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Chopped Greek Salad with Peperoncini is a long-time favorite salad that’s a perfect way to enjoy summer tomatoes and cucumbers. And everyone who likes Greek salad ingredients and spicy Peperoncini peppers will love this salad!
PIN Chopped Greek Salad to make it later!
It’s Memorial Day in the U.S., which is the unofficial start of summer! I just got home very late last night from a wonderful trip to Romania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Albania. And in those Balkan countries I swooned over the salads with tomatoes and cucumbers that were served as a starter for nearly every dinner! Every country had slightly different Greek-Style tomato-cucumber salads with cheese, olives, and sometimes peppers, onions, and other raw vegetables.
And of course summer means Greek Salad will be on the menu at my house too! Today I’m reminding you about this favorite Chopped Greek Salad with Peperoncini! This recipe combines my fondness for tomato-cucumber salads with my absolute love for spicy Peperoncini peppers. I could go on and on about why I think this is a perfect summer salad combination. But if you like these ingredients and enjoy Feta cheese, you probably don’t need to be convinced!
The Chopped Greek Salad salad starts with tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, and Feta. Then I kicked it up by using brine from the Peperoncini peppers in the lemony dressing and adding some sliced Peperoncini to the salad. This recipe has been popular on the blog, and it’s a treat I’d never get tired of. And when the weather really heats up, I’d eat salad like this any day for lunch or dinner; hope you enjoy trying it!
What ingredients do you need?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
Is this an authentic Greek Salad?
I’m not claiming this Chopped Greek Salad is an authentic Greek salad, since I used regular canned black olives. But this does have the same flavors that people love in Greek salad, and you can use Kalamata olives if you prefer!
What are Peperoncini Peppers?
Peperoncini Peppers are a type of sweet and relatively mild pickled pepper that’s sold in jars. Slightly-spicy Peperoncinis are often used as a garnish on restaurant salads, and you might have had them at The Olive Garden. And if you like this type of peppers at all you’ll probably love this salad. You can use more or less of the spicy peppers, depending on how much spiciness you prefer.
Is it spelled Pepperoncini or Peperoncini?
The word is often spelled Pepperoncini, but on the jars I’ve been buying for years it’s spelled Peperoncini, so that’s how I spell it!
I recommend using sliced Peperoncini for the Chopped Greek Salad!
For years I used Greek Peperoncini in a jar and drained them, pulled out the seeds, and cut the Peperoncini into slices. But if you can find sliced Peperoncini peppers (affiliate link) that makes the salad so much easier to make. If you don’t find the sliced peppers, see my instructions below for how to slice the Pepperoncini (with kitchen shears!)
How low in carbs is the Chopped Greek Salad with Peperoncini?
This tasty salad with some of my favorite ingredients has only 7 net carbs per serving, with 4 grams of protein! And if you like to add extra Feta to salads like this, that will increase the amount of protein.
How to make Chopped Greek Salad with Peperoncini:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Here are the steps for slicing the Peperoncini if you don’t buy the sliced ones. Whole Peperoncini from a jar are full of the brine, so I cut the ends off and let them drain in a colander.
- While they drain, mix together the Peperoncini brine, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, dried Greek oregano, and black pepper and then whisk in olive oil to make the dressing.
- When the Peperoncini have drained well, squeeze out the seeds from each one and use Kitchen Shears (affiliate link) to cut into slices. (If you can find sliced Peperoncini peppers (affiliate link) skip this step and just measure out how much sliced peperoncini you want to use!)
- I used regular canned black olives for this salad because Kalamata olives are not a hit with some of my extended family. But if you like Kalamata olives they will be great in this!
- Chop the tomatoes and cucumbers into same-size pieces. (These are grape tomatoes, but if you have juicy garden tomatoes I might drain them in a colander.)
- I cut the red onion into slivers, and next time I might make them a bit thinner. (And when I tried out the salad on my sister Pam and niece Alyson they loved it. But Pam isn’t an onion lover and she’d use sliced green onions when she makes it.)
- I cut the Feta cheese into small cubes to match the look of the chopped vegetables. (Oops, no photo.)
- When everything is chopped and/or drained, toss together the Peperoncini slices, olives, tomatoes, cucumber, and onions with the desired amount of dressing.
- Then add the Feta cubes and gently toss again.
- Season the Chopped Greek Salad to taste with fresh ground black pepper and serve.
Make it for a Low-Carb Meal:
Chopped Greek Salad with Peperoncini would be great as part of a low-carb meal with any of these main dishes:
More Flavorful Salads with Tomatoes:
Check out Favorite Summer Tomato Salads for more salad ideas when it’s fresh tomato season.
Ingredients
- one cup sliced Peperoncini peppers (see notes)
- one 6 oz. can black olives (see notes)
- 2 cups diced tomatoes
- 2 cups diced cucumbers
- 1/4 cup red onion strips
- 4 oz. Feta cheese, cut into cubes (or more)
- fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1 T Peperoncini brine
- 1 T lemon juice (see notes)
- 1 T red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp. dried Greek oregano
- black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- If you don’t have sliced Peperoncini, cut the stem end off each Peperoncini with Kitchen Shears (affiliate link) and drop into a colander placed in the sink.
- Let the Peperoncini drain while you combine the Peperoncini brine, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, dried Greek oregano, and black pepper and then whisk in olive oil to make the dressing.
- Use the scissors to cut the drained Peperoncini into strips. (I like them on the thick side, but it’s a personal choice.)
- Drain the olives (and cut in half if desired, but I liked the whole olives in this.)
- Cut the tomatoes and cucumbers into same-sized pieces. (I cut mine about 3/4 inch square.)
- Cut the red onion into slivers or thinly slice if you’re using green onion.
- Cut the Feta into cubes about the same size as the cucumbers and tomatoes.