This is truly the Best Ever Greek Salad! The salad dressing alone is absolutely mouthwatering. This is probably my husband’s favorite salad. We serve it a lot for special occasions and for company. (I make it yearly for his birthday). 🙂 It is best if you can make up the salad and pour the dressing over all of it and serve it. But that’s only an option if you plan to eat all of it in one sitting. It’s one of those mouthwatering salads that you just can’t get enough of. I can eat plates and plates of this salad and forget anything else!
Mixing all the dressing ingredients with all the salad is the key here. Tossing for a few minutes really infuses the flavors into all the salad ingredients. But that only works if you have a lot of company who are going to be eating the salad. Unfortunately, you really can’t save the leftovers once the dressing is poured over top. The salad will only keep a few hours after the dressing is poured on top. Otherwise the lettuce wilts too much. So most of the time we make it and allow each individual to serve the amount of dressing on top that they like.
I started with a recipe for Tomato-Feta salad from a good friend, Mimi Pownall. We had eaten that recipe at her house in the early 1980s. Her husband Ron grew a huge garden in Florida. She was always trying to get rid of some of the tomatoes. She tried a Tomato-Feta salad out on us. It was wonderful.
A few years later I was looking through the ingredients for that Greek Tomato Salad. I wanted to try it more as a traditional Greek salad rather than just a tomato salad because the salad dressing is out of this world. This is the salad I came up with and have been making since the late 1980s and early 1990s.
If you’re looking for a fabulous Greek Salad recipe, this will do it! If you just want an amazing salad to eat, this recipe is great enough to be a go-to recipe. While we serve this as a side dish, it’s hearty and filling enough to be a meatless main dish as well. Best Ever Greek Salad is low calorie, healthy and gluten free. And for those of you concerned about the sugar in the salad dressing you can substitute honey instead.
I first posted this recipe back in July of 2012 when I was just beginning my blog. My pictures were not very good. So I’ve freshened them up (November 2013) and hopefully you can see a little more detail about why we enjoy this spectacular salad so much.
I recently remade this recipe again (May 2018) for our Friday night care group. I’ve made it several times in the past year, but this time I took some new pictures. Everyone always raves over the salad dressing. This is one of those salads I almost always make for birthday celebrations too. It’s just that good. 🙂
Best Ever Greek Salad will have you drooling. The flavors of the dressing with all the salad ingredients are spectacular.
I frequently make Best Ever Greek Salad for company. All our guests LOVE this salad.
Here I poured the dressing over an individual serving. But this salad is really fantastic when you actually toss the dressing with the salad ingredients. However, you can only do that if you are planning on eating up ALL of the salad because it won’t keep.
Here’s a look at Best Ever Greek Salad ready to serve. You can sprinkle as much feta cheese on top of the salad as you like.
Here’s what I did.
I used these ingredients for the salad.
Place romaine lettuce in a bowl.
Add tomatoes, cucumber, diced green bell pepper, kalamata olives, salad pepper rings and feta cheese. (I drain the olives and pepper rings and pat them dry with paper towels before adding to the salad).
Add extra feta cheese if you enjoy a lot. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
I used these ingredients to make the salad dressing.
Stir all ingredients to combine.
Here’s the salad ready to be tossed with the dressing and served.
This Best Ever Greek Salad is our favorite Greek Salad recipe. We make it all the time.
Here’s a close up so you can see the detail of the salad without the dressing. Best Ever Greek Salad is one of the most mouthwatering Greek Salad recipes you will ever taste!
1 mason jar with lid to hold the salad dressing until ready to serve
1 sharp knife to cut vegetables
1 small bowl
measuring cups
measuring spoons
Ingredients
SALAD:
1headromaineor red or green leaf lettuce or a couple of bags of pre-washed
6-8roma tomatoessliced
1largecucumbersliced
1green pepperdiced, any color will do
1/4red onionthinly sliced and separated into rings
1/2 to 2/3cupripe Kalamata olivesdrained
1/2 to 1cuppepperocinisdrained (I usually use the sliced salad pepper rings)
1/2-1lb.feta cheesewe like a lot and use more than the original recipe calls for
GREEN SALAD DRESSING:
1/2cupolive oil
1/3cupred wine vinegar
1/4cupgranulated sugaror honey (if you want less sugar you can reduce to two tablespoons)
1/4cupdried parsley
1tsp.dried oregano
1tsp.dried basil
1tsp.sea salt
1/2tsp.ground black pepper
Instructions
SALAD:
Layer ingredients in above order.
Add the dressing and pour over salad just before serving.
GREEK SALAD DRESSING:
Place ingredients in a small bowl.
Whisk to combine.
Transfer to a mason jar with lid or small bowl with lid.
Toss with salad before serving.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Stir REALLY well before serving as this dressing separates.
Notes
NOTE: If you like a sweeter salad dressing, increase the sugar to 1/2 cup, however, this salad is equally good with a dressing of 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons sugar - especially if you're trying to cut back. NOTE: I've used honey instead of sugar in the dressing and it works exceptionally well. NOTE: If you're not going to eat all the salad at once, just drizzle salad dressing over individual plates.Â
Author: Teresa Ambra inspired from a [url href=”http://cantstayoutofthekitchen.com/2012/09/15/greek-tomato-salad/” target=”_blank” title=”greek tomato salad”]Greek Tomato Salad[/url] recipe from Mimi Pownall, when we attended First Baptist Church of Indian Rocks, Largo, FL
Prep time: 30 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Serves: 12
Amazing Greek Salad recipe with a delicious homemade dressing. Gluten free.
Ingredients
1 head romaine, or red or green leaf lettuce or a couple of bags of pre-washed, cut Romaine lettuce
6-8 Roma tomatoes, sliced
1 large cucumber, sliced
1 green pepper, diced (any color will do)
½ of a red onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings, or about 2 slices thinly diced
About ½ to 2/3 cup ripe Kalimati olives, drained
½ to 1 cup of pepperocinis, drained (I usually use the sliced salad pepper rings)
½-1 lb. Feta cheese (we like a lot and use more than the original recipe calls for)
Instructions
Layer in above order.
Add the dressing and pour over salad just before serving.
[b]Teresa’s Greek Salad Dressing[/b]
Recipe Type: Salads and Salad Dressings
Cuisine: Greek
Author: Teresa Ambra inspired from Mimi Pownall’s [url href=”http://cantstayoutofthekitchen.com/2012/09/15/greek-tomato-salad/” target=”_blank” title=”greek tomato salad”]Greek Tomato Salad[/url] marinade when we attended First Baptist Church of Indian Rocks, Largo, FL
Prep time: 5 mins
Total time: 5 mins
Serves: 12
Amazing Greek Salad recipe with a delicious homemade dressing. Gluten free.
Ingredients
½ cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup parsley
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Instructions
Stir to combine.
Toss with salad before serving.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Stir REALLY well before serving as this dressing separates.
Notes
If you like a sweeter salad dressing, increase the sugar to 1/2 cup.
This is our family’s favorite salad!
This salad dressing is absolutely wonderful.
Best Ever Greek Salad is healthy, low calorie and gluten free. You can cut down the sugar in the dressing, too, if you’re concerned about sugar intake.
Try this salad the next time you have company. It will be a winner with everyone!
1 mason jar with lid to hold the salad dressing until ready to serve
1 sharp knife to cut vegetables
1 small bowl
measuring cups
measuring spoons
Ingredients
SALAD:
1headromaineor red or green leaf lettuce or a couple of bags of pre-washed
6-8roma tomatoessliced
1largecucumbersliced
1green pepperdiced, any color will do
1/4red onionthinly sliced and separated into rings
1/2 to 2/3cupripe Kalamata olivesdrained
1/2 to 1cuppepperocinisdrained (I usually use the sliced salad pepper rings)
1/2-1lb.feta cheesewe like a lot and use more than the original recipe calls for
GREEN SALAD DRESSING:
1/2cupolive oil
1/3cupred wine vinegar
1/4cupgranulated sugaror honey (if you want less sugar you can reduce to two tablespoons)
1/4cupdried parsley
1tsp.dried oregano
1tsp.dried basil
1tsp.sea salt
1/2tsp.ground black pepper
Instructions
SALAD:
Layer ingredients in above order.
Add the dressing and pour over salad just before serving.
GREEK SALAD DRESSING:
Place ingredients in a small bowl.
Whisk to combine.
Transfer to a mason jar with lid or small bowl with lid.
Toss with salad before serving.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Stir REALLY well before serving as this dressing separates.
Notes
NOTE: If you like a sweeter salad dressing, increase the sugar to 1/2 cup, however, this salad is equally good with a dressing of 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons sugar – especially if you’re trying to cut back. NOTE: I’ve used honey instead of sugar in the dressing and it works exceptionally well. NOTE: If you’re not going to eat all the salad at once, just drizzle salad dressing over individual plates.Â
1headromaineor red or green leaf lettuce or a couple of bags of pre-washed
6-8roma tomatoessliced
1largecucumbersliced
1green pepperdiced, any color will do
1/4red onionthinly sliced and separated into rings
1/2 to 2/3cupripe Kalimati olivesdrained
1/2 to 1cuppepperocinisdrained (I usually use the sliced salad pepper rings)
1/2-1lb.feta cheesewe like a lot and use more than the original recipe calls for
GREEN SALAD DRESSING:
1/2cupolive oil
1/3cupred wine vinegar
1/3cupsugaror honey
1/4cupparsley
1tsp.oregano
1tsp.basil
1tsp.sea salt
1/2tsp.ground black pepper
Instructions
SALAD:
Layer in above order.
Add the dressing and pour over salad just before serving.
GREEK SALAD DRESSING:
Stir to combine.
Toss with salad before serving.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Stir REALLY well before serving as this dressing separates.
Notes
NOTE:Â If you like a sweeter salad dressing, increase the sugar to 1/2 cup.NOTE: I use honey regularly instead of sugar in the dressing and it works exceptionally well.NOTE: If you're not going to eat all the salad at once, just drizzle salad dressing over individual plates.