Mediterranean chopped salad is a crunchy, flavorful salad with chick peas, olives and feta cheese - perfect for a vegetarian and gluten-free lunch or light dinner!

Close up of a large white salad bowl with a Mediterranean style chopped salad with chickpeas and olives with salad tongs in it.

I did a live cooking demonstration this past weekend for a health + fitness expo here in Charlotte. It was a lot of fun!

I was super nervous at first -- and I think it showed -- but I warmed up as I went along and the crowd was really nice and supportive.

And they LOVED the healthy snacks I made. (I did my sweet potato toast, no-bake chocolate chip cookie balls and creamy peanut butter yogurt dip.)

And after last week's craziness, I've got a week of lots of fun get togethers and play dates to look forward to, which is oh so welcome!

Now, a question for you: Have you ever done a total 180 on a food? Something you thought you disliked and you came to really love it?

A large white salad bowl with separate rows of ingredients, including cucumber, chickpeas, feta cheese and olives before being mixed together.

A few years ago, I had a change of heart with olives.

I’ve always loved olive oil, I occasionally had tapenade and thought it was pretty good, then my mother-in-law introduced me to Crock Pot Mediterranean Chicken and I realized I liked olives in that.

Not long after that, we got a mix of specialty olives from a coworker whose husband was Greek and I found a few of those that I really loved.

A hand pouring a homemade vinaigrette over a chopped salad with chickpeas and cucumbers.

And now I'm all about the olives! My go-to grocery store has a very small olive bar selection and I’ll sometimes bring some home for us to snack on.

Total turn-around!

What has never changed though is my undying love for chopped salad.

I brought you my Southwestern Chopped Salad and my Asian Chicken Chopped Salad, which are both totally addictive in their own ways.

And today I’ve got a new one for you: my Mediterranean chopped salad.

Rows of salad ingredients in a bowl before being mixed together, including olives, feta cheese, cucumber, chickpeas and roasted peppers.

A Mediterranean chopped salad with lettuce, cucumber, olives, peppers, chickpeas and feta cheese in a large white serving bowl with silver tongs resting in it.

It’s got ALL the crunch from the romaine lettuce; tons of heartiness from the chick peas; big, bold flavors from the olives and peppers; cool, crisp diced cucumbers and a salty kick from the feta cheese.

Seriously flavorful!

You’ll be fighting to get a little bit of everything in each forkful.

(And if you love these flavors like I do, check out my Mediterranean chickpea salad. So colorful and crunchy!)

Recipe Notes:

I use my homemade Italian dressing (with 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard added for a tangy version) but you can substitute with your favorite store-bought Italian dressing.
I use peppadew or piquillo peppers - you might also find sweet small cherry peppers. You could substitute roasted red peppers if you prefer.
Feel free to use your favorite kind of olive here. (I use kalamata olives.)
I’ve used both a regular cucumber and an English hot house cucumber in this recipe before. Both are great so use whichever kind you prefer.
You could also add chopped artichoke hearts if you love those.

Also, this recipe is vegetarian as is but you could easily add some grilled chicken, pork, fish or steak on top if you'd like.

A plate of a Mediterranean chopped salad with a fork resting to the side and the larger salad in a bowl in the background.

I usually serve this Mediterranean chopped salad with homemade flatbread for a full and filling vegetarian meal. You could also use store-bought flatbread or naan bread or serve it with pita chips.

Or serve it by itself for a low-carb and gluten-free lunch or dinner salad.

If you love chopped salads like I do, you've gotta give this one a try!

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

Salad tongs in a white serving bowl full of a chopped lettuce salad with olives, cucumbers and chickpeas mixed in.

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5 from 1 vote

Mediterranean Chopped Salad

Mediterranean chopped salad is a crunchy, flavorful salad with chick peas, olives and feta cheese!

Prep Time15

Total Time15

Yield: 3 -4 servings

Ingredients

8 oz. romaine lettuce, chopped
1 (15.5 oz.) can chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 medium cucumber, seeds removed and diced
½ cup olives, pitted and chopped
½ cup piccadew peppers, chopped
½ cup feta cheese crumbles
⅓ to ½ cup Italian dressing, homemade or store-bought

Instructions

Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl and mix well to combine.
Drizzle with vinaigrette, starting with about ⅓ cup and adding to taste.

Notes

This recipe is vegetarian as is but you could easily add some grilled chicken, pork, fish or steak on top.

I use my homemade Italian dressing (with a tablespoon of Dijon mustard added for a tangy version) but you could substitute your favorite kind.

I use peppadew or piquillo peppers. You might also find small sweet cherry peppers. You could substitute roasted red peppers if you prefer.

Feel free to use your favorite kind of olive here. (I used kalamata.)

I’ve used both a regular cucumber and an English hot house cucumber. Both are great, so use whichever you prefer.

You can substitute homemade crock pot chickpeas for the can of chickpeas. You need about 1 ½ cups.

Video

Nutrition

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below or follow me on Instagram @familyfoodonthetable and tag me in your photo!

Comments

Tara | Treble in the Kitchen

January 30, 2017 at 7:13 am

I am a total nut about olives, but my husband doesn't care for them. I'm hoping he makes a 180 on them!! Hearing your story gives me hope 🙂

- Kathryn
  
  February 01, 2017 at 8:19 pm
  
  I'll cross my fingers for you Tara 😉
  
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary

January 30, 2017 at 8:37 am

Oh CONGRATS on the cooking demo! I'm sure you totally rocked it girl and that no one but you noticed your nervousness!! So brave! I'm teeeerrified of public speaking, so I'm totally wuss out... or start crying half way through. lol. Anyways, YES I have done a complete 180 on lots of foods. Most notably brussels and asparagus. I hated those when I was little. 😉 LOVE this salad!!! Love the Mediterranean ingredients and how packed with flavor this chopped beauty is! I'm craving this for lunch today and I think I have everything to make it. Off to check out my fridge and pantry. 😉 Cheers!

- Kathryn
  
  February 01, 2017 at 8:21 pm
  
  I probably didn't like Brussels sprouts or asparagus much as a kid but I ADORE them now too! I guess I just had to age a bit more for the olives 😉 XO
  
Jessica @ Nutritioulicious

January 30, 2017 at 10:26 pm

LOVE Mediterranean food and chopped salads. This is totally my kind of meal! Gorgeous too!

- Kathryn
  
  February 01, 2017 at 8:22 pm
  
  I'm the same way Jessica so this is the total jackpot! 😊
  
Dawn @ Girl Heart Food

January 31, 2017 at 2:06 pm

Yay for you on the cooking demo! I get nervous in front of crowds too and definitely something I'm working on to get over, but sometimes it is easier said than done, but I'm sure you did an awesome job! Lots of times, it's probably more of a nervous feeling inside and others don't really see it so let's go with that 🙂 180 on foods? Totally!! I used to not like cilantro and avocado!! What?! Crazy, huh? Now I always have both in my fridge. Speaking of the olives that you didn't like, I made homemade pizza last Friday and added them on and they really came through and made the pizza. Love both black and green olives. And blue cheese stuffed olives in a martini (but that's another story, lol). Loving this salad, girl! This is right up my alley and love the suggestion of adding some protein for some extra somethin' somethin'. And the feta on there is perfect. I would eat all this myself 🙂 Yummy yummy!!

- Kathryn
  
  February 01, 2017 at 8:30 pm
  
  YOU didn't like cilantro or avocado?! Hard to believe... I'm still "eh" on avocado and my husband is allergic so we almost never have it but I should probably try it again. And now that I'm into olives, I definitely need to try them in a martini! 🍸 XO
  
Pam Avoledo

January 02, 2018 at 8:07 pm

I love olives! Problem I get them out before dinner and then they are almost gone. Great recipe!

- Kathryn
  
  January 03, 2018 at 7:48 pm
  
  Haha, we've been known to have a few (or a handful) disappear while cooking as well Pam!
  
Carolyn

January 04, 2018 at 4:40 pm

I love how colorful this is!

- Kathryn
  
  January 07, 2018 at 9:41 am
  
  Thanks! It's always fun to eat pretty food!
  
Richa Gupta

January 05, 2018 at 9:30 pm

Love this healthy and yummy salad anytime!

- Kathryn
  
  January 07, 2018 at 9:40 am
  
  Yes! I'm always in the mood for this!
  
  - Becky
    
    July 08, 2024 at 6:51 pm
    
    “Piccadew” peppers don’t turn anything up on Google. Is that supposed to be “peppadew” peppers instead?
    
    - Kathryn Doherty
      
      July 09, 2024 at 8:29 am
      
      Yes, that was a typo! I use peppadew or piquillo peppers for this salad, or sometimes the small sweet cherry peppers you can find in a salad bar/olive bar at the store. You can also swap in roasted red peppers if you prefer. Hope that helps and thanks for pointing it out!