The Only Authentic Greek Salad Recipe You’ll Ever Need (Horiatiki)
Make this simple, authentic Greek Salad (Horiatiki) using fresh vegetables and a bright lemon-oregano dressing. It is quick to prepare and perfect for any gathering or light meal.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 0 min
- Total Time: 15 min
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Assembly
- Cuisine: Greek
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 large ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
- 1 large English cucumber, cut into thick half-moons
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup Kalamata olives, whole or pitted
- 8 ounces good quality feta cheese, cut into large blocks (not crumbled)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables: Cut the tomatoes into wedges, slice the cucumber into thick half-moons, slice the green pepper, and thinly slice the red onion.
- Arrange the vegetables: In a large, shallow serving bowl, gently combine the tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, red onion, and Kalamata olives.
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, fresh lemon juice, dried oregano, salt, and pepper until combined.
- Dress the salad: Drizzle the dressing evenly over the vegetables.
- Add the feta: Place the large blocks of feta cheese directly on top of the vegetables. Do not mix the feta in yet.
- Season the feta: Sprinkle a little extra dried oregano over the feta blocks.
- Serve immediately: You can gently toss the salad just before serving, or allow guests to serve themselves, ensuring each portion gets some of the flavorful juices at the bottom of the bowl.
Notes
- For the most authentic taste, cut the vegetables into large, rustic pieces. This salad traditionally contains no lettuce.
- Use block feta packed in brine for the best creamy texture and flavor.
- This salad is excellent for meal planning; the flavors deepen after sitting for 30 minutes, but serve within a few hours for peak freshness.
- If you are looking for easy weeknight meals that do not require complicated meal planning, this salad is a great option.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 6
- Sodium: 650
- Fat: 28
- Saturated Fat: 10
- Unsaturated Fat: 18
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 12
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 11
- Cholesterol: 40