Name: Greek-Inspired Mediterranean Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Ingredients: 6 cups romaine lettuce (chopped (about 1 large head or two small heads)); 2 cups baby spinach (chopped); 1/2 cup red onion (thinly sliced); 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes (sliced in half); 1 cup cucumber (chopped); 12-14 ounce can or jar artichoke hearts (quartered ); 4 or 6 pepperoncini peppers, sliced; 1 cup cooked chickpeas; 1/3 cup kalamata olives (sliced); 1/3 cup toasted pistachios (chopped); 1 cup Tofu Feta (or store-bought vegan feta); 1/2 cup Lemon Tahini Dressing (or store-bought tahini-based dressing)

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Mediterranean Salad is loaded with vegetables and tofu feta and then drenched in tahini dressing. Inspired by the classic Greek salad, it’s great for lunch, and it’s also a perfect light dinner for warm evenings. This easy to make recipe is vegan and gluten-free.

Mediterranean Salad

This has been my go-to lunch in the warmer months for years now. I love pilling a big plate of greens high with ripe cherry tomatoes, tangy olives, sliced cucumber, toasted pistachios, and tofu feta and then drizzling the whole thing in tahini dressing. It also makes a great light dinner.

I first shared this recipe back in 2014, and I called in a greek salad. Why? Because it contains a bunch of ingredients that are Greek to me! I’ve since learned that a greek salad is made with made with cucumbers, tomatoes, feta, and onion. Sometimes green bell peppers, olives, and caper berries are added. Which means this is not a Greek salad. Sorry for my ignorance!

So I’m now calling it a Greek Inspired salad. It’s a Mediterranean salad, really, since most of the ingredients are found in Mediterranean cooking.

How to Make Mediterranean Salad

This recipe couldn’t be easier to make!

You mix all of the salad ingredients together.
Then you top it with the dressing.
Finally, you mix in the feta.

Easy peasy!

How to customize your Mediterranean Salad

This recipe is super easy to make your own!

Instead of romaine, you can use any type of lettuce. Try Boston on green leafy.
If you don’t like spinach, you can skip it or use baby kale or arugula.
Almonds or walnuts can be used instead of pistachios.
Pumpkin or sunflower seeds can be used instead of pistachios, if you have a nut allergy.
Any ingredient you don’t like can be omitted. Skip the onion if you don’t like raw onion. Leave out the cucumbers if they’re not your thing.
Add any veggies you do like your salad. Try roasted red peppers or diced green bell pepper.

Vegan Feta

Years ago, I was sent some soy feta samples to try, and I quickly became addicted. I used it in salads for lunch for weeks on end. When I ran out, I was able to find the vegan cheese at both my local Whole Foods and Fairway Market. But either both stores discontinued it or the manufacturer started making soon after, because it became impossible to find. So, I did what anyone who loves tinkering with food would do – I created my own.

Since I first created this recipe, vegan feta has once again become available, with Violife’s Just Like Feta being one of the more easy to find brands. I’ve read that others will be available soon. You can use my homemade tofu-based recipe in this dish (which is what I like to do) or you can use store-bought.

Tahini Dressing

I LOVE tahini. LOVE love love it. I go through jars of it, making dressings and sauces. Lemon Tahini Dressing is my go-to salad dressing. I love it so much that I use it on sandwiches, too, and (don’t judge me here) I even dip my fries in it.

It’s my dressing of choice for this recipe. If you’re pressed for time or just don’t feel like making your own dressing. You can use a store-bought tahini based dressing. Annie’s Homegrown Goddess Dressing is good on this salad, too.