Horiatiki Salad (Greek Salad or Village Salad)

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Horiatiki Salad also known as Greek Salad or Village Salad combines the freshest ingredients like seasonal tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, red onions, tangy Kalamata olives, and creamy feta. I served it with a mildly piquant Greek Peperoncini for an extra boost in flavor. 

Greek Salad is among the most popular but you may also want to try my Tomato Feta Salad with fresh mint or amazing Greek Panzanella with Garlic Lemon Vinaigrette.

Horiatiki Salad or Greek Salad on a plate with feta and fork

What is Horiatiki Salad

Horiatiki Salad, or village salad, is what is known in the US as Greek Salad. It is a very humble dish that uses fresh and simple ingredients. It’s in season from late spring to early fall – when the tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers are at their peak.

We’re now at the end of July on East Coast of US and the big, meaty tomatoes are just about to ripen up….but they’re not quite there yet.

However, the small, cherry tomatoes are taking over my tomato garden and they too are super delicious; that’s why I used them here in this recipe for my Horiatiki Salad.

I know, that this Horiatiki Salad should have big tomatoes cut up over the bowl to get all the juices marinating in there, but I am a huge proponent of using whatever is in season. Hence my use of little cherry tomatoes in this recipe. And you can pretty much find good quality cherry tomatoes all year long so you could potentially enjoy this salad throughout a year.

So, fast forward about 2 weeks & I’ll be using my beefsteak tomatoes for this amazingly simple salad. To be perfectly clear, a real Greek salad never contains lettuce!

Horiatki Salad (Greek salad) on a serving plate

What are Typical Ingredients in Greek Horiatiki Salad

Here’s a list of what Greek Salad contains:

  • Tomatoes;
  • Cucumbers;
  • Green peppers (not red or yellow);
  • Red onion;
  • Kalamata olives;
  • Good quality sheep’s milk feta (served as a block and not crumbled);
  • Good quality, fragrant extra virgin olive oil (preferably from kalamata olives);
  • Red wine vinegar; &
  • Lots of dried oregano (preferably Greek dried oregano)!

Greek Horiatiki Salad on a plate with block of feta and a spoon

 

Extra kick for a Greek Salad

Even though this salad is perfect on its own, I decided to spice up every bite with some Greek Peperoncini. You can add them whole or you can chop them. You can actually buy them already chopped if that’s your preference. They do add a little kick to this simple Horiatiki Salad and I love them.

I’ve visited Greek islands on a few occasions in my life, and every time I’ve landed in Greece I wanted to have my Horiatiki Salad immediately. There’s nothing better than fresh vegetables with super fragrant olive oil, a splash of red wine vinegar and dried oregano.

At least that’s what I thought until I went into a Greek Tavern in New York, and they served my favorite Horiatiki Salad with peperoncini too. I was blown away.

Ever since I’ve always added pepperoncini to my Greek Salads. Try it and let me know how you like it.

Horiatiki Salad on a plate with jar of peppers on a side

How to Make Horatiki Salad

Step by step tutorial on how to make Greek Salad:

  1. Cut up tomatoes and cucumbers;
  2. Slice bell peppers and red onions;
  3. Prepare pepperoncini and olives;
  4. Combine vegetables with olives and pepperoncini, then pour over dressing & top with a block of feta…then serve!

Horiatiki Salad with Golden Greek Peperoncini combines the freshest ingredients of seasonal tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, red onions, tangy kalamata olives and creamy feta with mildly piquant, fruity flavor Mezzetta Peperoncini. #DontForgettaMezzetta #Mezzetta #Ad

Horiatiki Salad with Golden Greek Peperoncini combines the freshest ingredients of seasonal tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, red onions, tangy kalamata olives and creamy feta with mildly piquant, fruity flavor Mezzetta Peperoncini. #DontForgettaMezzetta #Mezzetta #Ad

Horiatiki Salad with Golden Greek Peperoncini combines the freshest ingredients of seasonal tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, red onions, tangy kalamata olives and creamy feta with mildly piquant, fruity flavor Mezzetta Peperoncini. #DontForgettaMezzetta #Mezzetta #Ad

Horiatiki Salad with Golden Greek Peperoncini combines the freshest ingredients of seasonal tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, red onions, tangy kalamata olives and creamy feta with mildly piquant, fruity flavor Mezzetta Peperoncini. #DontForgettaMezzetta #Mezzetta #Ad

What to Serve Horiatiki Salad with

You can serve this humble Greek Salad with basically everything: all your favorite meat like lamb, chicken or burgers, fish and shellfish or vegetarian dishes. Here are a couple of my suggestions:

More Greek Recipes to Try

Horiatiki Greek Salad on a plate with jar of peppers on a side

Horiatiki Salad (Greek Salad or Village Salad)

Horiatiki Salad (Greek Salad or Village Salad) combines the freshest ingredients of seasonal tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, red onions, tangy kalamata olives, and creamy feta with mildly piquant Greek pepperoncini.
4.88 from 8 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: Greek
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 290kcal
Author: Edyta

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Tomatoes halved or cubed
  • 2 cups Cucumber English, cubed
  • 1 Bell Pepper green, sliced
  • 1/2 Red Onion medium, sliced
  • 1/2 cup Olives Kalamata
  • 1/2 cup Peperoncini
  • 7 oz Feta cheese in a block

Dressing

  • 1/2 cup Olive oil extra virgin
  • 2 tbsp Vinegar red wine
  • 1 teaspoon Dry oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper freshly ground

Instructions

  • If using cherry tomatoes, then cut them in half. If using Roma or Beefsteak tomatoes, cut them in 1-inch cubes;
  • Partially peel a cucumber and cut it into cubes, similar in size to the tomatoes;
  • Cut the Bell pepper and onion in thin slices or rings;
  • Place the vegetables into a bowl, then add olives and pepperoncini;
  • Combine all dressing ingredients and pour over the salad; then mix well and place onto a serving dish;
  • Top salad with a block of feta & serve immediately (or sooner) with crusty bread.

Notes

I used a whole teaspoon of dried oregano for this dressing as the salad should have a lot of it. If you feel like you may not like that much oregano, start with 1/2 teaspoon. 

Nutrition

Calories: 290kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 744mg | Potassium: 280mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1285IU | Vitamin C: 42.7mg | Calcium: 182mg | Iron: 0.7mg
Tried this recipe?Show me @eatingeuropean or tag #eatingeuropean!

This post was originally published on August 1, 2017, and since then it was updated to provide additional information.

Read about the author Edyta here or follow Eating European on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

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35 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This sounds right up my street, fresh and delicious. I love kalamata olives and feta cheese, I might just make this for dinner tonight!

  2. 5 stars
    I fell in love with REAl Greek salad when I first visited Greece and you’re right – it is spectacular this time of year. I’ve made it with cherry tomatoes and too and I actually love them in this kind of salad! I am going to have to make this this week now because you’ve given me all of the cravings!

  3. This salad looks absolutely delicious and makes so hungry! I love your pictures because they bring out the vibrant colours of the vegetables.

  4. 5 stars
    Sounds very tasty! I love peppercinis! I probably spelled that wrong , LOL! Thank you for sharing this recipe!

  5. 4 stars
    This looks super yummy! I am never very inventive with my salads…we get so little good weather over here that salads are rarely on the menu, other than a quick side salad!

  6. I love the vibrant and bright colors of the vegetables! I love trying new salad recipes and I’ll definitely do this one.

  7. I fell in love with Peperoni. I will try it later and I’m sure my love ones would definitely like this. Thanks for sharing!!

  8. Looks amazing. How does the feta get divided up? Do guests just take some Veges then a spoonful / knife slice of feta? Thanks….oh and I missed seeing the portions of the olive oil etc…or is it just by taste?

    1. Hey Tanya. Yes, everybody can cut up as much Feta as they want. This is how this salad is served in Greece. For exact measurements on salad ingredients and the dressing scroll down to the printable recipe card. It’s all in there 🙂

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