Turkish Shepherds Salad (Printable)

Tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion and herbs tossed in lemon-olive dressing—zesty, fresh, ready in 15 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 3 medium ripe tomatoes, diced
02 - 2 Persian cucumbers or 1 English cucumber, diced
03 - 1 small red onion, finely chopped
04 - 1 green bell pepper, diced
05 - 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
06 - 2 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped

→ Dressing

07 - 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
08 - 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
09 - 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
10 - 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
11 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

→ Garnish

12 - 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
13 - 6 to 8 pitted Kalamata olives

# Steps:

01 - Combine diced tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, green bell pepper, parsley, and mint in a large salad bowl.
02 - In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, sea salt, and black pepper until thoroughly blended.
03 - Pour dressing over the vegetables and gently toss until evenly coated.
04 - Taste and add additional salt or lemon juice as necessary to balance flavors.
05 - Transfer to a platter and top with crumbled feta and Kalamata olives if desired. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It&aposs the kind of salad you can bring together in fifteen minutes, no fuss or fancy gadgets needed.
  • Every time you make it, you&aposs reminded how something so easy can still wow a table full of friends.
02 -
  • If your tomatoes aren&apost properly ripe, the salad ends up tasting dull no matter what else you do.
  • I learned to toss the salad gently—otherwise you end up with mush, not crunch.
03 -
  • Always dry your chopped cucumbers and tomatoes with a towel to avoid a watery salad.
  • Squeeze just a little extra lemon at the end for an irresistible brightness.

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