I don’t know why I always make such big salads. I guess with the ones that have chicken I’m always just making enough so we can eat it as a main dish for dinner, then with salads like this I just think of them as the perfect salad to take to a get together. I mean when they are this good, why not make a big salad with enough to share?
This is a very summery salad with such vibrant flavors. I love the way the lemon fairs with the fresh herbs and how it just brightens the flavors of the fresh veggies (and fruits if you want to get technical with tomatoes and avocados). Greek flavors are one of my favorite and I love what they bring to this salad (but I probably say that about everything. I also can’t get enough of the Italian, Mexican, Indian, American and Chinese flavors).
This dressing is so easy to whip together (or blend shall I say), and you’ll want to use it for all your favorite salads! It’s a simple recipe but it packs a punch. It would be great on a grilled chicken and spinach salad too. We all know how I’m obsessed with those. They are a go to lunch and dinner around here.
If you don’t want a big salad you can definitely scale this recipe down and use 1 container of cherry tomatoes, 1/2 a cucumber, 1 small avocado, 1/3 of the can of chick peas, 1 1/2 Tbsp parsley and 1 oz of feta. I’d recommend making the full dressing recipe though and just saving it in the refrigerator for another use. Just whisk it again before using it.
Tomato Avocado Cucumber Chick Pea Salad with Feta and Greek Lemon Dressing
Yield: About 8 servings
Ingredients
- 2 (10.5 oz) containers red cherry tomatoes
- 1 (10.5 oz) container yellow cherry tomatoes
- 1 (14.5 oz) can chick peas, drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 cucumbers , peeled and sliced into quarters
- 2 Hass avocados , peeled, cored and diced (ripe but semi-firm)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 3 oz feta cheese , crumbled
Dressing
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 3/4 tsp dried oregano
Instructions
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In a salad bowl toss together tomatoes, chick peas and cucumbers. Add avocado and parsley and gently toss. Add desire amount of dressing and the feta and gently toss to evenly coat. Serve within an hour for best results.
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For the dressing:
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In a blender (or mixing bowl with a whisk), blend olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic and salt until mixture is well emulsified. Stir in basil and oregano.
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Recipe source: inspired by Green Valley Kitchen
Averie @ Averie Cooks: Totally gorgeous, has my name all over it, and I’d eat the whole thing :) March 30, 2015 at 4:37pm
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar: This is such a healthy idea! Great for lunches! March 30, 2015 at 5:35pm
Erin @ Miss Scrambled Egg: Jaclyn – I make salads every single night for dinner. Growing up, we always had a salad on the table before the main dish came out of the oven or off of the grill. This is a great recipe for those days when you don’t want all of that lingering lettuce. Basic and beautiful. March 31, 2015 at 4:37am
Tori@Gringalicious.com: This is a lovely salad! It’s so fresh and simple. Perfect for spring and summer! March 31, 2015 at 5:03am
Deborah @ The Harvest Kitchen: This looks so fresh and delicious! And lemon vinaigrette is a favorite of mine. Pinned! March 31, 2015 at 7:02am
Medha @ Whisk & Shout: This looks delish and so colorful! Pinning :) March 31, 2015 at 1:15pm
Jaclyn: Thanks for pinning Medha! April 4, 2015 at 4:12pm
Sommer @ASpicyPerspective: Looks like these veggies were just picked from the garden! The dressing looks amazing! March 31, 2015 at 2:33pm
Jaclyn: Thanks Sommer! April 4, 2015 at 4:12pm
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness: This salad is GORGEOUS! I am in the same “always-make-big-salads-boat.” Worse comes to worse, I have lunch for the week…and I would definitely not mind leftovers of this Summer goodness! Pinned! March 31, 2015 at 3:29pm
Jaclyn: Thanks so much Taylor! April 4, 2015 at 4:11pm
Kelly: This looks and sounds amazing!
xx Kelly April 2, 2015 at 6:35pm
sylvie: Pretty colorful salad, yellow cherry tomatoes are so tasteful! Great idea to add these yellow cherry tomatoes in this combo :) April 5, 2015 at 11:14pm
Hell: I did it twice, it’s so good I can’t have enough! Thanks so much for this recipe and your great blog =) April 10, 2015 at 3:29pm
Jaclyn: I’m glad you liked the recipe! Thanks for your comment :)! April 10, 2015 at 9:53pm
Marcinda: Great! I have made a version of this for several months but never thought to add avocado! This dressing is so good too. Pinning and following! Going to try the asparagus and salmon in foil this weekend! April 15, 2015 at 8:32pm
Jaclyn: Thanks for sharing and following :)! I hope you love the salmon! April 15, 2015 at 9:36pm
mrsmylen: This salad looks so good! I don’t like feta though, could I substitute something like goat cheese? June 15, 2015 at 7:02pm
Jaclyn: Yes you could definitely use another type of cheese. Goat cheese would be fine, since it’s soft though definitely add it at the end. June 16, 2015 at 11:58am
Kieth B: Looks great… i would also add some chopped scallions and sliced/diced beets as well. And also I might suggest to use the Golden Sweet variety of yellow cherry tomatoes. That sweet will pair nicely with the more traditional red ones. July 30, 2015 at 12:16pm
KiethB: did you really censor my post….? classy huh? ha bleach blonde is NOT classy. July 30, 2015 at 2:27pm
Jaclyn: Why would I have blocked your comment? It just takes me a few hours to moderate them to avoid spam. But thanks for your “classy” comment. July 30, 2015 at 11:36pm
Laura: This was so delicious. I have made it over 5 times in 3 weeks. Even the kids eat it. My husband likes it so much that he is going to make it at his firehall for the guys. We made t the other day and had grilled chicken and coconut rice. We ended up mixing the rice and salad together on our plates. It was the perfect combo. August 9, 2015 at 11:10pm
Margy: Any suggestions if you have to make it the night before? (I’m bringing it to work and won’t have time to prepare the day of). Your suggestion may just be “don’t,” but I at least wanted to ask! Thanks! September 4, 2015 at 3:42pm
Jaclyn: I would definitely wait until the next day to add the avocado and the dressing so it’s not soggy and brown :). September 4, 2015 at 8:20pm
Anjana nigam: If we add raw avacado will it not turn black March 8, 2016 at 12:50am
Jaclyn: It shouldn’t brown for a while because of the acidity in the dressing. March 8, 2016 at 10:45am
Erin: Do you know how many calories per serving of salad and the dressing? Also how big a serving is of each? I can’t wait to try it! Thanks -Erin March 25, 2016 at 10:53am
Marcie: I am also interested in knowing calories and serving size. It’s a delicious salad! April 11, 2016 at 5:02pm
Ash: So delicious! I’ve made this at least five times in the past month, when it’s not in my fridge I’m craving it for my next meal!
I make a big bowl but leave the dressing, feta & avacado off until I’m ready to eat. Makes a great work lunch :-) April 11, 2016 at 6:45pm
Lynn: Fresh, delicious and quicky and easy to make, thank you for sharing. April 16, 2016 at 3:31pm
Alison creamer: Made this tonight ….. LOVED it …. Had to share on Facebook May 2, 2016 at 5:12pm
Laurie: Made this tonight and will top with a little goat cheese as we are not huge feta cheese fans. But already tasted it with NO cheese and it is awesome!!! Threw in a little frozen white corn – could not help myself! Thanks for the fresh and beautiful recipe! It’s a KEEPER!! May 9, 2016 at 5:28pm
Jaclyn: I’m so glad you enjoyed it Laurie! May 9, 2016 at 5:46pm
Linda J: Any suggestions to what to use instead of the chick peas? Love the dressing. May 28, 2016 at 5:37am
Denise: Made this for a bbq over the weekend, it was delicious and a big hit! Thank you! May 31, 2016 at 7:30pm
Lorna: Just made this for a neighborhood picnic and not sure it’s going to make it to the picnic! Delicious! June 18, 2016 at 2:49pm
Susan: Gorgeous salad! I’ve been eating leafy salads all summer with a quick and simple olive oil and lemon juice dressing. I’m going to make your more elaborate dressing and store it in the fridge. Yum! July 27, 2016 at 10:22am
Crystal: This salad looks yum! How much of this can be prepared the night before we will eat it? August 6, 2016 at 6:26pm
Shannon Antonelli: What could you use instead of mustard for the dressing or can I just make it without? I don’t like condiments. August 22, 2016 at 7:19pm
Julie Scriver: made this for a ball wind-up BBQ, I hope everyone else likes it as much as I did tasting it! I also used the herb goat cheese instead of feta. I like them both, just wanted to try something different. September 10, 2016 at 2:55pm
Roshani: Great! This looks delicious and I need to make this recipe soon! Thanks for sharing!! January 18, 2017 at 4:26am
Kimberly: Just wondering how many points this salad is. Looks delicious! January 29, 2017 at 8:28pm
Nicki Escudero: Hi, Jaclyn, I made this last night, and it was amazing! Thanks for the great recipe! Nicki January 31, 2017 at 1:48pm
Jaclyn: I’m glad you loved it Nicki! Thanks for the comment! January 31, 2017 at 2:42pm
Abi: Woooaw my Menü dir tomorrow for my husband and family…..
PS : thanks for the idea
I’ve to repost this gorgeous recipes from you
🤗😉😀
Abi February 16, 2017 at 4:45pm
Pam: DO we know how many calories etc ? March 15, 2017 at 12:20pm
Michelle T: I just made the dressing tonight and I love the flavor. I can’t wait to make the salad tomorrow and taste everything mixed together. It sounds delish! July 7, 2017 at 9:23pm
Jaclyn: Glad you like the dressing, I hope you love the salad as well! July 7, 2017 at 9:40pm