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Mediterranean Chopped Salad
5 from 2 votes

Mediterranean Chopped Salad

A fresh, vibrant salad with sunny Mediterranean flavors. Perfect with grilled or pan-seared entrees, or as a delicious meal on it's own served with a loaf of warm, crusty bread.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 4 -6
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Mediterranean

Ingredients

  • Ingredients for the dressing:
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice fresh
  • lemon zest of 1
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon oregano dried
  • 1 garlic finely minced, medium clove
  • Ingredients for the salad:
  • 5 cups water
  • 1 cup Israeli couscous
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon salt this seems like a lot, but very little will actually be absorbed into the pasta. Add it now to season the pasta as it cooks, giving deeper flavor.
  • 2 ½ cups tomatoes halved or quartered, cherry or grape
  • 1 cucumber usually plastic-wrapped; about 1 pound, diced, large, seedless
  • 1 red onion diced, medium
  • ½ cup kalamata olives halved or quartered
  • ¾ cup feta cheese crumbled. We love French Feta, but any kind will do.
  • 2 teaspoons rosemary finely chopped, fresh
  • 2 tablespoons basil finely chopped, fresh
  • 1 ½ tablespoons oregano finely chopped, or parsley, fresh
  • 2 teaspoons thyme don't worry about chopping these, fresh leaves
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
  • ½ teaspoon salt sea salt

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. For the dressing, combine all dressing ingredients in a glass jar and shake well to combine. Set aside.
  2. Bring water to boil in a medium-size pot. Add couscous, olive oil and salt. Return to a boil. Reduce to a steady simmer and cook for 8-9 minutes or until al dente. Drain well and rinse with cool water. Transfer to a medium size bowl.
  3. Add tomatoes, cucumber and red onion to the bowl with the couscous and stir to combine. Drizzle about half of the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Add the olives, Feta, fresh herbs, salt, and pepper. Stir gently. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for several days. Remove from refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving to bring to room temperature.