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!
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 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.
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.
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.
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
Mediterranean Chopped Salad
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.
Tara | Treble in the Kitchen
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
I'll cross my fingers for you Tara 😉
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary
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
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
LOVE Mediterranean food and chopped salads. This is totally my kind of meal! Gorgeous too!
Kathryn
I'm the same way Jessica so this is the total jackpot! 😊
Dawn @ Girl Heart Food
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
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
I love olives! Problem I get them out before dinner and then they are almost gone. Great recipe!
Kathryn
Haha, we've been known to have a few (or a handful) disappear while cooking as well Pam!
Carolyn
I love how colorful this is!
Kathryn
Thanks! It's always fun to eat pretty food!
Richa Gupta
Love this healthy and yummy salad anytime!
Kathryn
Yes! I'm always in the mood for this!
Becky
“Piccadew” peppers don’t turn anything up on Google. Is that supposed to be “peppadew” peppers instead?
Kathryn Doherty
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!