Mediterranean Chopped Salad

This mediterranean chopped salad is perfect for a crowd or a meal prep lunch recipe! It’s protein packed, incredibly flavorful, easy to make and loaded finished with a simple olive oil vinaigrette.

I’m a huge fan of all salads, but chopped salad has to be one of my favorites. Because all of the ingredients are, well, chopped, you get a little bit of everything in each bite!

This Mediterranean chopped salad is loaded with fresh veggies like romaine, tomato, cucumber, fluffy quinoa, chicken for protein and an herby lemon dijon vinaigrette similar to my mediterranean chickpea salad.

One may typically associate salads with warmer weather, but honestly, I love a good salad to balance out all of the sweets that I tend to eat this time of year!

If you love this recipe, try my Mediterranean lentil salad or gluten free orzo pasta salad next!

Before we get started

• I love cooking my quinoa (and other grains) in bone broth for extra protein and flavor!
• Romaine is my preferred lettuce for chopped salads, but green leaf, red leaf, or some kind of spring mix will also work great!
• Dress the salad right before you’re ready to serve! If you want to prep ahead of time that’s fine, just don’t add the dressing until you’re going to serve it

How to make a Mediterranean chopped salad

Wash and chop your lettuce. Add to a large mixing bowl.

Add in all remaining salad ingredients. I like to use this vegetable chopper for the cucumber, tomatoes, onion etc. so they’re very finely diced.

Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing. I like to use this salad dressing shaker.

Pour the dressing on top, using as much or as little as you like! Toss the salad and serve. If you are not planning to serve right away, just wait to add the dressing. Romaine doesn’t hold up as well as things like kale, so it’s best to add the dressing right before you’re going to serve.

Does it keep?

Yes! But I do recommend storing the dressing and salad separately. Unlike a kale salad, romaine can wilt pretty easily if the dressing is left on for too long. If the salad and dressing are separate, the salad will store in the fridge for about 3-4 days and the dressing for about a week.

However, the dressing will solidify in the fridge, so you will want to let it come to room temperature before serving. You can also place the jar or container in a dish of warm water to speed this process up.

All of the other veggies, chicken and quinoa, however, can handle the dressing for about 3 days. So you can store those things together, then add it on top of lettuce when you serve.

Variations!

Salads are great because it’s so easy to customize based on what you’re craving or what you have in the fridge. I love bulking it up with avocado to add more healthy fats, adding shredded carrot, sliced almonds for a little crunch or some bell peppers. Anything goes! I also love fresh herbs like parsley or basil.

This mediterranean chopped salad recipe is light enough to have as a side, but also hearty enough for a main lunch or lighter dinner. You can bulk it up with more quinoa, add some chickpeas etc.

Try these salads next!

Lastly, if you want more recipes straight to your inbox, be sure to subscribe to my email list. As always, tag me on instagram if you make this recipe so I can see your creation!