The Best Greek Salad Recipe

Are you trying to find the best Greek salad recipe for your dinner guests, to bring to the potluck or take to work for lunch? This Greek salad is easy to make, super filling, very healthy, and extremely delicious (yes, a delicious salad)!  

This recipe uses a handful of classic Greek salad fixings, including juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, tangy feta cheese, flavourful kalamata olives, and crunchy green peppers. The ingredients are super basic to help you make this recipe with ease, just like all of the recipes on Cup of Flour! Learn more on the About page on how Cup of Flour helps offer people with more approachable recipes by using basic ingredients only.

I love meal-prepping this salad for the week because it stores well, and the longer it does store, the flavors intensify and make it even more delicious!

Why you'll love this recipe

• EASY: This recipe won’t take long to make! You just need to chop up some ingredients, cook some quinoa, add everything to a large bowl, and add some salad dressing! 
• FILLING: This salad will keep your stomach full for hours. You can thank the quinoa for that! 
• GREAT FOR MEAL PREPPING: Make this salad for school or work ahead of time!

Ingredients

• TOMATOES: When looking for tomatoes, look for red tomatoes and less on the yellow or orange side. Red tomatoes are more ripe, juicy, and flavourful; and are especially great to use in this Greek salad because the quinoa will soak up the amazing juice from the tomato. You can use your choice of tomato. Dice 3 large tomatoes or 4 small tomatoes. 
• CUCUMBER: Choose a dark green and firm cucumber for this recipe. Be sure there aren’t any blemishes or soft spots, which might mean it’s spoiled. Dice one-half of a whole cucumber. 
• PEPPERS: You can use whatever peppers you have, but this recipe uses green peppers. Red peppers are also a great option, but if you want something sweeter, you should opt for a yellow or orange pepper. Look for peppers that are firm. If the pepper is soft or has the appearance of wrinkles, the pepper is starting to go bad. Dice 1 large pepper. 
• OLIVES: The olives and their juices give this salad so much flavour! You can use your choice of olives, but this recipe uses kalamata olives because they really give this salad that Greek flavour you want in a Greek salad. Look for the slices and pitted olives, making preparing and eating the salad much easier. Use half a cup.
• FETA CHEESE: Look for a traditional Greek feta cheese made from cow, goat, or sheep’s milk.  Use about 200 grams or as desired. Tre Stelle, Compliments, and Kirkland (Costco) are three great brands. 
• QUINOA: The quinoa in this salad recipe makes the salad super hearty and provides a great texture. Follow your quinoa package's instructions to cook the quinoa (use about 1.5 cups of quinoa to 3 cups of liquid). 
• VEGETABLE BROTH (OPTIONAL): Vegetable broth is optional to give the quinoa some flavour. Feel free to use water instead if you prefer. 
• GREEK SALAD DRESSING: Use an oil-based Greek salad dressing for this recipe. The easiest option is to use a Greek salad dressing, but if you prefer, you could also try making your own.
• SALT & PEPPER: To enhance the flavour, add 1 teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper.

Kitchen tools

• LARGE BOWL: For storing the salad.
• KNIFE: For chopping the vegetables and feta cheese.
• MEDIUM POT: For cooking the quinoa. 
• MEASURING SPOONS AND CUPS: For measuring the ingredients. 

Instructions

1. Combine the tomatoes, cucumber, green peppers, kalamata olives, and feta cheese in a large bowl. Put plastic wrap over the bowl, and place it in the fridge.
2. Cook the quinoa according to the package. Once fully cooled, add to the bowl with the other ingredients. 
3. Add the Greek salad dressing, salt, and pepper. 
4. Store in the fridge covered with plastic wrap for up to 5 days. 

Recipe tips

• Make the recipe ahead. If you make this recipe ahead of time (or the night before), the flavours will be much stronger and taste a lot better!
• Use vegetable broth. Cooking the quinoa in the vegetable broth will enhance the flavour of the quinoa; cooked in water can taste a little bit plain. 
• Add extra salad dressing. If you’re making this salad so that you can eat it throughout the week, add a little bit of extra salad dressing to the portion you take to “freshen it up.” 

Serving Suggestions

This salad is great on its own for picnics or to take to work for lunch, but it also makes for a great soup and salad combo with a bowl tomato soup, chicken noodle soup, or paired with another side dish for dinner like some roasted baby potatoes or garlic parmesan asparagus.

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