Tabbouleh fans, have you tried making it with quinoa? This recipe is a fun variation on classic tabbouleh made with quinoa instead of bulgur wheat. It turns our favorite Lebanese salad into a gluten-free dish. The quinoa is fluffy and has a somewhat nutty taste, but overall, the flavor profile is quite similar.

Since I already changed one primary ingredient, I took the liberty of adding some chickpeas and feta cheese, more ingredients that you would not expect to find in tabbouleh. They’re entirely optional and absolutely delicious. They make the salad more hearty; if you use both, it could qualify as a light meal on its own.

This herbaceous salad is so refreshing on a warm day. It features fresh parsley and mint, tomato and cucumber, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and quinoa. The proportions remain true to the traditional recipe, so it contains more parsley than quinoa, and the lemon packs a punch. I think you’ll love it.

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Craving a fresh salad with substance? This cauliflower salad recipe might be right up your alley. It’s crunchy, chewy, bold and unexpected. You’ll love this salad if you enjoy fresh Mediterranean flavors and reach for raw cauliflower on veggie trays.

Yes, this salad is made with raw cauliflower. The only cooking you’ll need to do for this recipe is toasting the almonds for a few minutes. The cauliflower soaks up the flavors in the vinaigrette during a 30-minute rest.

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If you enjoy watermelon, this is your new summer salad. This simple watermelon salad recipe features classic Mediterranean flavors like tangy crumbled feta and fresh mint. Roughly chopped pistachios, lightly pickled shallots and a drizzle of olive oil make it taste incredible.

The layering method might make this salad look fancy, but it’s easy to make and yields a stunning display. Grab your largest platter for this recipe so the ingredients can be evenly distributed and scooped without stirring. The composition of this salad helps avoid the watery watermelon, messy-looking feta situation that plagues many watermelon salads.

This watermelon salad was inspired by one we tasted in Tampa last summer. I loved the pistachios sprinkled on top. They offered the perfect crunch, and the green color contrasted beautifully with the bright red watermelon.

I’m still obsessed with the vinegar-soaked shallot that I used on this Watermelon Salad with Herbed Yogurt Sauce, and it worked just as well here. The shallots are lightly pickled, so they’re tangy but less pungent, and a drizzle of the leftover vinegar brightens up the whole salad.

Isn’t it lovely? This beautiful salad is sure to be a hit at your summer parties.

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This hearty salad features a few of my all-time favorite ingredients. Here we have massaged kale, quinoa, spiced sweet potatoes, and black beans served with a dollop of creamy avocado sauce. I added crumbled feta and toasted pepitas for good measure.

I’d cook with only these ingredients if it weren’t for diversity’s sake. This texture-rich vegetarian salad packs great for lunch. If you like to meal prep for the week, this is an excellent candidate. Given the number of components, this is not the quickest recipe around, but it’s absolutely work the effort.

This recipe has been a reader favorite since it was originally published in 2015 (really, nine years ago?). I developed it during a month-long stay in Austin, Texas with my friend Ali. You could probably say that the Southwestern vibes influenced the recipe.

Today, this salad is getting fresh photos and some slight revisions. Enjoy!

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These chimichurri chickpeas are bold, hearty and zippy. This simple dish features tender chickpeas, crumbled feta cheese, and homemade chimichurri sauce. It’s ready in about fifteen minutes.

Chimichurri verde hails from Argentina and is typically served on steak, though I love it in many other preparations. It’s a bright herbed sauce made with fresh parsley, garlic, red onion, red pepper flakes, red wine vinegar, and olive oil.

While traditionally made with a mortar and pestle, my preparation method uses the food processor as much as possible, so it comes together very quickly.

You could call this recipe is a collision of leftovers or, better yet, a happy coincidence. This summer, we invited friends over to grill and I made my chimichurri sauce to go with our meal. I was thrilled when one of our friends took his first bite and demanded the recipe.

We had a bit of sauce leftover, so I stashed it in the refrigerator near some extra chickpeas. The combination proved fantastic once I added some creamy, tangy feta cheese.

While the sauce is Argentinean, this dish’s flavor profile is more recognizably Mediterranean. I love this lively side dish, and I hope you do, too.

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When it’s blazing hot outside, this cucumber tomato salad is exactly what I want to eat. This recipe is crisp and refreshing, light yet satisfying. It’s the perfect side dish to make with a surplus of cucumbers and tomatoes from your garden or farmers’ market.

This simple veggie salad features fresh cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, not-too-much red onion, fresh herbs and optional feta cheese. Once tossed in zippy Greek dressing, this basic combination is further proof that summertime produce doesn’t need much help to taste spectacular.

Cucumber Tomato Salad Ingredients

Cucumber

Use one English cucumber or two Persian cucumbers. I prefer these varieties to standard garden cucumbers because their skin isn’t bitter and they are extra crisp. You can use a regular cucumber if that’s what you have—taste it first, and peel off half or all of the skin if it tastes bitter.

Tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes are perfect for this salad because they’re small, flavorful, and more fleshy than watery. Cut them in half if they’re small-to-medium in size, and quarter any larger tomatoes.

Red Onion

Red onion can be overpowering, so we’ll tame its intensity by soaking it in ice water before using. Simply slice the onion and place it in a bowl of ice water while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Soaking also makes the onion extra crisp, which is lovely.

Optional Feta Cheese

You’ll enjoy this salad either way. Feta offers little bursts of creamy, salty flavor. Without it, this salad tastes extra light and refreshing, like a spa salad!

Fresh Basil or Dill

This salad is not complete without fresh herbs. Use a combination of the two or all basil, whichever you prefer.

Greek Dressing

Finally, we’ll bring this salad to life when we toss it with Greek salad dressing, which is simply the best dressing for cucumber tomato salad! It’s made with extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh garlic, honey, dried oregano, salt and pepper.

Sometimes salads of this nature are swimming in oil, but not this one. This dressing is bold, so you can get by with less.

You can cut the salad dressing ingredients in half for the perfect amount for this salad, or better yet, make the full batch to enjoy on green salads throughout the week.

Watch How to Make Cucumber Tomato Salad

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Have you tried the baked feta pasta that took the internet by storm earlier this year? That simple recipe inspired this delicious summer dip, which features some of my very favorite flavors—creamy feta, tangy cherry tomatoes, olives and plenty of fresh basil.

Baking these ingredients together near the heat source yields maximal flavor. The feta softens and turns golden, the cherry tomatoes burst and naturally sweeten, and the olives become even more intensely olive-y. Swirled together and finished with a generous sprinkle of basil, the combination is sublime.

This dish also bears a resemblance to a classic Greek dish called feta fournou, or baked feta. That dish typically features feta with bell pepper, tomato and oregano.

The flavors in today’s dip are also delicious raw, as you’ve seen in my Mediterranean Tomato & Feta Dip—make that one if you don’t want to turn on the oven! Either one will be a perfect light meal or summer evening appetizer.

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Do you enjoy tortilla soup? It’s one of my all-time favorites! Tortilla soup is fresh and flavorful, earthy and a little spicy. Topped with a big handful of crispy tortilla strips, it’s a light but satisfying meal for lunch or dinner. As a bonus, it tastes even better the next day.

Tex-Mex tortilla soups most often include shredded chicken, but it’s not unusual to find vegetarian tortilla soups in Mexico. I can’t call this recipe fully authentic, though. It’s a delicious variation on classic tortilla soup (Sopa Azteca) that you can make at home any time you get the craving.

In Mexico, you’ll find tons of regional variations and personal preferences for tortilla soup. For this recipe, I added black beans for some heft, as well as a red bell pepper because I love the flavor and texture it provides. I tried to keep the remaining ingredients in line with what you might find in Mexico, but to be honest, I have more personal experience with the Tex-Mex variations I’ve sampled over the years.

This recipe is a fully reworked version of an old tortilla soup recipe on the blog. Perhaps you’ve made that one and enjoyed it, but I tried it again recently and just knew I could build in more flavor along the way. If you want a copy of the original, I’ve saved a PDF of the recipe right here.

This soup is closer to the spin on tortilla soup in my cookbook, Love Real Food, which features an irresistible sweet-and-spicy interplay between sweet potatoes and jalapeño. Give that one a try, too!

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Have you made this salad before, by chance? I pulled this recipe from the archives and updated the photos to catch your eye. This stunner just might steal the show at your Thanksgiving feast, and for good reason. Glittering pomegranate arils and golden roasted delicata squash taste just as good as they look.

Delicata squash is a lovely winter squash. It’s unique because its skin is so, well, delicate that you don’t need to peel it before roasting. The balsamic dressing, arugula, pomegranate and goat cheese go great with the squash, of course, but also with apples and pears. If your oven is full, try sliced fruit instead, or simply roast the squash the day before.

Watch How to Make This Salad

When I revisit older blog posts, I’m always amazed by the parallels in my life over the years and the seasons. When I originally shared this post seven years ago, I was dreaming of a better living/work space. Since that time, I’ve upgraded from my tiny apartment to a little rent house where I made the cookbook, then to a new apartment with a functional kitchen. Then we got married and I moved into my husband’s cozy home, which we’ve outgrown.

We’re actually in the process of purchasing our dream home now. It’s everything we could ever hope for, including a recently renovated kitchen that’s so pretty, I can hardly stand it. We’ll move in time for Christmas and I’m looking forward to setting up our tree and sitting by the fireplace.

To be honest, all I really care about now is keeping Cookie healthy, but our new home is a bright ending to an acutely difficult year. I’ve left my original sentiments below just to show the hard work it took to get here. I hope you are staying well and cozy out there.

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Sometimes, you need a healthy make-ahead breakfast. Whether you’re serving a crowd or trying to ease busy weekday mornings, this breakfast casserole is just the ticket.

Typically, breakfast casseroles includes sausage and potatoes. I loaded this one up with fresh veggies and greens instead, including red bell pepper, green onion and spinach.

Creamy feta or goat cheese rounds it all out. You don’t need a ton of dairy to achieve a lovely, luxurious texture. This is a lightened-up dish that seems more indulgent than it really is.

This healthy breakfast casserole is the perfect addition to a holiday breakfast spread. Since it offers some protein and vegetables, it’s a great way to help balance those delicious carb-heavy treats, like muffins and pancakes. I’d be thrilled to find this option alongside bagels and cream cheese. Leftovers are good for lunch, too.

To develop this recipe, I followed my foolproof frittata formula. It’s easy to make, colorful and delicious!

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