Heirloom Tomato Salad

Greek style Heirloom tomato salad with gorgeous colorful Heirloom tomatoes, mixed variety of bell pepper, red onions and crumbled feta cheese make the most perfect Greek side salad ever! Unlike traditional marinated tomato salad, this salad recipe has roots in full strong Greek and Mediterranean flavors.

Greek Tomato Salad Ingredients

As you will notice below, the ingredient list is fairly simple. My only recommendation is to get the most ripe vegetables available and do not skimp on adding those fresh mint leaves. You can usually find them in the produce aisle near lettuce or if if unavailable at the store, our local Lowes sells herbs in pots.

I love to keep a variety around and snip when needed over purchasing $5 worth of herbs every time I need an ingredient.

• 4-5 Heirloom tomatoes in a variety of colors: I try to go with traditional red, a darker green, yellow and orange if available
• 3 bell peppers: Green, Orange, and Yellow
• 1 Red Onion
• Fresh Mint Leaves
• Italian Seasoning – McCormick and Mrs. Dash put out an Italian Seasoning Blend
• Salt & Pepper
• Olive Oil
• 4 oz. block of Feta Cheese – crumbled is also fine

How to make Heirloom Tomato Salad {Greek}

To get started, prep Heirloom tomatoes by slicing (not dicing) them. They heavy oil and feta cheese can weigh down the tomato, so slicing really allows a good base for the cheese and herbs to stick to. They also become much more flimsy when cut, so do not cut too thin.

Dice down one medium to medium-large red onion. I use an onion chopper and it really helps keep all the pieces uniform as well as keep me from crying. If you do not have an onion slicer, its probably my favorite kitchen item for onion prep.

Chop down (Doesn’t need to be uniform) all 3 bell peppers. I just do a rough chop on these by slicing the sides off the bell peppers and then lining them up and chopping down to bite sized pieces.

Combine all vegetables into a large mixing bowl and use tongs to toss.

Crumble down one block of feta cheese (4 oz.) and crumble on top.

Dump in fresh mint, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper generously.

Drizzle a bit of olive oil (a tablespoon or two is fine) and mix again with tongs, bringing the bottom vegetables to the top. Be careful not to OVERMIX as the feta cheese will start “melting”.

Salad is done! Now eat and seriously enjoy.

What is an Heirloom Tomato?

Heirloom tomatoes are those funny looking squished tomatoes that you find at the store. They are often in a variety of colors, shapes and have weird textures around the stems. They may be the most “rustic” of all tomatoes.

Heirlooms are open pollinated (by birds, animals, etc.) and the seeds to these beauties are typically a special farmer blend, passed down seasonally.

What do Heirloom tomatoes taste like? As far as taste – well that depends on the type of each tomato! From sweet to savory, smoky to complex, there is nothing like slicing through and eating a salad filled with these untraditional tomatoes.

When using heirloom tomatoes in a salad, try to get a variety of colors. The dark nearly black ones are so beautiful when cut and I highly suggest not letting just red take over the bowl.

Greek Salad Variations

Trust me when I say this salad is more than enough on its own, but here are a few alterations you can add depending on home ingredients.

• Sliced Cucumbers: Sliced or quartered cucumbers are flattering and blend well with these ingredients
• Greek Olives – Any Mediterranean olive, like a Kalamata, work fine folded in
• Crumbled Cheese – I highly recommend feta, but if for some reason you cannot find it, try crumbled goat cheese or crumbled gorgonzola

More Feta Side Dish Recipes

I declare 2021 the year of Feta Cheese. It’s taken long enough, but feta has really made a splash the last few months and I really love using it. If you also love feta cheese, here are some recipes that will get you up and in the kitchen!

• Warm and melty feta cheese dip, a super rich and unique Greek appetizer recipe that will have you (and your guests) begging for mercy.
• Super viral, the tiktok baked feta pasta is about as filling of a meal as it gets.
• Looking for some lighter options? Corn and tomato salad with a light sprinkling of feta is a sweet and savory salad in one.
• If I had to pick a favorite side dish, it’s this one. Cold green bean salad with feta, walnuts and cherry tomatoes is unexpected and amazing. I make this every year at Thanksgiving!
• Last but not least, try fresh cucumber, tomato and feta salad, an easy and healthy lunch without sacrificing flavor.