Chopped Greek Salad with Peperoncini

Chopped Greek Salad with Peperoncini is a long-time favorite salad thats a perfect way to spotlight summer tomatoes and cucumbers. And everyone who likes Greek salad ingredients and spicy Peperoncini peppers will love this salad!

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I’ve been a devoted Greek Salad fan for many years, as well as being a big fan of spicy Peperoncini peppers as a salad ingredient, so it’s no surprise that I’d be crazy about this this Chopped Greek Salad with Peperoncini.

I could go on and on about why I think this is a perfect summer salad, but if you already like Feta cheese, you probably don’t need to be convinced. Or if you’re one of those people who don’t like Feta, I think those fresh mozzarella balls that show up in the summer would also taste great here.

The salad starts with the combination of tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, and Feta that’s essential for Greek Salad, and then I kicked it up by using brine from the Peperoncini peppers in the dressing and adding sliced Peperoncini to the salad.

This popular salad is a treat I’d never get tired of, so today I’m spotlighting it for my Friday Favorites pick for the week! When the weather really heats up, I’d eat salad like this any day for lunch or dinner; hope you enjoy!

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• Sliced Peperoncini Peppers (affiliate link)
• canned black olives
• tomatoes
• cucumbers
• red onion
• Feta cheese
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• Peperoncini brine
• fresh-squeezed lemon juice, I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice
• Red Wine Vinegar (affiliate link)
• extra virgin Olive Oil (affiliate link)

Is this an authentic Greek Salad?

I’m not claiming this Chopped Greek Salad with Peperoncini is a completely authentic Greek salad, especially since I’m using regular canned black olives, but this does have the same flavors that people love in Greek salad. And of course you can use Kalamata olives if you prefer!

What are Peperoncini Peppers?

Peperoncini Peppers are a type of sweet and relatively mild pickled pepper that’s sold in jars. Slightly-spicy Peperoncinis are often used as a garnish on restaurant salads, and you might have had them at The Olive Garden. And if you like this type of peppers at all you’ll probably love this salad.

Is it spelled Pepperoncini or Peperoncini?

The word is often spelled Pepperoncini, but on the jars I’ve been buying for years it’s spelled Peperoncini, so that’s how I spell it!

Is it hard to slice the Peperoncini?

For years I used Greek Peperoncini that comes in a jar and drained them, pulled out the seeds, and cut the Peperoncini into slices for salads like this, but if you can find sliced Peperoncini peppers (affiliate link) in a jar that makes the salad so much easier to make. If you don’t find the sliced peppers, see my instructions below for how to slice the Pepperoncini (with kitchen shears!)

How to make Chopped Greek Salad with Peperoncini:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. First, here are the steps for slicing the Peperoncini if you don’t buy the sliced ones. Whole Peperoncini from a jar are full of the brine, so I cut the ends off and let them drain in a colander.
2. While they drain, mix together the Peperoncini brine, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, dried Greek oregano, and black pepper and then whisk in olive oil to make the dressing.
3. When the Peperoncini have drained well, squeeze out the seeds from each one and use Kitchen Shears (affiliate link) to cut into slices. (If you can find sliced Peperoncini peppers (affiliate link) you can skip this step and just measure out how much sliced peperoncini you want to use!)
4. I used regular canned black olives for this salad because I wasn’t sure how Kalamata olives would go with the Peperoncini flavor, but your choice on that.
5. Chop the tomatoes and cucumbers into same-size pieces.  (These are grape tomatoes, but if you have juicy garden tomatoes I might drain them in a colander.)
6. I cut the red onion into slivers, and next time I might make them a bit thinner. (And when I tried out the salad on my sister Pam and niece Alyson they loved it, but Pam isn’t an onion lover and she’d use sliced green onions when she makes it.)
7. I cut the Feta cheese into small cubes to match the look of the chopped vegetables. (Oops, no photo.)
8. When everything is chopped and/or drained, toss together the Peperoncini slices, olives, tomatoes, cucumber, and onions with the desired amount of dressing.
9. Then add the Feta cubes and gently toss again. 
10. Season salad to taste with fresh ground black pepper and serve.

More Amazing Greek Salad Variations:

• Greek Salad with Peppers
• American Greek Salad (with Lettuce)
• Grilled Zucchini Greek Salad

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Yield: 6 servings

Chopped Greek Salad with Peperoncini

Prep Time 30 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Chopped Greek Salad with Peperoncini is perfect for summer tomatoes and I love the flavors in this salad! And if you buy the sliced Greek Peperoncini peppers, this salad is extra easy to make!

Ingredients

Ingredients:

• 20 large Peperoncini peppers, drained well and sliced (see notes)
• one 6 oz. can black olives, drained
• 2 cups diced tomatoes
• 2 cups diced cucumbers
• 1/4 cup red onion strips
• 4 oz. Feta cheese, cut into cubes (or more)
• fresh ground black pepper to taste

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1 T Peperoncini brine
• 1 T lemon juice (see notes)
• 1 T red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. dried Greek oregano
• black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Cut the stem end off each Peperoncini with Kitchen Shears (affiliate link) and drop into a colander placed in the sink.
2. Let the Peperoncini drain while you combine the Peperoncini brine, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, dried Greek oregano, and black pepper and then whisk in olive oil to make the dressing.
3. Use the scissors to cut the drained Peperoncini into strips.  (I like them on the thick side, but it’s a personal choice.)
4. Drain the olives (and cut in half if desired, but I liked the whole olives in this.)
5. Cut the tomatoes and cucumbers into same-sized pieces.  (I cut mine about 3/4 inch square.)
6. Cut the red onion into slivers or thinly slice if you’re using green onion.
7. Cut the Feta into cubes about the same size as the cucumbers and tomatoes.
8. Gently combine the Peperoncini slices, olives, tomatoes, cucumber, and onions, and toss with the desired amount of dressing.
9. Then add the Feta cubes and gently toss again.
10. Season salad with black pepper to taste and serve.
11. I generally don’t like to refrigerate salads with tomatoes, but this was surprisingly good even after it had been in the fridge overnight.

Notes

I first used Mezzetta Greek Peperoncini for this recipe, which I buy at Costco, but now I'd make it with sliced Peperoncini peppers (affiliate link).

I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice.

This recipe created by Kalyn.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 196Total Fat 16gSaturated Fat 4.5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11.4gCholesterol 17mgSodium 866mgCarbohydrates 9.5gFiber 2.9gSugar 3.9gProtein 4g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Chopped Greek Salad with Peperoncini is great for low-carb diets, including Keto, and as long as you use a moderate amount of Feta cheese, this is a perfect main-dish or side-dish salad for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. If you’re following the Keto Diet or another strict low-carb plan, you might want to use fewer tomatoes and more of the other lower-carb ingredients.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This chopped Greek Salad recipe was first posted in 2013. Since then I found gallon jars of sliced Peperoncini at my Costco, so I’ve been making it a lot more often! It was last updated with more information in 2024.

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