Greek Chopped Salad
Make this salad into a main-dish by adding grilled eggplant, chicken, or steak. If you use eggplant, slice it, salt it, and let it stand for a few hours to release excess liquid before seasoning and grilling.
Ingredients
- 4 oz. orzo or other small pasta
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. dried marjoram
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ tsp. lemon zest
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1½ to 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes and/or chopped, seeded fresh tomatoes
- 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (optional)
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 4 oz. feta, diced
- ½ cup chopped red onion
- 1 small cucumber, seeded and chopped
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- 6 to 8 cups chopped lettuce
- 8 cups chopped lettuceGrilled eggplant, chicken breast, or steak, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Cook pasta until tender according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water; transfer to a large salad bowl.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine vinegar, oregano, marjoram, garlic, lemon zest, salt, and black pepper. Whisk in olive oil. Add half of the mixture to the pasta; toss to coat. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas (if using), bell pepper, feta, onion, and cucumber to the pasta mixture; toss to coat. Cover and chill until serving time.
- For dressing, whisk the yogurt into the remaining vinegar mixture. Season to taste with additional salt and black pepper. Chill until serving time.
- To serve, add the lettuce to the pasta mixture in the salad bowl; toss gently until evenly combined. Top with chopped grilled eggplant, chicken, or steak.