Greek Zoodle Salad
Greek Zoodle Salad has everything you love about a traditional Greek salad – salty feta cheese and kalamata olives, sweet tomatoes, crispy cucumbers, and tangy lemon dressing – all tossed with nutritious zucchini. Get that spiralizer off the shelf, and in 15 minutes you’ll be enjoying this tasty Greek salad!
👩🏻🍳 Tamara Talks – About Greek Salad
Every cuisine has its signature or classic salad, right? Italians have the antipasto salad (cured meat, cheese, olives, peperoncini), Middle Eastern cooks have fattoush (leftover bread salad with seasonal produce and a zesty vinaigrette), Persians have the salad shirazi (cucumbers and tomatoes), Greeks have, well, Greek salad… I would venture to guess most of us know (and love?) a good Greek salad, and are terribly disappointed when it is just mediocre.
Key to a good Greek salad is its ingredients: Sheep’s milk feta (much better than the cheater cow’s milk feta often found in U.S. markets!), kalamata olives (please don’t use canned black olives!), vine ripened tomatoes (not grocery store cardboard tomatoes!), and crisp cucumbers.
These simple ingredients are best complemented by the simplest of dressings – fresh lemon juice, good olive oil, and a bit of fresh oregano. That. Is. All. Your Greek salad may be on crisp romaine – very typical in the U.S. – or not. I have had many a fabulous Greek salad that wasn’t served with greens.
🥒 Zucchini Noodles (Zoodles) Instead of Greens?
Zucchini is super healthy, really affordable (sometimes downright cheap), and sometimes (especially in summer), you’ve got to find new ways to use it! If you’ve ever had zucchini take over your garden, you know what I’m talking about.
I love the taste and texture as compared to romaine lettuce. Zucchini beats romaine lettuce – the standard base for Greek salad – hands down IMHO. It’s loaded with vitamins, high in fiber, and contains no fat.
Choosing zucchini: Darker zucchini are higher in nutrients. Look for firm, smooth, bright-colored zucchini. If the blossom is still attached, you know it’s fresh!
For more on zucchini, see this article…
📋 Ingredients You’ll Need
Salad
- zucchini
- cucumbers
- kalamata olives
- feta
- tiny tomatoes
Lemon Dressing
- good quality extra virgin olive oil
- fresh lemon juice and zest
- fresh oregano leaves or Mediterranean oregano leaves
- sea salt/fresh ground pepper
- Add the salad ingredients to a large bowl.
- Shake the lemon dressing ingredients together in a jar or cruet.
- Pour the lemon dressing over the salad. Toss gently to combine. Enjoy!
I recently invested in a nice spiralizer, and of course I’ve been playing with it. I have always loved raw zucchini, and I know how well zucchini pairs with ingredients like tomatoes and feta cheese. Hence, the Greek Zoodle Salad. It just seemed like a natural (and amazing) combination of flavors and textures. This salad is delightful, and so quick and easy! Pair it with a simple rosemary, garlic, and lemon marinated chicken breast for a healthy, and tasty weeknight meal… I know you’ll love it 😀
P.S. This Greek Zoodle Salad would be perfect with my Greek Lamb Pizza, or my Greek Lamb Patties with Yogurt Sauce and Bulgur Pilaf!
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Greek Zoodle Salad
Greek Zoodle Salad has everything you love about a traditional Greek salad - salty feta cheese and kalamata olives, sweet tomatoes, crispy cucumbers, and tangy lemon dressing - all tossed with nutritious zucchini.
Ingredients
Salad
- 2 medium zucchini, spiralized
- 1 cup cucumbers, sliced into half moons
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives, halved lengthwise
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta, or more!
- 1 pint tiny tomatoes
Lemon Dressing
- 1/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tsp fresh oregano leaves (finely minced), or 1 tsp dried Mediterranean oregano leaves
- sea salt/fresh ground pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Add the salad ingredients to a large bowl.
- Shake the lemon dressing ingredients together in a jar or cruet.
- Pour the lemon dressing over the salad. Toss gently to combine. Enjoy!
Notes
With a grilled chicken breast, my husband and I will split this salad. If you round out the meal with pilaf or another side, you may stretch it to 4 servings... A lot depends on the size of the zucchini.
I've been loving the baby English cucumbers for this salad! The skin is thin and tender, so I leave it on. Choose your favorite cucumbers, and peel them if you wish.
Vary this according to your preferences. You might like thin-sliced red onion and bell pepper.
As mentioned in the post, the key to a good Greek salad is the quality of its ingredients. Use sheep's milk feta, good quality olive oil, fresh lemon juice, kalamatas not black olives, etc.
Keep in mind the feta and olives are salty. You may not want any additional salt.
Macronutrients (approximation from MyFitnessPal) based on 4 servings: 293 calories; 12 g protein; 14 g carbohydrates; 21 g fat.
Keep in mind most of the fat comes from the olive oil in the dressing, and some of that dressing remains in the bowl.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Amount Per Serving: Calories: 293Total Fat: 21gCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 12g
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