Israeli Chopped Salad ~ this healthy Middle Eastern chopped vegetable salad is the perfect dish for summer gatherings because there’s no mayo to spoil, and the veggies retain their crunch for days. Don’t forget about it during the rest of the year, though, it makes the perfect side dish for almost any meal.
This Israeli Chopped Salad is a refreshing change from most of the salads we eat here in the States, even though none of the ingredients are in any way unusual, it’s just the way it all comes together that makes it a little different. In Israel you’d get a variation of this dish at every meal, they even eat it with breakfast! That’s an idea I could get into, I think it would be wonderful to wake up to a plate of fresh crunchy vegetables doused in olive oil and lemon juice. For this recipe I’ve taken our favorite falafel stand’s version up a notch with a few extra ingredients. It makes a great picnic or barbecue salad because it stays fresh and crunchy, and there’s nothing to wilt or spoil.
The classic Israeli salad is basically just chopped cucumber, tomato, and peppers, simply dressed with olive oil and lemon. There can be parsley, mint, or some greens mixed in. My version is bumped up a little bit with extra bell peppers that I had leftover from my RAINBOW SALMON SKEWERS. They make it extra colorful and extra crunchy. I also add red onion and feta cheese. The whole thing is really festive.
The key to this salad is in the chopping. All the ingredients should be cut in uniformly sized small chunks. If you fall in love with this salad you might want to get one of those cool vegetable choppers to make quick work of the job. I did the best I could with my knife.
The dressing is a simple mix of olive oil and lemon juice with some dried oregano and thyme. While I usually use fresh herbs in salads, I like the flavor of the dried herbs in this dressing. It’s fine to make it a few hours ahead, the flavors will get a change to mingle.
Here are some more ideas for salads that would make excellent additions to any picnic or barbecue!
- TORTELLINI SALAD WITH ARTICHOKES AND EDAMAME
- MEDITERRANEAN BEAN SALAD
- RYE AND CARROT SALAD
- LAYERED RAINBOW SALAD
Reader Rave ~
“I took this to a get together and I don’t think I’ve ever gotten more compliments on a dish. Not only is it healthy but it’s colorful and delicious. It also goes well with anything. I will be making this more often!!!” ~ Corinne
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Israeli Chopped Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 red onion
- 1/2 red, green, orange, and yellow bell peppers
- 1 Persian cucumber, no need to peel
- 1 pint small cherry tomatoes, halved
- about 4 oz feta cheese
- about 4 - 6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut all the ingredients except the tomatoes in a small, even dice.
- Toss with the oil, lemon juice, and herbs. Add the salt and pepper according to taste.
- Taste to adjust the seasonings, and then refrigerate until needed.
- Garnish with a few fresh herbs like parsley, mint, or thyme just before serving.
Thanks for pinning this Israeli Chopped Salad!
this brings back a memory! I had a boyfriend and he made me Israeli Chopped Salad with our breakfast! I was surprised and said “veg. salad at breakfast”? He said “why not”? It’s what they do, I guess! It was great. thanks for the recipe. 🙂
I believe they eat this wonderful salad at almost every meal in Israel, Shannon, glad it could bring back a nice memory!
My family’s version of Israeli salad also includes chopped up Israeli pickles. I could eat it all day every day. This looks like a delicious version as well!
I had another reader mention the pickles, I’ll definitely include those next time…thanks for stopping by Maya.
Does this serve 4-6 as a side, or is it meant to be the main course? I am making food for a large group next week, and am debating on whether or not to double the recipe. I am serving it as a side, with chicken as the main. Thanks for any input!
I labeled it as a side dish Blythe.
I am from Israel. I chop ingredients as small a possible. Include black and green olives and hard boiled eggs. You can add avocado too, but add it only just before you eat it. I eat it with or without any other meal. Main ingredients: tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber, onion, olives, radishes, olive oil, lemon, peperonchini and/or Hungarian hot paprika if you like it spicy.
Thanks Dave, I’m definitely going to make it your way next time, I especially like the eggs, and I do like it spicy!
I agree with David, Sue. Every version of Israeli salad I’ve ever eaten are pretty finely chopped. The recipes come from “sabras” (native born Israelis) so I trust the authenticity. I’ve seen it served with everything from “soup to nuts.” Yummy stuff.
Maybe I’ll do another version this year with a finer chop, it’s such an amazing salad, it deserves a second post!
It turned out-amazing! Will be making again. Thanks for the recipe. :))
I’m so glad, this is one of my favorites, Polina <3
I made this the other night. I could live on salads like this. I liked the lemon juice as the acid instead of vinegar. i threw in some black olives, because that seemed like a good idea (and it was). I also had a hard boiled egg on the side, which was really tasty with the dressing that accumulated in the bottom of the bowl. So good!
Thanks SO much for the feedback Lizzy – I’m always in favor of adding a hard boiled egg to salads, that’s a great idea.
no one eats the rainbow quite like you, sue! another beautiful and delicious dish!
I love this sort of salad! And I could eat it for breakfast too! And actually have — leftovers from the night before. 😉 Your version is terrific — so much nice color and texture. Good stuff — thanks.
Gorgeous salad, Sue! This is summer on a plate :).
This reminds me a little of the Serbian salad that we love. It’s gorgeous and looks delicious, Sue!