A Greek salad, known as a horiatiki salad or village salad in Greece, is the best salad in the world! It’s colorful and healthy, and super easy to make with just ripe tomatoes, crisp cucumber and green peppers, Kalamata olives, red onion, dried oregano, lots of extra virgin olive oil and a big slice of creamy feta cheese on top.
But the big question is what to eat with this delicious crowd pleaser? Well, amazingly a traditional Greek salad goes with almost everything! Grilled or roasted meat and fish, Greek style ‘mezze’ (appetizers), classic Greek dishes, as well as every day mains such as burgers, pizza and pasta. It’s the perfect side dish, but it also makes a great light meal by itself with bread!
First things first, I have a great recipe for an authentic Greek salad, in case you’d like to try it. I make my ‘horiatiki salads’ the easy way, like the Greeks do – by just roughly chopping all the veggies and tossing them together, then adding plenty of oregano and olive oil before adding a whole big slice of feta on the top.
Although it’s so ridiculously easy to make, it’s also kind of a show-stopper! Above all, there is no lettuce!
If you’re wondering what to make to go with your next Greek salad, read on for 50 of my best easy recipe ideas!
Bread
One of my favorite ways to eat a Greek salad is actually on its own for lunch!
Together with your favorite fresh bread, it’s actually both a delicious and balanced light meal. It’s easy to make it ahead, too. You can even pack a Greek salad to take to work or school.
The Greeks like to buy fresh bread (called ‘horiatiko psomi’ or village bread) every day from their local bakery. This is perfect dipped into the delicious Greek salad juices, but really many different kinds of bread are great with this wonderful salad.
5 from 6 votes
Greek Bread (Easy No Knead Recipe)
You won't believe how easy it is to make the delicious Greek bread you enjoyed on your trips to Greece or in restaurants. There's no kneading necessary – just stir together the simple ingredients, leave to rise for 2 to 3 hours, then bake for just 40 minutes in an oven-proof pot. The result is a loaf of bread that's lightly crunchy on top and unbelievably soft, almost cake-y inside. Enjoy on its own dipped into olive oil or with all your favorite dinners.
Just toast slices of your favorite bread, then drizzle with olive oil and scatter with salt. Make them once and they’ll become your go-to easy side dish too!
A quick and easy Italian Focaccia bread perfect for soaking up those tomato juices at the bottom of your Greek salad! Make the dough with only 6 ingredients, leave to rise, then press into a pan. 20 minutes later you'll have a delicious Focaccia ready to eat!
Why not stir some cooked pasta, orzo, rice, farro, couscous or other grain through your Greek salad for a more substantial meal-in-itself? Don’t forget to use a (much) bigger dish!
Classic Greek dishes
A Greek salad goes with almost any classic Greek dish. But here are a few of my favorite that I literally wouldn’t DREAM of serving without a horiatiki salata on the side!
4.84 from 25 votes
Roasted Greek Chicken and Potatoes
This is the simplest but one of the most popular everyday Greek recipes. Millions of Greeks can't be wrong! Just bake chicken and potato wedges with a really easy olive oil, lemon and oregano marinade. Don't even think about skipping the Greek salad and tzatziki sides!
This simple and classic Greek bifteki recipe is perfect for both family dinners and easy entertaining. Made all in the one pan, all you have to do is bake potato wedges and Greek style burger patties with a really easy olive oil, lemon and oregano marinade. Together with the suggested Greek salad and tsatziki sides, you won't believe how easy and yet juicy and delicious this meal is!
Full of rich, lemony flavour, these potatoes are soft and creamy on the inside and lightly crispy and caramelized on the outside. I rarely claim a recipe is ‘the best’, but I really can’t imagine better Greek potatoes than these!
Gyro pitas (AKA souvlaki!) are Greece's most popular fast food. But did you know you can make them easily at home? They taste just the same as they do in Greece! If serving to guests, why not make more of a meal of them with a Greek salad and fries on the side?
Who needs a grill for tasty chicken kabobs? Bake them in your oven! Transport yourself to the Mediterranean with this quick 30-minute Greek-style recipe. Pair with a refreshing salad, tzatziki sauce, and pita bread for an easy, healthy, and family-friendly midweek dinner everyone will enjoy.
With its tasty layers of eggplant, meat sauce and bechamel sauce, a traditional Greek moussaka is a really hard meal to beat and complements a fresh Greek Salad beautifully. It can take a little while to make, but this recipe makes it easy.
Pastitsio is a delicious everyday Greek classic. You might think it's complicated, but it's actually pretty easy to make at home. With its three delicious layers – tube pasta, fragrant ragu sauce and thick, soufflé-like béchamel sauce, it's like a lasagna, but also a bit different! Perfect for making ahead, this kind of Greek pasta bake keeps and freezes well, is satisfying and comforting, and feeds a small crowd. It's a perfect choice for either a hearty midweek dinner, or to impress family and friends.
A super easy and authentic Greek lamb roast with delicious lemon potatoes and vegetables. Slow roast for 4 hours to fall-apart perfection and enjoy with a simple side of Horiatiki Salata. Perfection.
These homemade Greek giant beans are a quick and easy stovetop twist on the classic dish called 'gigantes plaki' in Greece. You'll love the tender, creamy beans coated in the healthy and tasty Mediterranean style tomato-vegetable sauce. Savor all the goodness of this Greek comfort food favorite without the need for oven-baking.
This version of the very delicious traditional Greek Giouvetsi comes in the form of a chicken and orzo pasta baked in oregano and spice-infused tomato sauce and sprinkled with cheese. A perfect Greek-style midweek meal & perfect with Greek salad on the side.
The delicious and nutritious soup that every Greek family has a recipe for! This version of Greek lentil soup is so easy to make with just a few pantry ingredients and some classic Mediterranean herbs and spices. Don't forget to add a splash of vinegar before serving for your authentic 'fakes' experience!
Literally ANY kind of simple baked, fried or grilled fish goes with a Greek salad! Just drizzle some salmon with olive oil and perhaps a little lemon and bake for around 10 to 15 minutes until just cooked.
Alternatively, here are a couple of my favorite easy fish recipes.
5 from 27 votes
Greek Baked FIsh
Make a quick tomato sauce packed with simple Mediterranean flavours, pour it over the fish and bake. Serve with your favourite fresh bread and Greek salad for a delicious Greek inspired meal.
Whether you serve this salmon with yogurt dill sauce for a quick midweek dinner, or you serve it to guests, no one will believe it only took you around 10 minutes to make. Pan-sear the salmon for delicious crispy skin, then top with the super simple yogurt, dill and lemon sauce. Add a Greek salad, and dinner is served.
These are nothing fancy, but are full of delicately flavoured salmon and fresh, subtle flavours. Delicious with any simple salad (so why not make it Greek?).
Try meatballs, sausages, burgers, BBQ’d meats, kebabs, juicy lamb chops… these all pair beautifully well with a horiatiki salad!
Or browse the ideas below to try something new (but mostly chicken!).
5 from 2 votes
Easy Greek Air Fryer Chicken Meatballs
Greek chicken meatballs (Keftedes) are delicious AND quick and easy when you make them in your air fryer. Mix together all the ingredients, shape into bite-sized meatballs and air fry for 10 minutes. They're incredible served with a Greek salad, Tzatziki and bread.
For an easy dinner, chicken thighs with some basic herbs and spices are all you need. Bake in either your oven or air fryer and serve with a simple Greek Salad side.
Crispy breaded panko chicken always makes a delicious easy meal, but this version flavored with mustard and parmesan cheese is even easier to make. Ready in just 15 minutes!
Cook a chicken in your air fryer once, and you may never cook a whole chicken any other way again. Add a quick herb and spice rub and you'll end up with a perfectly moist and juicy rotisserie style roast chicken in under an hour.
If you’re reading this to find out which main dishes go well with a Greek salad, the possibilities are literally endless. Burgers, meatballs, pizza, pasta, quiches, omelettes, and sandwiches all come to mind.
There’s something for every type, including some great vegetarian options.
Here are some of my favorite ideas.
5 from 4 votes
Air Fryer Naan Pizza with Sun dried Tomato and Mozzarella
Homemade air fryer pizzas made with a delicious ready-made base- naan bread! Top with sun dried tomatoes and mini mozzarella cheese balls, and you've got a simple but tasty meal in just 10 minutes.
All you need for this 3-ingredient pizza dough is flour, Greek yogurt, and salt—no yeast or rising time required! Simply mix, shape, and press onto a small sheet pan. Par-bake, top, bake again, and slice for delicious, deep-dish-style pizza. Perfect for dinner, lunch boxes, or freezing, all in about 30 minutes!
This is the simplest stove top chicken and rice recipe you can imagine, but it still has LOTS of flavour, thanks to a few simple tricks and a secret ingredient… saffron! Ready in just 30 minutes!
Cut the chicken in half horizontally for perfectly pan fried chicken, then add a few other pantry ingredients to make a delicious creamy sauce. Serve with Greek Salad and pasta, potatoes, or rice. It's on the table in barely 15 minutes!
Coat chicken thighs with lots of yummy herbs and spices and super crispy panko breadcrumbs, and either pan fry or air fry. Sandwich with a few toppings in a fresh brioche bun and they're done. It's an unbelievably tasty and easy 30-minute meal!
This Toasted Ciabatta Sandwich With Bacon And Artichokes makes the most delicious weekend brunch imaginable. Artichokes and bacon should be best friends forever. You’ve got to try this sandwich – you’ll never look back!
Golden, crispy little falafel made of sweet potatoes, chickpeas and spices. They are beautiful with fresh bread, hummus and Greek yogurt ,or layered across a fresh Greek Salad.
A Greek salad goes well with almost any egg-based dish. Take your pick from the delicious options below.
4.95 from 249 votes
‘Impossible’ Quiche
This is the VERY BEST crustless quiche! Added flour sinks to the bottom during cooking, creating a thin pancake-like crust. You can add caramelized onions and mushrooms, ham and cheese, or you can keep things simple and add chopped veggies like onions, peppers and tomatoes.
Mary Berry is a British food writer, chef and TV presenter, and she makes an excellent quiche Lorraine! Made with tasty bacon, onions, eggs, cream and cheese, the proportions are perfect. There's a crisp, flaky, buttery crust and a thin but rich layer of delicious filling.
Packed full of grated zucchini and delicious bacon, onion and cheeses, zucchini slice is the perfect healthy picnic or lunch food. But it's also very nutritious and delicious with a Greek village salad on the side.
No cream, no heavy sauce, just a really good classic pasta carbonara using eggs. It's a real crowd pleaser – both light and decadent at the same time. It takes just 15 minutes to make and is dreamy served alongside a fresh Horiatiki Salata!
Make the delicious tomato and chorizo cream sauce all in one pan and from just a few simple ingredients. Toss through tagliatelle and the whole family will love it!
A simple pantry pasta dinner doesn't get any tastier than this! Penne puttanesca is packed with bold and refined flavors. Use the best ingredients and you'll have the most delicious bowl of al dente penne pasta drenched in a tomato anchovy caper olive sauce. It's so tasty it doesn't even need parmesan on top. Once you've made this once, I bet you'll want to make it every single week!
You won't go far wrong with this baked chicken spaghetti when you need an easy meal for the whole family. Add in some colourful veggies and condensed chicken soup for the ultimate comfort food!
This is a ridiculously tasty sausage Bolognese recipe. Perfect for when you're in the mood for a bit of comfort food but don't want to spend hours at the stove. Made with just 6 main ingredients!
One of the most popular ways to eat a Greek salad in Greece is as part of a ‘mezze’ (shared appetizers). Whenever you go to a restaurant or party, it’s very rare to NOT see this classic salad on the table!
Try pairing YOUR Greek salad with 1 or 2 (or more!) of the appetizer style dishes below for a casual, delicious and authentic taste of the sunny Mediterranean. If you’re looking for vegetarian options, there are plenty here too.
Helen’s Top Tip
These dishes are also great for parties, BBQs and easy entertaining of all kinds!
5 from 3 votes
Crispy Greek Zucchini Fries
Delicious and super easy Greek style zucchini fries in the lightest, crispiest tempura batter. They go wonderfully well with the fresh flavours of a Greek Salad. Don't forget a big dish of traditional Greek Tzatziki sauce for dipping!
With only 6 ingredients, you won’t have any trouble making these mini quiche Lorraine for your next party. Eat some now, freeze the rest for later. And no pre-baking of the pastry required!
Ever tried Greek-Mex? Well, if you’ve ever tried Spanakopita, or Feta cheese and spinach pie, you’ll absolutely love these Greek quesadillas with Tsatziki!
Wow, Helen, you have a lot of recipes using filo pastry! I sure do, and guess what? They’re all perfect for parties and go wonderfully well with a Greek salad (and perhaps a bowl of quick homemade tzatziki on the side!).
4.63 from 16 votes
Spinach and Feta Filo Parcels
Little squares of filo pastry topped with feta, spinach and sundried tomato, scrunched up at the top to make cute little parcels. You'll love these If you like 'spanakopita' or Greek spinach and feta cheese pie.
Make your own version of this classic Greek appetizer of feta cheese and honey wrapped in crispy filo pastry. Serve with Greek Salad and a glass of ouzo or red wine.
These crispy mini mushroom pies only contain 7 main ingredients, but are absolutely delicious. Also perfect for making ahead and freezing. You can cook from frozen and just add 5 minutes to the cooking time.
Chips, Mediterranean style dips and a Greek salad. Mmm. A match made in heaven.
Greek Tsatziki Sauce
Tsatziki is a super versatile sauce that you'll find on every table in a Greek restaurant. Mix Greek yogurt with cucumber, garlic, dill and lemon juice for a go-to healthy sauce that's delicious with Greek Salad, grilled meats or as a dip.
Made with just five simple Mediterranean ingredients – roasted red peppers , Feta cheese, olive oil, lemon juice and chili flakes. Ready in just 5 minutes!
Just throw a few ingredients into a food processor, tip into a dish and top with pine nuts and a sprinkle of paprika. Serve with Greek Salad and some simple 2-ingredient flatbread and you'll be in heaven!
What are the best vegetarian main dishes to go with a Greek salad?
When you really want to keep the whole meal vegetarian, I’d recommend pairing your salad with a vegetarian pie, pasta dish or omelette. Here are a few ideas you might like. A bowl of tsatziki on the side would round the meal out nicely (just saying).
4.85 from 40 votes
Pasta Alla Norma
Pasta Alla Norma is a traditional Sicilian pasta dish made with eggplant, tomatoes, basil and cheese. It's perfect for those nights when you want a healthy and filling vegetarian home cooked dinner, but without any fuss.
A Spanish classic made with potatoes, onions, eggs and olive oil. Cook it slowly and lovingly and it'll make a delicious light meal that's hard to beat.
This easy version of a Greek Spanakopita (Feta and spinach filo pie) is incredibly delicious. Perfect for a simple lunch for guests or a midweek meal for the family. Made with just a few ingredients and a show stopping filo crust.
This vegetarian eggplant Lasagne is made by layering a simple pasta alla Norma sauce with a ricotta mixture and Lasagne sheets. There's no white sauce to make, and it's on the table in just an hour.
Lightly crisp fritters packed with roasted cauliflower and tangy feta cheese and mint. Top with an egg or eat them plain with a slice of lemon and a spoonful of Greek yogurt.
Just good quality extra-virgin olive oil! The oil mixes with the oregano, tomato and other juices in the salad to make the most delicious simple dressing for dunking fresh crusty bread in. Occasionally, you’ll find a drizzle of red or white wine vinegar in a Greek salad dressing, too.
What wine goes with a Greek salad?
The rich flavors in a Greek salad go best with a fresh, vibrant and zesty white or rosé wine. A Sauvignon blanc is a classic match to go with a summery salad. You could also try a delicious Greek Santorini, a Pinot Grigio or even a sparkling wine such as Prosecco.
Looking for more Greek style sides? Take a look at this collection of 21 easy Greek side dishes for loads of delicious inspiration!
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