Greek Salad Recipe

Prepare lettuce

Trim root end of romaine, discard any wilted outer leaves, rinse under cold water, spin or pat dry, then chop into 1- to 1.5-inch pieces. Place in a large serving bowl and chill briefly while preparing other ingredients.

Prepare vegetables and olives

Halve cherry tomatoes; peel (if desired), halve lengthwise, seed and dice the English cucumber into bite-size pieces; thinly slice red onion into rings and separate. Pit and halve Kalamata olives if not already pitted. Add tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and olives to the bowl with the lettuce.

Add feta and herbs

Crumble the feta cheese evenly over the salad and sprinkle chopped flat-leaf parsley if using. Do not toss yet — wait until the dressing is ready so feta stays distributed.

In a small bowl or jar combine red wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, dried oregano, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Whisk or shake until combined.

Slowly stream in the extra-virgin olive oil while whisking continuously (or add oil to the jar and shake vigorously) until the dressing is emulsified and slightly thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning — add more salt, pepper, or lemon juice as desired.

Let the dressing rest for 2–3 minutes so flavors meld. Give it one last whisk or shake before using.

Drizzle about two-thirds of the dressing evenly over the salad ingredients in the large bowl. Gently toss with tongs or salad servers until lettuce and vegetables are evenly coated and feta is distributed. Add more dressing to taste from the reserved portion.

Transfer salad to a serving platter or leave in the bowl. Finish with an extra sprinkle of crumbled feta and a light grind of black pepper. Serve immediately.