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This Mediterranean Chopped Salad is fit for a crowd! It’s not only large enough to feed 6-8 people, but its ingredients are essentially larger than life in the flavor they pack! I make my Mediterranean Chopped Salad with simple vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions mixed with chickpeas, feta cheese, and olives and toss it all in an herby, lemony vinaigrette!
All you have to do is chop all the ingredients, make the dressing, and then mix everything together right before you serve it. It’s an easy salad that feeds a crowd and has them coming back for seconds.
why you’ll love this Mediterranean chickpea salad
- Easy to make. This salad only requires a few simple chopping steps, and then you’re done!
- Can be made ahead of time. This salad can easily be made a day or two in advance, which makes it perfect for meal prep or entertaining!
- Packs a flavor punch. The combination of fresh herbs, salty feta cheese and olives, and tangy vinaigrette makes this salad irresistible!
- Perfect for a crowd. This salad is large enough to feed a crowd and can easily be doubled or tripled for even more people!
Ingredients TO MAKE Mediterranean chopped salad
The great thing about chopped salads is that you can pretty much chop whatever vegetables you want and throw them all together. Since this is a Mediterranean chopped salad, I’m leaning more towards ingredients typical in Mediterranean recipes.
Salad ingredients
- Romaine lettuce: Chop it finely or use other mixed greens instead.
- Tomatoes: Small juicy kinds are best, so I gravitate towards grape or cherry tomatoes and cut them in half lengthwise.
- Persian cucumbers: These are my favorite cucumbers that I essentially always have in my fridge and use in my recipes. They are small, sweet, and pretty much seedless. They’re also known as the burpless cucumber because they don’t have any stomach upset issues that might be typical of other cucumbers. The skin is so thin that it’s easier to eat and doesn’t require peeling.
- Chickpeas: Canned, rinsed, and drained chickpeas work well here. Chickpeas are a great plant-based protein, so it actually rounds out this salad to make it a complete meal. If you’re not a fan of chickpeas, white beans work well in this salad as well.
- Kalamata olives: They give a briny salty flavor to the salad. You can also add jarred artichokes or pepperoncini for a similar effect.
- Red onions: Chop these up the smallest compared to the other ingredients, so they blend more easily into the salad and don’t give anyone a big surprise in the mouth when they bite into a large one.
- Feta: Because it’s Mediterranean!
Dressing ingredients
You can absolutely just toss this Mediterranean chopped salad with any store-bought dressing. But the dressing I’m using in this recipe is so quick to make, that it’s worth taking a few minutes to prep it and whisk it together.
- Olive oil: Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor.
- Lemon juice: This adds acidity to the dressing. You can also substitute any type of vinegar, like red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar.
- Dijon mustard: I use mustard to add flavor and to help emulsify the dressing.
- Garlic: A must in any good Mediterranean style dressing! Use garlic powder for a more mellow flavor if you’d like.
- Herbs: Go with what you like or what you have on hand. To enhance the Mediterranean flavors, I am using dried oregano. You can also use fresh or dried dill, thyme, or parsley.
How to make Mediterranean chopped salad
This salad is really simple to make! I like to make my dressing first to give it time to come together while I’m chopping up the vegetables.
whisk the Dressing
- Add all the ingredients to a glass container.
- Whisk together all the ingredients until emulsified.
Assemble the salad
- Assemble the salad in a large bowl by placing the chopped lettuce first.
- Follow with a line of chopped tomatoes in the center.
- Layer the chickpeas and cucumbers next to the tomatoes.
- Continue layering the rest of the veggies until the salad is complete.
Tips for making the best chopped salad
- Cut the veggies uniformly. This will ensure that the salad is evenly mixed and that all the ingredients are easy to eat in one bite.
- Don’t skimp on the herbs. The herbs really make this salad, so don’t be afraid to use a good amount!
- Use a good quality olive oil and dijon mustard. This will make all the difference in the flavor of your dressing.
- Taste as you go. Season the salad with salt and pepper to taste. I also like to add a little bit of lemon juice at the end for extra acidity.
popular substitutions & additions
- Add in some protein. Chicken, shrimp, or steak would all be great additions to this salad.
- Make it vegan. Omit the feta cheese and use a vegan cheese like Violife in its place.
- Use other greens. If you’re not a fan of romaine lettuce, feel free to use other mixed greens, kale or spinach.
- Toss in some extra veggies. I like to add in chopped bell peppers or carrots for extra crunch.
what to serve with Mediterranean salad
how to store a chopped salad
Store any leftover chopped salad in the fridge. I like to store it in a large container with a lid so that I can shake it up before serving. To prolong the shelf life, keep the dressing stored separately.
how long will a chopped salad last in the fridge?
A chopped salad will last in the fridge for about 3 days before the lettuce starts to wilt.
Frequently asked questions
A chopped salad is a salad that has all of its ingredients chopped into small pieces. This makes it easier to eat and also allows the flavors of the ingredients to mix together more evenly.
I usually just use a sharp knife to chop the veggies by hand. But you can also use a food processor fitted with a slicing attachment to quickly and evenly chop my vegetables. You can also use a mandoline slicer or vegetable chopper linked below.
The best way to keep chopped salad from getting soggy is to store the dressing separately and only dress the salad right before serving. You can also add in a little bit of acidity, like lemon juice or vinegar, which will help to keep the veggies from getting soggy.
A chopped salad is a great way to get all of your favorite salad ingredients into one bowl! This Mediterranean chopped salad is packed full of flavor and can easily be customized to fit your taste. The dressing is simple to make and uses common ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. I like to serve my chopped salad with some grilled chicken for a complete meal. This salad will last in the fridge for about three days, making it perfect for meal prep!
More Mediterranean salads:
- Chickpea Couscous Salad
- Mediterranean Pasta Salad
- Kale Tabbouleh
- Kale & Farro Salad
- Lebanese Fattoush Salad
- Tomato Avocado Cucumber Salad
- Mediterranean Potato Salad
- Strawberry Caprese Salad
- Vegan Chickpea Salad
- Mediterranean Chicken Salad
If you try this feel good Mediterranean Chopped Salad recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
This Mediterranean Chopped Salad recipe was originally published on February 28, 2019. The recipe has been slightly modified to make the dressing with olive oil instead of vegetable broth (it was originally an oil-free recipe sponsored by a broth brand). The post now includes new step-by-step photos for how to make the chopped salad.
Mediterranean Chopped Salad
Ingredients
- 2 heads romaine lettuce chopped, about 6 cups
- 1 pint grape tomatoes quartered
- 1 cup chopped Persian cucumbers
- 15 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup red onions finely chopped
- ¼ cup Kalamata olives pitted sliced
- ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 tablespoon parsley chopped
For the dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove pressed
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Assemble the salad in a large bowl by placing the chopped lettuce first, then arranging lines of the remaining ingredients on top of the chopped lettuce.
- To prepare the dressing, whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing in a small mason jar until emulsified.
- When ready to serve, pour the dressing on top of the salad. Garnish with parsley. Toss if you prefer to keep the salad untossed for best presentation.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
I just made this recipe and thought it was pretty good. I didn’t feel there was enough feta in it or olives so I added more and added some more salt I thought it was a lovely flavor but kinda bland so I punched it up a bit more
Love that you made it your own!
I just got done making this recipe for at least the 8th time or more…I don’t use the lettuce, I like it better without….sometimes add red pepper and avocado too…so good…also in place of lemon I use red wine vinegar…
So glad I found this recipe. It is my new favorite. Thank you!
You’re so welcome!
can tell me how much of. a serving for the 226 calories?
Hi Donna, great question. It’s hard to nail down an exact serving size here as a lot of it depends on lettuce, to chickpea and other veggie ratios. I would say around a cup is going to be closest to that mark.
Love the ingredients in this salad. I’m making it again today! But my dressing fell flat. It’s mostly flavorless. I think it might be the Dijon. I used French’s brand.
Any suggestions on how to bring some life back to the dressing? Maybe a different brand? I love your sumac dressing, so I definitely want this one to work.
When you say it was flavorless, do you mean you felt like it lacked flavor before you added it to the salad or it just wasn’t strong enough once added to the salad?
It didn’t have much flavor before adding it to the salad. It was bland.
Just an update: I added some Annie’s Dijon and got it to work! I think it was the original Dijon brand I used.
I added some Annie’s Dijon and got it to work! Now it tastes really good! I think it was the original brand of Dijon that didn’t have enough flavor.