Chopped Greek Salad

This guest recipe for Chopped Greek Salad is from Michelle Parker of Metairie, Louisiana.

Michelle sent us a bowl that looks like a Greek salad and eats like a full meal. Chickpeas, edamame, olives, and capers sit under a sharp lemon dressing. A tin of Galilee Green Extra Virgin Olive Oil stands right behind the bowl in her photo. That is the right order. The oil is the ingredient that ties this greek chopped salad together.

A classic Greek salad keeps the pieces large. Tomatoes stay in wedges. Cucumber stays in thick slices. Feta often arrives as a slab. This chopped greek salad recipe takes the other road. Michelle cuts everything small, so every forkful hits onion, olive, bean, and herb at once. You do not hunt for flavor. Flavor finds you.

Warm weather calls for this kind of plate. It stays light. It stays crunchy. Michelle says the salad tastes best about ten minutes after you toss it. The vegetables stay crisp. The dressing has time to cling. Wait much longer and the vinegar starts to soften the feta, which is why she spoons the cheese on top instead of stirring it through.

Why this Chopped Greek Salad works

A chopped greek salad recipe lives or dies on the dressing. Watery oil slides off the beans. A flat oil tastes like nothing. Galilee Green Extra Virgin Olive Oil brings a fresh, peppery finish from the Galilee. You taste fruit first. A gentle sting follows. That bite stands up to lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and a dash of cayenne.

Use a full quarter cup, or more if the bowl looks dry. Extra virgin olive oil is not a background note here. It is the sauce. If your bottle has sat in a hot cupboard, start fresh. Order a tin of Galilee Green Extra Virgin Olive Oil and keep it in a cool, dark spot. Salad night gets better the moment you open it.

Serve it next to our Galilee Green Greek Salad when you want greens, or beside Israeli Salad when you want a finer chop. Both love the same GGOO.

Chopped Greek Salad Ingredients:

Michelle’s list serves a crowd as a side, or two hungry people as a light meal.

• 1 can garbanzo beans (16 oz / 454 g), drained and rinsed
• 1/4 red onion, sliced very thin
• 1/4 cup olives (your choice), chopped
• 1/4 cup capers, drained and chopped
• 1 cup shelled edamame
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1/2 cup baby carrots, sliced very thin
• 1 English cucumber, or 4 small seedless snack cucumbers, sliced lengthwise and chopped into bite-size pieces
• 1/8 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/2 Tbsp granulated garlic
• 1 good dash cayenne pepper
• Black pepper, to taste
• Salt, to taste
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup Galilee Green Extra Virgin Olive Oil, or more
• 1/2 cup feta cheese

How to make this greek chopped salad:

1. Add the first ten ingredients to a large bowl. That is the beans through the basil. Toss them gently so the tomatoes stay whole.
2. Stir the granulated garlic, cayenne, black pepper, salt, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and olive oil in a small bowl. Keep stirring until the salt dissolves.
3. Pour the dressing over the salad. Toss gently. Taste, then add salt, pepper, or another splash of oil.
4. Spoon the feta on top. Do not mix it in. Vinegar dissolves feta fast, and you want those salty crumbles at the table.

Michelle says the chopping looks like a lot of work the first time. After one batch, you will crave it. The crunch is the point. It makes a nice light meal when the weather turns warm.

Make it yours

Swap in Kalamata olives if you want a deeper brine. Use Castelvetrano if you want a milder bite. Keep the capers. They do the work of a pickle without extra liquid.

A small spoon of Galilee Green raw honey in the dressing softens the vinegar if your crowd likes a rounder sauce. Start with half a teaspoon. Taste before you add more. The lemon should still lead.

Pack leftovers for lunch, but keep the feta separate until you eat. The beans drink the dressing and stay good the next day. Add a fresh pinch of basil if the herbs fade.

Thank you, Michelle, for sharing this Chopped Greek Salad with the Galilee Green family. We send you and your family in Metairie many blessings from Israel for good health.

Ready to dress the next bowl? Get Galilee Green Extra Virgin Olive Oil and taste the Galilee in every forkful.