Ben's Chopped Salad Recipe

Prepare greens

Wash and dry romaine and baby spinach thoroughly. Chop romaine into roughly 1/2-inch pieces and coarsely chop the spinach. Place in a large mixing bowl.

Prep cucumber

Trim the ends of the English cucumber, halve lengthwise and scoop out seeds if very seedy. Dice into 1/4-inch pieces.

Chop tomatoes and pepper

Halve cherry tomatoes. Remove seeds and ribs from the red bell pepper and dice into small (about 1/4-inch) pieces.

Slice onion and olives

Cut the red onion in half, thinly slice one half into half-moons. Pit and coarsely chop the Kalamata olives if large.

Herbs & cheese

Stack mint leaves, roll, and finely chiffonade or chop. Roughly chop parsley. Crumble feta if not pre-crumbled.

Add all prepared vegetables, herbs, olives, and feta to the bowl with the greens and toss gently to combine.

Combine dressing ingredients

In a small bowl or jar, whisk together tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, honey or maple syrup, ground sumac, salt, and black pepper.

Adjust texture

Gradually whisk in water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dressing reaches a smooth, pourable consistency (about 2 tablespoons). Taste and adjust seasoning — add a little more lemon for brightness, a pinch more salt if needed, or a touch more honey if too tart.

Toast nuts

In a small dry skillet over medium heat, toast the pine nuts or chopped walnuts, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant (2–4 minutes). Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Pour about two-thirds of the tahini-sumac dressing over the salad and toss thoroughly to coat. Add more dressing to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl or platter.

Sprinkle toasted nuts over the top, then dust the whole salad lightly with the remaining 1 tsp sumac for bright, lemony color and flavor. Garnish with a few extra mint leaves if desired.

Serve immediately. Leftover dressing can be stored in the refrigerator up to 5 days; refrigerate salad components separately for best texture.