Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and scallions are tossed with parsley, za’atar, lemon and olive oil in this fresh and healthy Lebanese Chopped Salad recipe.
As much as I love a good Syrian or traditional Greek salad, I don’t always have fresh lettuce on hand which is when I love experimenting with different chopped salads.
What is a chopped salad?
Unlike a traditional salad, a chopped salad isn’t lettuce-based. Instead, it’s made with a variety of fresh vegetables chopped in bite-sized pieces and tossed with a vinaigrette of your choice.
One of my most popular chopped salad recipes is my Greek Village Salad which is why I decided to create a Lebanese version. For the base, use whatever fresh, crunchy vegetables you have on hand. Cucumbers, peppers, onions, radishes, and tomatoes all work well but use whatever you love the most.
When creating a chopped salad, I like to use as many colors of the rainbow as possible. Green peppers are most traditional but my boys love orange peppers so we use those as well if we have them.
For the vinaigrette, simply toss the vegetables with lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, za’atar, salt and pepper. If you don’t have fresh mint, dried mint works great too.
If you don’t have fresh herbs on hand, no problem. Have lots to use up? Go crazy! You can dial the amount of parsley and mint up and down pretty easily with this recipe.
What is za’atar?
If you’re not familiar with za’atar, think of it as an all-in-one Middle Eastern spice blend, similar to my All-Purpose Lebanese Spice Blend. In addition to spicing up any salad, it is an ideal rub for grilled meats and vegetables.
What’s great about a chopped salad is that it will last up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Unlike a lettuce-based salad, the sturdier vegetables don’t wilt as quickly.
This salad would be great served with Shish Tawook Chicken, Lebanese Green Beans and Beef or Lebanese Stuffed Grape Leaves.
Your fork is waiting.
Love my Lebanese recipes? Discover more on my Pinterest Board!
Lebanese Chopped Vegetable Salad
Ingredients
- 1 medium tomato (diced)
- 2 bell peppers (any color, seeded and diced)
- 1 cup cucumber (diced)
- ½ cup parsley (minced)
- ½ cup green onions (diced)
- ¼ cup fresh mint (minced)
- 1 lemon (juiced)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon za'atar
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Place all the vegetables and herbs in a large bowl and drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil. Add garlic, za'atar, salt, and pepper then toss well. Check for seasoning and adjust accordingly.