Middle Eastern Salad Recipe
This fresh Middle Eastern Salad combines lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, and parsley tossed in a bright lemon dressing for a vibrant side dish.
Ingredients
- 2 heads of Romaine lettuce, small diced
- 1 seeded, small-diced green or red bell pepper
- 2 small diced Persian cucumbers, or 1 English cucumber
- ½ cup small-diced red onion
- 3 small diced green onions
- 6 to 8 seeded, small diced roma tomatoes
- ½ bunch finely minced parsley
- juice of 1 to 2 lemons
- olive oil, optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- You can wash the lettuce before or after it is chopped. Thoroughly dry it using a salad spinner, paper towels, or kitchen towels.
- Add the lettuce to a large bowl.
- Add the peppers, cucumbers, red onions, green onions, tomatoes, parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
- Mix thoroughly to combine. I personally like to add a few tablespoons of olive oil for flavor and coating.
- Serve.
Notes
Whether you wash the lettuce before or after it’s chopped, make sure it’s thoroughly dried before assembling the salad. I always use my salad spinner since it's great at removing excess water. Wet lettuce leads to muted flavors and dressing pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
Lettuce hack: Make this with store-bought pre-chopped lettuce to speed things up.
Seed the tomatoes: Slice the tomatoes in half and scoop out the juicy, seedy middles before dicing them for the salad. The texture will be so much better, trust me.
Oil-free variation: I always finish this salad with a quick drizzle of olive oil because it adds a great flavor and more body. Omit it from the recipe if you’d prefer to keep it oil-free; the salad will still be delicious without it.
Add more veggies: A few thinly sliced radishes or some grated garlic cloves would be really tasty here.
Season the dressing: Za’atar, garlic powder, Aleppo pepper, sumac, or cumin can all be sprinkled over the salad along with the salt and pepper.
Make-Ahead: The lemon dressing and prepared vegetables can be stored in separate airtight containers in the fridge for 1-2 days before combining. I always wait to dress the salad until right before I’m ready to eat.
How to Store: The leftovers can be kept covered in the fridge for about 2 days, but the veggies will soften and make the salad a little juicy or soggy as it sits.
Nutrition
Calories: 34kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 1gFat: 0.3gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.03gSodium: 8mgPotassium: 331mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 2444IUVitamin C: 44mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 1mg