Greek Horiatiki-Style Chopped Salad with Lemon-Yogurt Dressing

About This Recipe

This recipe takes the classic horiatiki, Greek village salad, and turns it into a heartier, dressed chopped salad by whisking the olive oil into a lemon-yogurt dressing rather than serving it plain. Traditional horiatiki skips lettuce entirely and relies on ripe tomato, cucumber, green pepper, red onion, olives, and a slab of feta -- this version keeps those same components chopped smaller and finished with a creamy, tangy dressing that clings to every bite, making it substantial enough to eat as a light meal. The technique that matters is salting the cucumber and tomato briefly and draining off the excess liquid before dressing, so the salad doesn't turn watery and dilute the dressing. Whisking the yogurt into the olive oil and lemon juice slowly, rather than all at once, keeps the dressing smooth rather than separated. Served with warm pita alongside, this is Greek summer eating at its simplest -- ripe vegetables, good olive oil, and salty feta doing all the work, updated here with a creamy, citrusy dressing that makes it feel like a complete dish rather than a side.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4ripe tomatoes(cut into chunks)
• 1cucumber(diced)
• 1green bell pepper(diced)
• 0.5red onion(thinly sliced)
• 0.5 cupkalamata olives
• 0.5 tspsalt(plus more to taste)
• 0.33 cupplain Greek yogurt
• 3 tbspolive oil
• 2 tbsplemon juice
• 1 clovegarlic(minced)
• 1 tspdried oregano
• 200 gfeta(cubed or crumbled)

Instructions

1. 1

   Salt the vegetables

   Toss tomato and cucumber with 0.5 tsp salt in a colander. Let drain 10 minutes, then discard the liquid.

2. 2

   Make the dressing

   Whisk yogurt, olive oil, and lemon juice together slowly until smooth. Stir in garlic and oregano.

3. 3

   Combine the salad

   In a large bowl, combine drained tomato and cucumber with bell pepper, red onion, and olives.

4. 4

   Dress and toss

   Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss gently to coat everything evenly.

5. 5

   Finish and serve

   Top with feta, taste and adjust salt, and serve immediately with warm pita.

Variations

• •

  Skip the yogurt dressing and serve plain horiatiki-style with just olive oil, vinegar, and oregano.

• •

  Add cooked chickpeas for a more filling, protein-rich version.

• •

  Swap in dill or mint instead of oregano for a brighter, herbier dressing.

Storage

Best eaten fresh the day it's made. If needed, store undressed vegetables and dressing separately up to 2 days and combine just before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions