An Entree Salad You’ll Enjoy Eating — Meatless Monday

Related To:

Big Greek Salad

FoodNetwork_02_028.tif

Food Styling: Maggie Ruggiero Prop Styling: Pam Morris

Photo by: Anna Williams

Anna Williams

How many times have you gone to a restaurant with a deliciously full menu of tempting offerings only to order that healthful, lower-calorie salad you think you should eat instead of what you really want? At the end of the meal, you’re still craving fettuccine Alfredo and now are a bit cranky because that bowl of lettuce leaves just didn’t fill you up, right? The same scenario likely plays out at home, too, as you wrestle with hankerings for pizza and instead tuck into an everyday tossed salad.

Now that the healthy-eating season is in full swing and it seems like everyone is committed to making smarter food and fitness choices in the New Year — well, at least in the month of January — it’s time to master the entree salad: that flavor-packed dish of not just lettuce and lemon juice but also other, more filling ingredients that surely won’t leave you feeling deprived. The key to enjoying a salad as a meal is to incorporate creamy cheeses, crisp vegetables, crunchy crackers, good-for-you grains and just about anything else you have on hand so that it becomes something substantial that you look forward to eating.

While Food Network Magazine’s Big Greek Salad (pictured above) doesn’t pretend to take the place of fettuccine alfredo or pizza, it is full of bold, seasonal flavors and texts, and perhaps best of all, it can be prepped in just 20 quick minutes. Celebrating classic Mediterranean ingredients like kalamata olives and capers plus fresh cherry tomatoes and cucumbers, this salad is a bright dish finished with sweet Peppadew peppers and crunchy red onions. Toss the salad with an herb vinaigrette to marry these classic flavors in an easy, big-batch salad that your whole family will enjoy.

Serves 6
Ingredients
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small cucumber, chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 large head romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 cup kalamata olives
1/2 cup large caperberries
1/2 cup chopped Peppadew peppers
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
Directions

Whisk the vinegar, lemon juice, oregano and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a large bowl; slowly whisk in the olive oil until smooth.

Add the cucumber, tomatoes, lettuce, olives, caperberries, Peppadews and red onion to the bowl with the dressing and toss. Season with salt and pepper.

Recipe courtesy Food Network Magazine

Meatless Monday, an international movement, encourages people everywhere to cut meat one day a week for personal and planetary health. Browse more Meatless Monday recipes.

Next Up

No-Lettuce Salads That Keep You Full

You won't find a leaf of lettuce in these hearty and satisfying salads.

5 Brand-New Salads You Have to Try Before Summer's Over

Lettuce celebrate summer with the season's best produce!

Grilled Salads That Prove a Little Char Goes a Long Way

Break out your grill master skills on a warm night and turn your favorite salad into something a bit more special.

Serving Fattoush the “TikTok Way” Just Might Be the Best Way to Eat It

I love my mom’s quintessential Lebanese fattoush recipe, but TikTok got me thinking — could I modernize the dish by finely chopping it and serving it with with pita chips for scooping? Definitely.

Crave-Worthy Salads for Post-Thanksgiving Dinner

These dinner salads will hit the spot after the big meal.

Skillet Lasagna — Meatless Monday

Prepare Food Network Magazine's lasagna on the stove and serve with Giada's Mixed Green Salad With Sherry Vinaigrette and Rachael's Garlic Bread.

Fettuccini Alfredo With Zucchini Ribbons — Meatless Monday

Ellie uses low-fat milk to lighten up this decadent dish, but she adds garlic and creamy parmesan cheese to maintain its full flavors and traditional textures.

Whole-Wheat Cherry Tomato Zucchini Pan Pizza — Meatless Monday

Fresh summer produce stars in this cheesy, meatless pan pizza.

6 Homemade Jams You’ll Want to Spread on Everything

Summer may be over, but you don’t have to say goodbye to seasonal fruit just yet.