Straightforward Mediterranean Salad (Meal Prep Possibility!)- Slender Kitchen

This Straightforward Mediterranean Salad is made with a vibrant mixture of recent veggies, herbs, chickpeas, and feta cheese, all tossed in a flavorful home made French dressing. Serve it by itself or pair it together with your favourite protein for the proper wholesome aspect dish, lunch, or dinner.

Mediterranean delicacies is all about brilliant colours and recent flavors. From gyros to falafel and every part in between, I’ve all the time completely beloved every part concerning the meals from this a part of the world.

As a lot as I get pleasure from eating out, you may simply make your personal model of those dishes at residence as I’ve executed with this tremendous easy salad. This Meditteranean Salad is loaded with wholesome veggies, recent herbs, and tangy feta cheese. It covers all of the bases in terms of vitamin—protein, fiber, wholesome fat, and many veggies.

You may meal prep a big batch of this dish to get pleasure from as a wholesome lunch. Or serve up an enormous bowl for dinner alongside grilled chicken or fish. You may even flip it right into a wholesome grain bowl, like these simple Mediterranean Bowls.

Searching for different recent salad recipes to strive? Try Cucumber Salad, Quinoa Salad, and Mediterranean Bean Salad.

Why You’ll Love This Mediterranean Salad Recipe

These are simply a few of the the explanation why you’ll need to make this wholesome Mediterranean salad recipe:

• Full vitamin: This Mediterranean salad has acquired you lined with all the good things due to the veggies, herbs, and feta cheese. A lot of protein, fiber, and wholesome fat in a single bowl!
• Straightforward to make: This wholesome chickpea salad requires virtually no prep! All it’s a must to do is toss collectively all of your components in a yummy home made French dressing.
• Higher as leftovers: No want to fret about leftovers! This salad truly tastes higher after sitting a day or two within the fridge.

In the event you love fast salads for lunch, do this Mediterranean Chicken Salad, Easy Lentil Salad, and Easy Arugula Salad.

Elements and Straightforward Swaps

To carry this flavorful wholesome Mediterranean salad to life, you will want the next key components:

• Chickpeas: Full of an abundance of protein and fiber, chickpeas are a staple in Mediterranean delicacies. In the event you aren’t a fan of garbanzo beans, swap in white beans,
• Veggies: You will want Persian cucumbers, crimson and inexperienced bell peppers, and crimson onions for this recipe. All of them add a ton of taste, attractive colours, and a pleasant crunch. Different choices embody celery, sliced cabbage, carrots, or inexperienced beans.
• Kalamata olives: These salty little fruits (sure, they’re fruits!) add a depth of richness that completely balances out the recent flavors on this salad. Be happy to swap in one other olive should you like.
• Parsley: Contemporary herbs add a ton of brilliant and delightful taste to this dish. In the event you don’t have parsley, you should utilize one other recent herb like dill, mint, or cilantro.
• Feta cheese: This tangy cheese provides nice taste and a creamy texture to the salad. It can be swapped out for goat cheese if wanted.
• Olive oil: Loaded with heart-healthy fat, we use further virgin olive oil as the bottom of our home made French dressing.
• Purple wine vinegar: That is an important a part of our home made French dressing that provides acidity to the dish, which brightens up the remainder of our salad components.

Can I add protein to this salad?

Whereas chickpeas are filled with protein, you may completely add extra protein to this salad if you wish to. A few of my favourite protein sources to make use of on this dish embody grilled rooster, fish, and shrimp. For a vegetarian choice, strive including tofu or pasta.

Tips on how to Make Straightforward Mediterranean Salad

This recent and wholesome Mediterranean Salad comes collectively in 3 simple steps! Right here’s all you might want to do to make this fast and simple recipe:

1. Combine the components: In a big bowl, mix the drained chickpeas, cucumber, bell pepper, crimson onion, olives, feta cheese, and parsley. Don’t neglect to rinse the chickpeas after draining. Add salt and pepper to style, however watch out with the salt since some components like feta and olives could be fairly salty.
2. Put together the dressing: In a separate bowl, whisk collectively olive oil, crimson wine vinegar, lemon juice, minced garlic, and oregano. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes to assist tone down the uncooked garlic taste. If you would like an additional kick, strive including a pinch of crimson pepper flakes or a little bit of Dijon mustard to the dressing.
3. Mix and chill: Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss every part collectively till well-coated. For the most effective taste, let it chill within the fridge for 15-20 minutes earlier than serving.

   Recipe Variations and Concepts

   Listed here are a few of my favourite methods to change up this dish:

   • Add a protein supply: Whereas this dish is scrumptious and nutrient-rich by itself, you may beef it up by including your favourite lean protein supply. A few of my high decisions embody grilled chicken, salmon, and shrimp.
   • Use a distinct herb: Contemporary herbs are the important thing to including tons of scrumptious taste, however you don’t all the time have to make use of parsley. Attempt switching it up with one other recent herb like dill, cilantro, or mint. Any of those would work effectively on this salad.
   • Swap up the veggies: When you have any greens in your fridge that must be used up, be at liberty to toss them into this salad. Some choices you might use embody tomatoes, arugula, spinach, carrots, inexperienced onions, and shallots.
   • Swap out the dressing: I prefer to whip up a easy French dressing to pair with this salad, however you might add Greek yogurt or Dijon mustard to make it a creamier dressing. You can additionally use your favourite store-bought Greek salad dressing or make this homemade creamy dressing.
   • Add nuts or seeds: To make this salad much more filling and add wholesome fat or omega-3s, strive including some nuts or seeds like almonds, pumpkin seeds, or hemp seeds.
   • Make it a pasta salad: This dish works nice as a pasta salad too, so be at liberty to bulk it up together with your favourite sort of pasta! My high decisions are penne and orzo.

   What can I exploit as a substitute of feta cheese?

   In the event you don’t have feta cheese or aren’t a fan, you may simply substitute it for goat cheese or blue cheese as a substitute. For a dairy-free and vegan choice, be at liberty to go away out the cheese altogether.

   Recipe Suggestions and Tips

   This Mediterranean salad is such a feast for the senses, and it doesn’t take hours to organize. Listed here are some easy tricks to make it far more scrumptious:

   • Go away it to marinate: It’s so tempting to dig in as quickly as you’re executed making this salad! The flavors absolutely come collectively should you go away it for about an hour, however not less than quarter-hour will do should you’re in a rush. I promise it’s definitely worth the wait!
   • Go simple with the salt: Loosen up with the salt because the feta cheese and olives are already fairly salty on their very own.
   • Add spice: In the event you get pleasure from your salad with a kick, you may add a little bit extra warmth with diced crimson chili peppers and even crimson chili flakes.
   • Amp up the protein: Chickpeas present a stable protein base, however for a good heartier salad, think about including grilled rooster or fish.

     What to Serve With This Dish

     Straightforward Mediterranean Salad makes for an exquisite simple lunch all by itself. For household dinners or gatherings with pals, there are tons of scrumptious dishes you may pair it with.

     Listed here are a few of my favourite dishes to get pleasure from it with:

     Tips on how to Retailer Mediterranean Salad

     In the event you wind up with leftovers of this tasty salad, you’re in luck! It shops extremely effectively and truly develops much more taste after a day or two.

     To retailer: Switch it to an hermetic container and maintain it within the fridge for as much as 5 days. When you have further dressing you haven’t used within the salad, retailer it individually in a glass jar within the fridge for as much as 10 days.