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🥗 Salads & bowls

Taverna salad

Briny, crunchy, and just dramatic enough thanks to halloumi

⏱️ Time estimate: about 30 minutes

Tomatoes, chickpeas, cucumber, olives, capers, herbs, crispy pita, and golden halloumi all pile into one big salad with a punchy red wine vinaigrette.

Taverna salad with halloumi, chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and crispy pita

Ingredients

For the dressing

  • 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic, about 1 small clove
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Salt and pepper

For the salad

  • 3 medium tomatoes, cored, seeded, and diced into 1/2-inch pieces, or 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
  • 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
  • 1 orange or yellow bell pepper, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1/2 large English cucumber, halved, seeded, and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/4 cup minced red onion or shallot
  • 2 tablespoons drained capers, coarsely chopped
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1 6-inch pita
  • 1 8-ounce block halloumi, patted dry and cut into 3/4-inch-thick slices

Instructions

  1. Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup olive oil, the vinegar, garlic, and oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  2. Toss the salad base. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, chickpeas, bell pepper, cucumber, olives, parsley, red onion, capers, and scallions. Pour the dressing over the top and toss well.
  3. Toast the pita. Tear or chop the pita into 1-inch pieces and place in a small bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and toss to coat. Toast in an 8-inch skillet over medium heat, tossing often, until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Set aside and keep the skillet handy.
  4. Cook the halloumi. Drizzle the halloumi slices with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Heat the same skillet over medium-high and cook the halloumi until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into bite-size cubes.
  5. Finish and serve. Add the pita and halloumi to the salad, toss gently, and serve right away.

This is the kind of salad that stops feeling like a side dish the minute the halloumi hits the pan.