This classic Turkish salad offers all the flavors of the Mediterranean. It’s fresh, bright and delicious! It's a great side salad or light low carb lunch for a keto vegan or vegetarian.
A Turkish Salad recipe full of fresh vegetables, mediterranean herbs and a great lemon garlic dressing. Full of low carb vegetable ingredients, this salad is perfect for a low carb diet and it's vegan too!
I used to travel for work to Turkey a few years ago and the food was fantastic, especially for a vegetarian. So many fresh and vibrant vegetable dishes packed full of flavor. One of my favorite memories was going to an outdoor nightclub/bar which served bowls of fresh cherries at the tables to snack on. The best cherries I've ever tasted!
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WHAT IS A TURKISH SALAD?
A traditional Turkish salad is called "Coban Salatasi" or "Shepherd's Salad." It is a refreshing and light salad made with diced fresh vegetables and herbs, dressed with a simple olive oil and lemon juice dressing. The salad typically includes tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, green peppers, and parsley, and sometimes additional herbs like mint or dill.
Some variations also include feta cheese, olives, or hard-boiled eggs. The ingredients are usually chopped into small pieces and mixed together with the dressing, and the salad is served cold as a side dish or appetizer. Coban Salatasi is a staple in Turkish cuisine and is often enjoyed during the summer months when fresh vegetables are abundant.
SALAD INGREDIENTS
Bright, colourful and full of flavor, the salad ingredients are simple yet delicious.
There are no major substitutions in this recipe but you could add feta or goats cheese for protein and change the fresh herbs used.
HOW TO MAKE TURKISH SALAD
This is a simple salad to make but benefits of chilling for at least an hour before serving.
Finely and evenly chop the ingredients
Add to a bowl and mix
RECIPE TIPS
- Make this salad ahead for the flavors to develop.
- Sprinkle sumac to serve for a zesty flavor.
- Ensure that the olive oil you use is of a good quality. It makes all the difference to a salad dressing.
- Add black olives for an additional flavor.
STORAGE
Ideally, this salad should be served fresh and enjoyed the same day. Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container and should be consumed the next day.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH TURKISH SALAD
We serve this salad with a side of Greek yogurt, sprinkled with sumac with a plate of keto pita bread. You could serve this salad as a side to our Greek stuffed eggplant, a vegetable kebab or a keto quiche.
MORE KETO SALAD RECIPES
We have many salad recipes and these are just a few you might enjoy!
Turkish Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- ½ cucumber (Persian cucumbers preferable)
- ¼ red onion
- ½ red bell pepper
- ½ green bell pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint chopped
Dressing
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Finely diced the tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber and red onion. Try to keep them the same size.
- In a large bowl, combine the diced tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, green bell pepper, and red bell pepper.
- Add the chopped parsley and mint to the bowl, and toss everything together.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt, and black pepper until well combined.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss everything together until the vegetables are evenly coated.
- Place in the fridge and chill for at least one hour.
- Serve the salad chilled, garnished with additional parsley and mint leaves if desired.
Notes
YOUR OWN NOTES
