I love Greek salad – cool cucumbers, ripe tomatoes, crisp peppers, tangy olives, sour red onion, salty capers . . . how it possibly be improved? PAN FRIED FETA. Greek salad with pan fried feta is the only way to take an amazing salad – and make it even better (without sacrificing healthy!).
Why Fry the Feta?
Honestly, sometimes a cold salad just isn’t that appealing. Even if it’s a genuinely delicious salad. But add warm cheese?? SO much more appealing. Especially if part of it is crispy crunchy from having been fried. And if it’s still just as low calorie?! Need I say more?
(In case you’re in a salad mood, here are some other healthy salad ideas.)
Does it Have to be Feta?
No! You could also have a version of this Greek salad with pan fried Halloumi or Manouri.
BUT feta is the lowest calorie option, which is nice.
ALSO? Halloumi is pretty high in calories. (Our kids love it though – and it’s a good stand-alone cheese! As in, you can easily just eat Halloumi on its own.) And Halloumi is truly delicious on Greek salad. You just have to remember not to eat too much of it.
And then Manouri is next to impossible to find in the US unless you go to a specialty store. And even then, it’s difficult. I’ve only succeeded a handful of times.
So feta is my go to. Which is perfectly fine with me. Because it’s delicious.
You Can Make It Fancy
If you’re felling fancy, you can add some microgreens to the Greek salad with pan fried feta right before you serve toss them together with the rest of the salad. See how fancy she looks?
You can do this with micro arugula, micro broccoli, micro kale, etc. You get an extra boost of nutrients and fiber, so why not?
Or you can keep it classic, which honestly is my go to.
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Greek Salad with Pan Fried Feta
Greek salad with pan fried feta. Or halloumi. Or manouri. All good options. The key is the frying of the cheese.
- Total Time: 10 min
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Ingredients
4 ounces feta in one thick slice
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 cucumber, sliced lengthwise then chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 bell pepper (red, orange, or yellow), roughly chopped
1 cup of tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons capers
1/2 cup kalamata olives, halved (unless you’re feeling lazy – then just keep em whole)
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
Instructions
1. Fry the feta.
A nonstick skillet is by far the easiest way to do this, but a lightly oiled, preheated stainless steel or cast iron will also work.
Heat the pan over medium heat. Plop the cheese into the pan and allow it to sit for several minutes until the cheese browns on one side. This will take several minutes. If you use feta that was suspended in brine, the cheese will give off water at first – this is normal. Just continue to cook until the the water evaporates and the cheese browns. Once browned, flip over the cheese by carefully sliding a spatula under it (the browned bit will try to come off the rest of the feta, so be gentle). Once flipped, allow it to brown on the other side.
If using manouri or halloumi, the steps are the same – but the halloumi will be the easiest to cook and the fastest to brown because it’s the only cheese of the three that gets melty.
2. Prep the salad.
While you pan fry the feta, make the salad. In a bowl, combine:
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 cucumber, sliced lengthwise then chopped 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 bell pepper (red, orange, or yellow), roughly chopped
- 1 cup of tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives (halved, unless you’re not feeling it in which case just leave them whole)
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
Toss to ensure the red wine vinegar coats everything. You can add 1 tablespoon of olive oil as well, but I usually do not.
3. Pop the feta on top of the salad.
Eat right away, while the feta is warm!
Sometimes I leave the cheese as is and cut off pieces when I want to eat a bite with the salad. Other times I chop it up and toss it directly into the salad.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Category: Salad
- Method: No Cook
