It’s salad season and with that I think I’ll be making this Grilled Greek Salad on repeat.
Not that I really have any problem with that. I’m definitely a salad girl and eat them all year ‘round. Hot or cold. Lunch or dinner. Anytime, baby.
However, I don’t just settle for a lackluster pile of greens and call it a day. I like my salads the same way I like my ice cream sundaes- with lots of toppings. My usual order of things has the following: a fruit, a nut, a bean, a meat and a cheese. Dressing on the side. By the time I finish topping it with all the aforementioned goodness, the lettuce seems to be a mere afterthought.
It’s because of all of the above that I’ve typically been underwhelmed by Greek salads. While a traditional Greek salad is hold the lettuce, the rest is full of veggies that I just consider, “meh.” Tomatoes are all well and good, but cukes and raw onions aren’t really my scene. However, when Helen at Scrummy Lane, who’s been living in Greece said that the traditional Greek salad was an obvious choice for my Greek culinary travels, I had to find a way to make the lackluster not.
Enter the grill.
Despite the fact that my grill is positioned a mere two feet from my back door , I don’t use it all year. Stupid because it’s not even like grilling exposes me to the elements- it’s under a covered awning. I figured there was no time like the present to bust out the grill and see if I can make this Greek salad more palatable.
It worked. This salad was amazing, and the grilled veggies added so much flavor to this salad that I didn’t dress it with anything more than lemon juice. Yup. That good.
What ingredients are in a Grilled Greek Salad?
What does your garden grow? You could probably throw it in this salad!
- romaine lettuce, though you could likely use other sturdier lettuces like iceburg.
- tomatoes
- cucumbers
- red onion
- red pepper, though orange or yellow would also do perfectly
- lemon, olive oil and oregano to dress
- feta cheese and olives, as you like
Have you ever grilled cucumbers? You should. I couldn’t even tell they were cukes. The only point of caution is that make sure you cut them relatively thickly so that they don’t lose all their water and turn to mush. And while a traditional Greek salad uses green peppers, I don’t much like them, so I used some reds. Do as you will, the point is to fill your mouth with freshness.
Anyway, this salad had hot and cold, crispy and soft to create the perfect blend of textures and flavors. So go grill your veggies. You may not go back.
Grilled Greek Salad
Ingredients
- 1 red onion thickly sliced
- 1 cucumber, large sliced into wedges
- 2 red bell peppers, large halved and seeded
- 1 head romaine lettuce coarsely chopped
- 2 roma tomatoes coarsely chopped
- ⅔ cup feta cheese
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 tsp Greek oregano
- ¼ cup olive oil for brushing the veggies
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp coarse ground black pepper
- ¼ cup kalamata olives
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to high.
- Brush the cucumbers, peppers and onions with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and oregano. Be sure to get both sides.1 red onion, 1 cucumber, large, 2 red bell peppers, large, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper, 1 tsp Greek oregano
- Add the veggies to the grill and cook, about 10 minutes on each side until nicely charred.
- While the veggies are grilling, prep the rest of the salad. Toss together the chopped lettuce, tomatoes, olives and feta cheese.1 head romaine lettuce, 2 roma tomatoes, 2/3 cup feta cheese, 1/4 cup kalamata olives
- When the veggies are done, remove from the grill and cut them into pieces as large as the tomatoes and cheese for uniformity. Squeeze everything with lemon juice. Toss thoroughly and serve immediately.1 lemon
