to feta) – 100 g;
olive oil – 30-40 ml;
dried oregano - a large pinch;
pitted olives;
yellow or purple onion – 0.3 pcs.;
baguette – 4-6 slices – for croutons.

How we will cook:

Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise. Chop each half into thick slices.

Cut each cherry tomato into 2 parts. If using a large tomato, cut it into large pieces. Also cut the pepper into pieces of arbitrary shape, not finely.

Cut the onion thinly (in half rings). Place all the vegetables on a plate, pour generously with olive oil, and season with oregano.

Distribute whole olives and coarsely chopped fetax on top.

Cut the baguette into slices about 1 cm thick, fry until golden brown in a small amount of olive oil.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmL71e1Xhrc

Serve crispy croutons with each serving. It is not advisable to store the dish in the refrigerator for more than 2-3 hours - it will lose a lot of taste.

How to prepare Greek salad with Chinese cabbage and mustard at home?

Ingredients of the dish (for 1 serving):

Chinese cabbage– 70 g;
pickled cheese (fetos, fetaksa, sirtaki) – 50-70 g;
tomato – 1 pc. (medium size);
cucumbers – 2 pcs. (small);
shallots – 1 pc. (small);
bell pepper – 1 pc. (small);
virgin olives – 7-10 pcs.;
ready mustard – 1 tsp. (without top);
extra virgin olive oil – 3 tbsp. l.;
salt, ground pepper - to taste.

Step-by-step cooking instructions:

Cut the tomato into slices. If the fruit is large, cut each slice into 2 more pieces crosswise.

Peel the cucumbers, cut into not very thin halves of circles.

After removing the seeds from the pepper, chop it into strips.

Also chop the shallots. If desired, it can be replaced with red Yalta onions or onions (white).

Separate the Chinese cabbage into individual leaves. Remove the white dense part, and roughly tear the soft part with your hands.

Cut the cheese into cubes (not small ones). Or you can lay it out in one piece - whatever you like.

This recipe uses a classic olive oil dressing, but with the addition of mustard. It is placed at will. Mix oil with mustard and grind until smooth. Pour the resulting mixture on top.

Sprinkle with salt and ground pepper. It is better to serve immediately so that the vegetables do not “drip”.

Delicious Greek salad with homemade cheese - step-by-step recipe with photos

List of required ingredients:

feta cheese (not very salty) – 150 g;
ripe, fleshy tomatoes – 3 pcs.;
onion – 0.5 pcs. small size;
cucumbers – 2 pcs. (better prickly than smooth);
bell pepper – 1 pc.;
canned olives – 12-14 pcs.;
olive oil, unrefined – 2-3 tbsp. l.;
freshly squeezed lemon juice - 1.5 tbsp. l.;
sugar - a pinch;
salt - to taste;
ground pepper, oregano - a pinch.

Cooking method:

Wash and dry all vegetables. Cut the tomatoes into slices or large cubes.

Remove several strips of peel from the cucumbers and remove the ends. Cut into slices (thicker).

Cut the pepper into half rings.

Do the same with onions.

Cut the cheese into neat cubes. If the cheese is too salty, you can soak it in milk.

Place all the chopped vegetables in a bowl with high sides. Separately combine sugar, salt, lemon juice and olive oil. Pour the resulting dressing into the bowl and mix gently.

Then pour in the feta cheese and whole canned olives, after draining the liquid from them.

Season with pepper and oregano. You can additionally sprinkle with a little more oil.

A simple Greek salad with chicken, tomatoes and croutons is one of the classic variations

List of required products:

fillet chicken breast– 1 pc. (approximately 300 g);
tomatoes, cucumbers – 2 pcs. (not very large, but not small either);
sweet pepper – 1 pc.;
cheese (brynza, feta or analogues) – 250 g;
olives (black olives) – 120 g;
white bread (loaf) – 100 g;
lettuce leaves (lettuce, romaine, etc.);
salt and oregano - a pinch;
unrefined olive oil – 50 ml.

How to make the dish - recipe step by step:

Cut the bread or loaf into cubes. It is better to take slightly dried, day-old baked goods. They are less colored when cut, so the croutons made from them are more accurate. Pour a spoonful of oil into a frying pan, heat it and add the chopped bread. Fry the bread cubes until golden brown, add salt and sprinkle with a pinch of oregano. Remove the crackers from the heat and let them cool.

In the meantime, chop the vegetables. Pepper - strips or half rings (depending on the size of the pod).

Using a knife, cut the cucumbers into half circles.

And tomatoes - into quarters. At the same time, the resulting slices should not be thin - this is important.

Chop the cheese into cubes of approximately the same size.

Bake the chicken in foil, first rubbed with your favorite spices and salt. After cooling, cut in the same way as cheese.

Lay out in layers in the following order: lettuce leaves (cut or torn), peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes (sprinkle with a little salt), chicken, croutons, cheese, olives. Spread the oil over the surface, add a little salt, and sprinkle with dry oregano.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pzwj6VJyz_4

Serve immediately while the croutons are crispy.

Light Greek salad with olives, pickled cheese and lettuce - a good old classic

You need to take:

lettuce leaves – 4-5 pcs.;
tomato – 1 pc.;
cucumber – 2 short or 1 long;
sweet pepper – 0.5 pcs.;
onions– 0.25 pcs.;
pitted olives – 8-10 pcs.;
cheese (such as feta, feta cheese or sirtaki) – 70 g;
olive oil – 1.5-2 tbsp. l.;
salt, spices - to taste.

Preparation procedure:

Cut the onion into thin, almost transparent halves of rings.

Cut the remaining vegetables into cubes. Cucumbers.

Tomatoes.

Pepper.

Grind the cheese using the same cutting form. And chop the olives into rings. Place all prepared products in one container. Add oil.

Add salt and pepper, mix carefully so as not to mash the cheese into crumbs. Place on a plate with lettuce leaves.

We prepare a juicy Greek salad with Sirtaki cheese step by step (with step-by-step photos)

The dish includes the following components:

Sirtaki cheese – 150 g;
cucumbers – 2 pcs.;
tomatoes – 2-3 pcs.;
sweet pepper (any color) – 1 pc.;
onion - half a medium onion;
canned olives, pitted – 0.5 cans;
olive oil – 40 ml;
thin-rind lemon – 0.5 pcs.;
oregano – 0.5 tsp;
freshly ground black pepper – 0.25 tsp;
table salt – 0.25 tsp.

Cooking algorithm:

First you need to prepare the dressing so that it has time to brew well. To do this, pour the oil into a small container, add oregano and pepper (it is advisable to crush it yourself, the finished ground seasoning is not so fragrant). Squeeze the juice from the lemon there. To prevent particles of pulp and bones from getting into the sauce, it is better to squeeze it over a strainer. Mix the contents of the bowl and set aside for now.

Meanwhile, chop vegetables and cheese. All components should be cut into not too thin, but not too thick pieces. Peel the cucumber using a vegetable peeler. Cut it into circles or semicircles (depending on how thick the vegetable is).

Next are the tomatoes. They need to be cut into slices.

Chop the pepper into strips.

And chop the onion as thinly as possible so that the cutting turns out translucent.

Place all vegetables in a large salad bowl. Send olives and cubes of Sirtaki (or other feta substitute) there. Mix the dressing and pour it over the ingredients. Also sprinkle with salt and then stir gently with two spatulas, lifting the vegetables from the bottom.

The dish does not like to steep for a long time, so it should be eaten immediately after cooking.

Option for preparing vegetable salad with mozzarella cheese based on Greek

You will need (all ingredients can be taken in arbitrary proportions):

a mixture of several types of salads;
cherry tomatoes;
mozzarella cheese;
olive oil;
salt, pepper;
a little dried oregano (oregano).

Cooking recipe:

Wash the greens, tear them into large pieces with your hands, and place on a plate. You can take a ready-made salad mix or combine several of your favorite types - arugula, roman lettuce, lettuce, radicchio, etc.

Cut the tomatoes into halves and arrange on lettuce leaves. You can also use other vegetables - onions, cucumbers, peppers.

Cut the cheese into small slices. Instead of regular mozzarella, you can use cigliegini mozzarella (small balls), no need to cut it. Place on a plate. Pour unrefined oil over the dish, sprinkle with salt, oregano and pepper.

The dish consists of:

orzo pasta – 200 g;
feta cheese (or a more affordable analogue) – 340 g;
shrimp – 16 pcs.;
cherry tomatoes – 10-12 pcs.;
green onions– 3 stems;
fresh dill - medium bunch;
white wine vinegar – 50 ml;
Dijon mustard – 3 tbsp. l.;
cucumber – 1 pc. (large size);
olive oil – 1 tbsp. l.;
black pepper, sea or table salt.

Cooking steps:

Boil the orzo pasta until al dente, drain in a colander, and cool.
Cut the tomatoes in half. Cucumber - first into 4 parts lengthwise, and then cut into slices of medium thickness. Mix vegetables with pasta in a bowl, add a pinch of salt and pepper.
Finely chop the dill, leaving a few whole sprigs for decoration. Add bite and mustard to the chopped greens, beat with a blender until smooth. Then, without stopping whisking, gradually add the oil until an emulsified mass is formed.
Pour the sauce over the contents of the bowl and stir. Add crumbled cheese and mix again.
Cut the shrimp and marinate for 5 minutes in a mixture of oil, salt and pepper. Fry on a grill pan until done.

Divide the dish among plates and place 4 shrimp in each serving. Garnish the dish with dill and serve immediately.

Classic dressing (sauce) is the hallmark of Greek salad

Traditional recipe Greek dressing surprisingly simple. To prepare it, you need to mix in one bowl 1 part juice squeezed from lemon (filtered from grains and pulp) and 2 parts extra virgin olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and finely ground pepper and a little oregano to the mixture. Whisk the dressing until it becomes more cloudy. This means that it has been emulsified and is ready for use as intended.

There are also different dressing variations with the addition of balsamic vinegar, Greek yogurt, garlic, fresh basil, sugar, mustard and even honey. Almost all of them are prepared based on the basic recipe given above.

Bon appetit!

Greece is home to picturesque islands, intriguing antiquity and a love for large families. What is a large family? This is constant cooking - no frills, but with fire. When several generations gather at one table - this is love squared, and even cubed! Feed tasty, satisfying, healthy food to everyone at once. Greek salad can do this. No wonder it has become a brand of a country full of bright emotions.

Low calorie content is a special charm of the Greek hit

There are no more than 130 kcal per 100 grams of salad. If desired, this figure can be further reduced. It helps to serve the vegetables, cheese, and dressing separately.

Quick navigation through the article:

Cooking classics of the genre

First, we will describe the Greek salad according to the classic recipe with photos step by step, and for the appetizer we will leave secrets, tricks and variations. There will be a lot of them! Each stage contains an opportunity to do things differently. And the new result will remain just as appetizing.

We need the following vegetables -

let's estimate piece by piece to get the proportion for instant cooking at home:

Cucumber - 2 pcs. (not small)
Tomato - 2 pcs. (larger, dense-fleshed variety)
Bell pepper - 1 pc.
Crimean onion (blue) - 1 pc. (medium size)
Olives - 20 pcs., large, pitted
Feta cheese - 80-100 g
Oregano (oregano) - ½ teaspoon of dry herb
Olive oil Extra virgin - 2-3 tbsp. spoons
Lemon juice - 1-1.5 tablespoons
Salt, pepper - to taste

How to cook.

Cut tomatoes and cucumbers into large pieces (2-2.5 cm). Cucumbers can be peeled if the skin is too hard.
Cut the blue onion into rings or half rings. For a family where raw onions treat with caution, cut thinner, quarter rings.
We clean the pepper from seeds and internal white membranes. Cut into large squares - about 2-2.5 cm.

The olives can be left whole. Very large ones - cut in half.
Place the vegetables in a large bowl and mix gently. 2 large spatulas will help. Salt and pepper - to taste. At the same time, do not forget about the saltiness of the cheese we use.
Whisk olive oil with lemon juice. This is the sauce. Dress the salad and sprinkle with oregano. No need to rush: just a pinch, slightly rubbing the herb in your fingers. Oh, what a scent!
Cut feta cheese into large pieces. Compare it with slicing cucumbers, you can’t go wrong. Place in a picturesque disorder on top of the vegetables. The last pinch of oregano and the beauty is ready. Amazing simplicity!

Classic ingredients: what else can you do with vegetables

Onion. It makes sense to pre-marinate. The simplest way- sprinkle the chopped onion with a mixture of vinegar (3 parts) and sugar (2 parts), add a little salt and let stand for 25-30 minutes. Then drain the juice and add the chopped vegetables to the other vegetables. Or cut the onion smaller - into quarters and eighths of rings.

It is also interesting to take two varieties - white and blue. Choose the proportion yourself: 1:2, or even 1:1. If the white onion is very pungent, it is definitely worth softening it with pickling. You can also replace a quarter of the onion with garlic cloves. A nuance is important here: chop the garlic into small cubes with a knife.

For the base you need:

Medium-sized cucumbers and tomatoes - 3 pcs.
Onions – 1 pc. (preferably sweet variety)
Salted cheese - up to 100 g

Bright additives:

Chicken fillet - 500 g
Olives - 12 pcs.

Scrambled sauce:

Lemon juice - 2 tbsp. spoons
Olive oil - 4 tbsp. spoons
Garlic - 2 cloves
Fresh herbs - to taste and for decoration
Ground black pepper, salt - to taste

The best summer accent for the meat version is fresh mint.

We do it lightly, because we already know the principles of cutting and assembly.

New to the mix is chicken. Ideally, we marinate the fillet in advance - 2-5 hours before preparing the salad. Any standard marinade will do. For example, oil with lemon juice and spices, led by curry or paprika. Or simply coat the meat with mayonnaise. After the marinade, the fillet should be cut into small pieces - up to 3 cm. Throw into a heated frying pan and fry, covered, until cooked. The main guest of the recipe is ready! Let the meat cool and add it to the vegetables.

You can do it even simpler - boil any part of the chicken and let it cool in the broth. Then the chicken will be the softest. We cut it across the grain into small pieces.

Cut cucumbers, tomatoes and onions into your favorite bite size. Leave the olives whole or cut them in half. Combine with meat and mix gently. Shake the ingredients for the sauce with a fork. Add salt, pepper and pour over the vegetables.

Place the cheese component on top of the mixture. And if the selected cheese holds its shape well when sliced, you can gently mix all the ingredients.

Note - 2 best ideas!

It’s the meat version that goes great with different sauces. Mustard with honey and salty dressing with soy counterpart. Scroll a little lower - you won’t regret it! :) We have described the proportions.

Don’t ignore the simple variation with crackers. Literally 2 bucks for a Greek salad with chicken... And you won’t recognize the recipe! Everything will sparkle in a new way - crispy, fresh and very beautiful.

How to replace feta cheese and is it possible without it: 3 more recipes

A budget alternative is salted cheese, including goat cheese. A rich selection awaits you at any bazaar.

Or large pieces processed cheese with a strong fragrance. Let the accent be greens, smoked meats, and tomatoes. In this case, all the treats need a little more salt.

Not bad and option with Dutch cheese. Just make the pieces smaller. Yes, this will not be a pure classic. But who knows, maybe your family won’t like it much more? Husbands are often conservatives. They understand Dutch cheese and goat cheese much more than overseas feta.

If you decide to omit the cheese component, rely on our second option with meat. But choose something smoked and well salted. Please note: this salad will not be stored for long. There is too much dissonance fresh vegetables and smoked meats.

In addition to meat in the recipe you can add mushrooms. Not only champignons, but even the simplest pickled chanterelles. The main thing is to thoroughly rinse them from mucus and dry them. The perfection of a simple base and your imagination are the best team for creativity!

Tricks for serving a classic salad

Pros of serving in large pieces: those who don’t like olives can easily remove them. The same goes for thick onion rings.

Sometimes the plate even looks like a rough cut of vegetables with cheese. Large slices are placed on a dish without stirring.

Portion serving in Greek restaurants is often extremely laconic. You get a deep plate with no sliced cheese. The whole feta lies in a piece - right on top of the vegetable slices. How to deal with it is up to you.

You can serve the sauce in the same way - in a separate container for each serving. There is a practical business sense in this. As long as the salad is not covered in sauce, it will keep better.

Useful advice!

It is beneficial to season the dish only after serving portions. This way you can keep the cuts longer in the refrigerator. If suddenly the family does not cope with vitamin happiness in one go.

Olive oil, lemon juice and oregano. With this sauce a classic Greek recipe was born. So he fell in love with millions and is vividly remembered by neophytes.

However, there is no need to be afraid of other seasonings and herbs! The dish will easily accept coarsely torn lettuce leaves and delicate Chinese cabbage. You can add basil, thyme and parsley if you prefer.

And now let’s smile intriguingly... And fill up the next portion honey mustard sauce. Making the sauce is easy!

Mild mustard (can be with grains), honey and olive oil in a ratio of 1:1:2, whisk. If the sauce is thick, add more oil.

Greece's culinary signature is so inviting for variation that you'll inevitably end up trying a less salty cheese.

We really liked the version with lightly salted cheese. A third recipe for dressing will always come in handy - with soy sauce. It is traditionally salty and rich and gives the recipe a new twist.

Cooking, as before, is simple - whisk the ingredients. We need:

Olive oil 2 tbsp. spoons
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp. spoon
Apple cider vinegar - 1 tbsp. spoon
Mustard (medium or weak) - 1 teaspoon.

What else is added to Greek salad toppings and dressings?

Other oils - mustard, corn, sesame - for the sake of aroma.
Fried salty crackers. Or large bread crumbs. They are easy to make by crushing the crackers with a rolling pin.
Garlic pressed through a garlic press. By the way, one of the most despised methods from a cooking guru. They consider chopping garlic at every opportunity to be the first sign of a master. Well, that's what a guru is for. Who else suits a peacock tail like that?!... You say the same! (c) And do it your own way.

Real Greek salad - video recipe for cheerful sirtaki

A great mood for a culinary masterpiece from the very first frame! And a very laconic video. Pay attention to the proportion. They suggest taking a little more tomatoes than other vegetables.

“Greek” salad for the New Year - with baked eggplants and magic sauce

Creative thought is a restless phenomenon. Don't limit yourself to the classics. Get ready for this unique option too. Juicy - to the point of trembling in the knees, tender - to the point of insanity. He will easily place Olivier and fur coat on the festive table and will break all records even on the New Year's menu. And it’s easy and simple to do.

Take medium-sized vegetables:

Fresh cucumber - 1-2 pcs.
Tomatoes - 2 pcs.
Sweet pepper - 1 pc.
Red onion - ½ pc.
Eggplant - 1 pc.
Olives
Lettuce leaf - 3-4 pcs.
Spinach - a small handful
Arugula - to taste (ours is on par with spinach)
Feta cheese - as much as you like
Dried oregano and salt

For the original sesame sauce:

Olive oil - 3 tbsp. spoons
Water - 2 tbsp. spoons
Sesame seed - 2 teaspoons
Walnut - 3 halves
Feta - 25 g
Lemon juice - 1 teaspoon
Mustard (spiciness to taste) - 1 teaspoon

Preparation.

We prick the eggplant with a knife, put it in a mold and put it in a preheated oven. Bake at 200℃ for 20-25 minutes. Let cool, peel and cut into pieces, not too small.

We make an amazingly flavorful dressing. Lightly brown the sesame seeds in a frying pan. Let cool and place in a blender bowl. Add all other ingredients and beat well. We put the deliciousness in the refrigerator until it’s time to season the dish.

Cut cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers into your favorite size. About the same as eggplant. We plan the onion with feathers or quarter rings.

Tear the lettuce leaves into pieces. Cut the spinach in medium steps. Add arugula to taste. We're not big fans of mustard weed, but it's delicious added here. It gives a light nutty aftertaste and a pleasant bitterness.

Combine vegetables and herbs. Add some salt and pour olive oil: just a little - 1 tablespoon.

It is better to serve the salad in portions. For a ceremonial meal interesting option- bread plates. This is pita bread from yeast dough with a cut-out window. Place 1-2 spoons of salad, randomly drip the prepared cheese dressing with sesame seeds on top. Vegetables again - dressing. On top of the slide are pieces of feta cheese and olives. The miracle Greek “Finger-licking goodness” is ready!

Life hack from the chef!

Before adding to the salad, cut the cheese into pieces and sprinkle each with dried oregano. Beauty!

Our carefully collected ideas for the culinary brand of Greece are waiting for additions in the comments. Which option do you like? Shrimp, pieces of fluffy omelette, grainy cottage cheese, Chinese cabbage. These products also work well with Greek salad, the classic recipe for which with step-by-step photos is always at your service at the beginning of the article.

Greetings, dear readers! Today I'll show you how to make a classic Greek salad with an easy step-by-step recipe. It will not only decorate festive table, but it will also turn out very nutritious and tasty! The fragrant and bright dish is considered a storehouse of vitamins and reminds of the onset of summer. In order for it not to disappoint you, you need to thoroughly study the cooking method. Know what kind of cheese goes into the salad, what the finished dish is seasoned with, what vegetables are included in the classic recipe and what ingredients can be used to diversify the composition.

We will prepare for 4 servings.

Video recipe

The benefits of salad

Iceberg and Romano (Romaine) lettuce leaves contain folic acid, involved in the synthesis of happiness hormones - endorphins.
Olive oil contains natural antioxidants and vitamin E, which is useful for preventing obesity, diabetes mellitus, diseases cardiovascular system and pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract.
Olives cleanse the liver and improve its functions.
Basil is considered a natural antiseptic and also has a positive effect on the nervous system.
Feta cheese contains a number of beneficial microorganisms that fight pathogens and improve the digestion process.

Choose only fresh vegetables.
Do not add spices in large quantities.
You can season not only with olive oil, but also with other vegetable oil, lemon juice or vinegar.
For added spice, add garlic, pepper, salt and onion, whipped in a mixer, before serving.
To add flavor, I recommend adding finely chopped fresh herbs to the dish. It could be mint, parsley, basil, celery or dill. You can also use dried herbs - oregano, rosemary or thyme.
Be sure to mix the ingredients well.
If you use cooked vegetables, be careful not to overcook them.
To prevent vegetables from losing color, do not add salt while cooking them.
Traditional ingredients go well with anchovies and capers.
I recommend pre-marinating the onions.
Replace feta cheese with salted cheese or Dutch cheese.
If you don't have lemon in the house, use pink grape vinegar.

5 variations

From squid

Light and delicious dish, which can replace a hearty and high-calorie dinner. Squid meat contains a minimum of fat and no cholesterol, so it is well absorbed by the body and can be included in the children's diet. To prepare it at home you will need peeled squid, sweet peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce. For dressing you need to take olive oil, oregano, garlic, a mixture of peppers and salt. To make the dish look fresh, do not chop the lettuce leaves with a knife, but simply tear them with your hands. You can sprinkle finely chopped herbs and thin strips of lemon zest on top.

With chicken and avocado

An incredibly tasty and nutritious dish that includes everything you need for a hearty dinner. To prepare, take chicken fillet, avocado, green onions, tomatoes, olives, lemon juice, feta cheese, dried oregano, dried mint and Romaine lettuce. Poultry meat can be baked or fried in olive oil. Use whole parsley sprigs for garnish.

With yogurt dressing

This option is useful to include in the diet for those who care about their figure. To prepare, take Romano lettuce, feta cheese, prepared shrimp, cucumbers, tomatoes, lemon juice, garlic and yogurt. You can serve immediately, but it is better to let the dish sit for 30-40 minutes in the refrigerator.

With tofu

Helps lower blood cholesterol and contains few calories, so it will appeal to vegetarians and raw foodists. For cooking we use fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, tofu cheese, olives. We prepare the sauce according to the classic recipe.

With Chinese cabbage

A simple, tasty and healthy dish. It has all the classic ingredients, but the kale adds brightness, volume and crunch. I recommend chopping it, but not too finely, and chopping the onion coarsely, but thinly. To remove bitterness, be sure to scald it.

Conclusion

Today we learned how to properly prepare a very tasty Greek salad and what to season it with. In Greek restaurants, it is customary to serve it in a deep plate, without sliced cheese. Place the feta piece directly on the vegetable slices. The sauce is served separately for each serving. If you season a dish immediately after cooking, it cannot be stored for a long time. The dressing can be made not only from classic ingredients, but also experimented with mustard, honey, balsamic vinegar, and garlic. Instead of olive oil, I like to use corn oil and sesame oil.

Greek, or as it is also called, country salad (Horiatiki), is so simple that its preparation can be described in one sentence: cut all the vegetables into large pieces, add cheese and olives, season with olive oil and sprinkle with oregano. All! The Greek Horiatiki salad is ready, you can enjoy its natural Mediterranean taste.

The main rule of a simple, classic Greek salad recipe is large, coarse, “country-style” cutting. The size of the pieces should be approximately 2-3 cm. It is believed that in this form vegetables retain their properties better taste qualities, besides, preparing a simple everyday salad should not take much time. But you don't have to cut the cheese. Most often, large slices are laid out on top of the vegetables, and the eater himself breaks off the pieces with a fork. Although in restaurants you can often find feta served with cubes.

Required ingredients include: tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, olives and cheese. Sometimes lettuce is added. Olive oil is used for dressing. And you don’t have to feel sorry for him. In Greece, housewives generously pour dressing over vegetables; firstly, it tastes better, and secondly, after the dish is eaten, a delicious dressing will remain at the bottom of the salad bowl - vegetable juices will mix with butter and cheese. It is usually dipped in fresh bread and the resulting buttery pieces (ladobukies) are very tasty!

Ingredients

feta cheese 200 g
tomato 3-4 pcs.
cucumbers 2 pcs.
red onion 1 pc.
green or yellow bell pepper 1 pc.
pitted olives 10-15 pcs.
olive oil 3 tbsp. l.
lemon juice 1 tbsp. l.
salt and pepper to taste
dried oregano 2-3 chips.
lettuce (optional)

How to make a classic Greek salad

Vegetables need to be washed and dried, and the onions must be peeled. I cut the cucumbers into large cubes. If they taste bitter, be sure to remove the skin.
I chopped the onion into thin half rings. It is preferable to use red onions, but if you don’t have them, then regular white onions will do. There is no need to pre-marinate it or sprinkle it with lemon juice.
I peeled the bell pepper from seeds and veins and cut it into large cubes. It is advisable to take a yellow or green pepper to make the salad look more elegant and bright.
I cut the tomatoes according to the same principle as other vegetables, that is, coarsely.
I made the dressing using freshly squeezed olive oil. lemon juice, salt, pepper and dried oregano. It is best to take extra virgin olive oil; instead of lemon juice, you can use wine vinegar, and dried oregano, if necessary, can easily replace a mixture of Italian herbs.
I put all the chopped vegetables in a deep bowl and added pitted olives. Pour over the dressing and stir.
I laid out the Greek salad on serving plates and added a couple of large slices of feta on top (can be cut into cubes). I sprinkled it with dried oregano, rubbing it lightly with my fingertips so that it would better reveal its aroma. If desired, you can add pieces of lettuce; it goes well with all vegetables and serves as an additional decoration for the dish.

As you can see, the recipe for Greek salad is simple and quick, you just need to coarsely chop all the vegetables and season them with sauce. The dish should be served immediately after preparation. Bon appetit!