Greek Salad with Peppers
I love the variety of colorful peppers in this Greek Salad with Peppers, but you can use all one color if that’s what you have. And every year I make this version of Greek Salad with cherry tomatoes and lots of peppers when I don’t have garden tomatoes yet.
PIN Chopped Greek Salad with Peppers to try it later!
When I went to Greece I noticed every little restaurant had a dish they called country salad or village salad, which had cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, Kalamata olives, and Feta, and a dressing which always contained oregano. And then I started noticing that many of the salads like this in America didn’t have peppers.
But I love the peppers in this Greek Salad with Peppers, and this is a simple salad I’ve made over and over. And I like this pepper-loaded Greek salad variation so much that I’m reminding you about it for my Friday Favorites pick this week!
When I first made the chopped salad shown in these photos, it was too early for garden tomatoes so I used cherry tomatoes for the salad and replaced the green pepper with chopped orange, red, and yellow peppers which are loaded with anti-oxidants. I used all the colors or peppers because they were on sale, but you could use just one color and it would still be pretty.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(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.)
- grape tomatoes
- European cucumber
- red bell pepper
- yellow bell pepper
- orange bell pepper
- pitted Kalamata olives
- green onion
- diced Feta cheese (or more)
- Newman’s Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing (affiliate link), or your favorite low-sugar dressing
- Dried Oregano (affiliate link)
What ingredient is essential for this Greek Salad with Peppers?
There’s no need to measure the ingredients for this type of salad, so you can vary the proportions of the various ingredients according to your own taste. But whatever you do, don’t skimp on the Feta Cheese! For me, that’s definitely the ingredient that makes any type of chopped Greek Salad such a wow!
Is this an authentic Greek Salad recipe?
I’m definitely not claiming this Greek Salad with Peppers is an authentic Greek salad, but it’s a tasty variation on the type of salads I had in Greece. And one of my favorite Salt Lake City Greek restaurants calls this combination Greek Salad and when it has lettuce added, they call it American Greek Salad. That works for me, and I do really like both this pepper-loaded Greek Salad and the Americanized variation with lettuce.
Want to make your own Greek dressing for this salad recipe?
I used a purchased salad dressing with some dried Greek oregano added for this easy salad recipe, but you could combine olive oil, lemon juice, oregano and salt and pepper if you wanted to make your own Greek dressing.
How to make Greek Salad with Peppers:
(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.)
- Whisk the dried Greek oregano into 1/2 cup prepared vinaigrette dressing (or make your own homemade vinaigrette if you prefer.) I used Newman’s Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing (affiliate link) which is really low in carbs.
- I used about a cup of grape tomatoes cut in half, but I’d like this salad even better with chopped tomatoes fresh from the garden.
- I’m starting to get a few garden cucumbers, but for this salad I used mostly small Persian cucumbers from Costco.
- I chopped the red, yellow, and orange bell pepper into bite-sized pieces. I’m not a big fan of raw onion in a salad, so I also chopped up some sliced green onions.
- I’m crazy about Kalamata olives, but if I was making this for picky eaters I might even use black olives from a can. (That would make the salad even less authentically Greek, but it would still taste good!)
- I cut the Feta cheese into cubes about a half-inch square for this salad, but in Greece they usually served a thin slice of Feta on top of the salad.
- Put the tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers onions, and olives into a bowl and stir in enough dressing to moisten all the ingredients. (You may not need all the dressing.)
- Then gently stir in the feta cubes, season the salad with fresh ground black pepper to taste, and enjoy!
- This salad tastes even better if you let it marinate for a few hours, and I found the leftovers to still be good even when it had been in the fridge a few days.
Make it a Low-Carb Meal:
Main dishes like Almond and Parmesan Baked Fish, Marinated Flank Steak, Grilled Shrimp Skewers, Baked Parmesan Crusted Chicken, or Greek Lemon Chicken would be taste great with this salad for a low-carb meal.
More Greek-Inspired Recipes You Might Like:
- Grilled Zucchini Greek Salad
- Greek Chicken Salad with Peperoncini
- Kale Greek Salad
- Greek Cabbage Salad
- Greek Salad Spaghetti Squash Bowl
Greek Salad with Peppers
I loved all the colorful peppers in this Greek Salad with Peppers, but you can use all one color if that's what you have. And this salad made with lots of peppers and cherry tomatoes is a perfect side dish when summer tomatoes aren't quite ready yet.
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients:
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise (see notes)
- 1 large European cucumber (see notes)
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper
- 1/2 orange bell pepper
- 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, cut in half
- 1/4 cup sliced green onion (optional)
- 1/2 cup diced Feta cheese (or more)
Dressing Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup Newman’s Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing (see notes)
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
Instructions
- Mix oregano into salad dressing, set aside.
- Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise, or dice garden tomatoes.
- Peel cucumber in strips, leaving some green stripes lengthwise. (For small garden cucumbers or Persian cucumbers you may not need to peel.) Cut cucumbers in half lengthwise, then in slices.
- Remove seeds from peppers and dice peppers in 3/4 inch square pieces.
- Slice green onion into 1 inch long pieces.
- Drain olives and cut in half lengthwise.
- Cut Feta into cubes about 1/2 inch square.
- Combine tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions, and olives and toss with desired amount of salad dressing. (You may not need all the dressing.)
- Stir feta cubes into salad and season with fresh-ground black pepper.
- The salad can be served immediately, but I like it best when the ingredients marinate for an hour or two.
- This salad keeps surprisingly well in the refrigerator for a few days.
Notes
You can definitely use diced fresh garden tomatoes if you have some!
If you don't have a European Cucumber, just use 2-3 small regular or Persian cucumbers.
I love Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing (affiliate link) but you can use any purchased vinaigrette that's low in sugar.
This recipe created by Kalyn.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 119Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 17mgSodium 281mgCarbohydrates 10gFiber 2gSugar 4gProtein 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.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This delicious gluten-free and nutrient-rich Greek Salad with Peppers is great for low-carb and Keto diets, and it’s also suitable for any phase of the original South Beach diet.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find 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 salad was first posted in 2011! I’ve been making it ever since then and the recipe was last updated with more information in 2023.
39 Comments on “Greek Salad with Peppers”
Kalyn – Have you tried to freeze this? Just wondering if it would still have a good texture and taste. Thanks!
Kelly I would definitely not freeze this salad.
So true Becky, glad you like it.
Not many folks know that this is the authentic way to serve a Greek Salad- no lettuce, just chopped vegetables with a block of feta. Yours looks especially good! This is my favorite salad and one we make often at our house.
Thanks Paz!
I love the looks and sounds of this salad. 😉
I love Greek Salad…crunchy, fresh, and beautiful!
Thanks Nancy. I love the colored peppers.
Kalyn, this salad looks simply yummy! I make a similar one using fresh chopped peppers too.
Lydia, Costco has those packs of multi-colored peppers too and that's exactly what I used!
Now that my supermarket sells packages of one of each — red, yellow and orange — bell peppers, this salad is so easy to put together. Great flavors, especially with the olives.
Priya, so glad you like it.
Yum, love the salad ingredients and dressing both 🙂
Thanks; hope you had a nice break!
Wow! This looks so good! I've been on a little blogging break but have enjoyed catching up on your recipes!
Joanne, the peppers are so full of anti-oxidants too! Love them. I'm even starting to like the green ones a little, although the colored ones are still my favorite.
Jamie, give me a salad with crunch and lemon and I'm happy!
Isn't it great how something so simple can be so good – healthy and yummy? And I love anything with fresh, crunchy veg, feta, olives and a lemony olive oil dressing.
I love the abundance of peppers in this salad! Such a nice change from the traditional greek!
Thanks Mary. I did love the crispness of the salad.
Kalyn, this is such a beautiful salad. It has outstanding color and texture andI'd be hooked at first bite.Have a wonderful evening. Blessings…Mary
Thanks Dawn, glad you like it.
Greek salads are definitely one of my favorites and I love this chopped version as opposed to the lettuce type! Nice and hearty.
So yummy – I'm addicted to feta cheese, so we have some version of this very often. In a few weeks, I'll be able to get all the veggies right out of the garden too. I had to laugh – as I'm scrolling down through the post, the old photo caught my eye and my brain went "arrrrrgh!" I have a LOT of posts to reshoot myself 🙂
Jacqueline, good to know. I would love to go to Cyprus!
The feta cheese just finishes this off beautifully and look at all the beautiful colours. This is a commonsalad in Cyprus too. Perfect on a sunny day.
Dara, doesn't that seem like such a long time ago that we first had lunch together! That was the starting of a good friendship.
Miri, thanks; so glad you like it.
Beautiful colors, healthy, perfect combination!
I enjoyed one of these salads with you at that restaurant and it was really good. This is so colorful and makes the perfect light meal for a hot day.
Jeanie, I definitely know about that phase! Hope you enjoy the salad!
Looks like a dream of a summer salad. We're just entering that, "Oh my gosh, what do I do with all the produce coming from the garden" phase. This will be perfect.
This looks sooo good.Definately have to try it.
Alanna, I love the crunch.
tcl, I will watch your blog to see if you are eating salad next!
Cher and Michele, thanks. It was delish.
tdd, I think that would be ideal, but (confession) I was out of lemons.
Cate, let me know if Nicholas likes it. I will be impressed if you can get him to eat peppers.
Gourmetish, haven’t had Labne. I’ll look for it. Sounds like something I’d like.
yum! Looks great! I love using fresh lemon juice with a drizzling of olive oil on my greek salads with the oregano and fresh mint. Greek salads are the best since they are so simple and quick. While I think most greek salads don’t have lettuce in it, I love adding some romaine or iceburg for the added crunch. Have you ever had Labne? It’s a Greek/Lebanese yogurt cheese that goes great with pita and a Greek salad.
We will DEFINITELY be making this one. 🙂
I don’t think that I’ve ever known a Greek salad with lettuce in it and I love mine with lemon, olive oil and oregano.
Mmmm, that looks so good! Aren’t salads always tastier when they are pretty too 🙂
MMMM–that looks so good. The colors are beautiful.
Ah Kalyn, this is *just* what I am in the mood for–especially after all those homentashn (The strange thing is–I am sure I have not eaten an entire homentash, but all the tasting, spoon-licking and crumb-disposal has led to a bit of a sugar-daze). This never happened when I was baking full-time, but I guess I was younger and had built up a tolerance.
Yay — a salad that goes “crunch”!