Greek Salad Dressing Recipes

Greek salads, commonly found in traditional Greek meals are gaining popularity over global palates today. Their refreshing quality and simplicity in preparation have given Greek salads a special place on dinner tables. These salads go great with meat main courses and if pasta is added to the salad they even turn out to be great main courses. The different salad dressings used to adorn the fresh vegetables are the ones which give the Greek salads their identity. Greek salad dressings usually use a common base of ingredients like vinegar or lemon juice, dried oregano, olive oil and salt. The type of additions like yogurt, dill, thyme, basil, mint, cheese, cream, etc are also used in combination with the basic ingredients.

Classic Style Greek Dressing

Ingredients

• 1½ tsp crushed Greek oregano
• 2 tbsp dried dill
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• ¾ cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation Procedure:
Preparing this dressing is very simple. Just put the oregano, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper into a bowl. Whisk the ingredients together. Make sure the ingredients are mixed well. Or else you could even put all the ingredients into a bottle with a lid and then shake away. This salad dressing goes perfectly with shredded lettuce and finely chopped spring onion.

Greek Cheese Dressing

Ingredients

• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp plain yogurt
• ¼ cup of diced red onion
• ½ cup crumbled Feta Cheese (Mediterranean style)

Preparation Procedure
Process the cheese, red wine vinegar, garlic, oregano, yogurt, and olive oil in a food processor till a smooth consistency is obtained. After transferring the smooth mixture into a bowl, add the chopped red onions into it and then refrigerate it for half an hour. The dressing goes perfectly with a salad of pasta, cucumber, tomatoes, spinach, peppers and black pitted olives.

Greek Cream and Feta Dressing

Ingredients

• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1 garlic clove - crushed and diced
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup crumbled Feta cheese
• ½ cup sour cream (low fat)
• ½ cup butter milk
• 1 medium finely chopped spring onion

Preparation Procedure
Whisk the sour cream and buttermilk in a bowl. Then add oregano, diced garlic, vinegar, pepper and salt into the cream and milk mixture. Subsequently, add the crumbled Feta cheese and spring onions into the mixture, all the while stirring. Whisk the entire mixture again. The dressing is done. This dressing goes well with a salad of lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, olives, onions and bell pepper. Usually this dressing is served on the plate beside the salad.

Herb and Vinegar Greek Dressing

Ingredients

• 1½ tbsp freshly chopped thyme
• 1½ tbsp freshly chopped dill
• 1½ tbsp freshly chopped parsley
• ¼ cup Dijon mustard
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 2½ cups olive oil
• 1 ½ cup yogurt
• 4 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 4 cloves of crushed and diced garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation Procedure
Into a bowl, add thyme, dill, parsley, mustard, lemon juice, yogurt, garlic and vinegar. Mix them together and then gradually whisk in the olive oil till a smooth mixture is obtained. Season with salt and pepper. This salad dressing goes well with a salad of lettuce, tomatoes, onions, olives, peppers, cheese and cucumbers.

Greek Salad Dressing with Basil Leaves

Ingredients

• 4 fresh medium sized basil leaves (chopped)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp chopped red onion
• 1 tbsp crumbled Feta cheese
• ½ tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp water
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation Procedure
Mix the chopped basil leaves, red onions, cheese, mustard, lemon juice and water together in a mixing bowl. Add the olive oil and whisk till a smooth mixture is obtained. Refrigerate the mixture for 3 days before use. This salad dressing goes well with lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, Feta cheese olives and red onions.

Greek Minty Yogurt Dressing

Ingredients

• 3 ½ cups yogurt
• ½ cup crumbled Feta cheese
• ¼ cup fresh mint leaves (finely chopped)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic (crushed and diced)
• Salt to taste

Preparation Procedure
Mix the yogurt, mint leaves, garlic and olive oil in a bowl. Whisk the mixture well. Add the crumbled Feta cheese and whisk till smooth. Season with salt. This mint and yogurt salad dressing goes well with diced cucumber and proves to be very cool and refreshing.

The amount of salad dressing required will depend on the quantity of salad made. While dressing the salad, don't add the entire dressing at once. Add half of the prepared dressing and then toss the salad. Keep adding the rest of the dressing gradually until the entire salad gets coated with the dressing.