Filled with all the good stuff, this Greek salad in a jar combines tomatoes, kalamata olives, onions, and feta cheese with a nice light homemade dressing. Simply whip up the dressing, layer the ingredients in the jar and then store in the fridge until ready to eat. Perfect for a grab-n-go lunch and great for meal prepping a couple of salads at a time without them going limp and soggy.
Need another salad that packs well for lunch? Try this old fashioned three bean salad next.
Greek Salad In A Jar
Mason jar salads are the perfect way to make a grab-and-go lunch, especially if you know a whole salad will not be eaten in time, or you have a few select leftovers to use up.
They are also quick and easy, making them the perfect option for a busy week.
If you make the salads and store the dressing separately, they can last a couple of days in the fridge.
What's In A Greek Salad In A Jar?
An authentic Greek salad actually has no lettuce at all!
Instead, it's filled with tomatoes, onions, Kalamata olives, and feta cheese.
As a rule of thumb when you are making a salad in a jar you want to add the dressing first so that the other ingredients don't get soggy after sitting in it all day.
You can also choose to store the dressing separately, and just add it when you are ready to serve.
Here, because of the lack of thin greens like lettuce or baby spinach, the layering isn't as important as all of the ingredients will taste great and hold up with being infused with the dressing.
For the dressing you are going to need:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- ½ teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
All you have to do is make the dressing and add it to the jar, fill the jar ¾ of the way with the rest of the Greek salad ingredients and shake the salad when you are ready to eat.
Perfect for when you are on the run and just want to grab-n-go in the morning, or don't want the hassle of extra dishes.
Alternatively, if you are making a couple of salad jars, and want them to last a couple of days in the fridge, you can store the dressing separately, and just add when it is time to eat.
Can This Mason Jar Salad Be Bulked Up?
I love a good traditional Greek Salad.
But sometimes I need something a little more filling, especially if I have a busy day coming up or have been exercising all morning.
You can definitely add some cooked grains like:
- farro
- couscous
- wild rice
- quinoa
- brown rice
- barley
The only difference you may have to make will be in terms of layering.
With the bulkier grains like the barley and the farro you can leave as is, as these will still taste great when infused with the dressing.
With something lighter like the couscous, this can have the tendency to become mushy if it sits in the dressing all day, so be sure to leave the dressing aside and just add in and shake when you are ready to enjoy your salad in a jar.
What Jars To Use For A Mason Jar Salad
You absolutely do not have to use a brand-specific mason jar.
In fact, I save all my glass jars from buying pickles, olives, and other preserves, and you can definitely re-use these no problem.
If you don't have any saved jars, or you just like the look of the traditional mason jar then go on ahead and order yourself some from Amazon here.
Need More Fun Salad Recipes?
Of course you do, check these out:
- 31 Unique Salad Recipes
- Zesty Heirloom Tomato and Nectarine Salad
- Super Simple Avocado and White Bean Salad
- Summer Antioxidant Salad
- Quinoa Veggie Bowl with Basil Hummus Dressing
- Baked Almond Crunch Falafel Bowl with Two Second Dressing
- or if you don't want your salad in a jar try this Keto Greek Salad from Keto Cooking Wins
More Tips and Notes
Can This Salad Be Frozen?
No.
Do not freeze this salad, these ingredients do not thaw well and you will end up with a very unappetizing soggy salad.
I Don't Like Raw Onion, What Should I Do?
Feel free to sub the ingredients you don't like with more of those that you do.
There are no hard and fast rules, and this salad lends itself well to being customized to your liking.
You could always try letting the chopped onion sit in a little bit of vinegar for 5 minutes to get rid of some of the harshness that raw onion can have.
Happy Eating
xx
Recipe
Greek Salad In A Jar
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Ingredients
Dressing
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- ½ teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Greek Salad
- ½ cup Cucumber, sliced
- ⅓ cup red bell pepper diced
- ⅓ cup black kalamata olives sliced
- ⅓ cup red onion chopped
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes quartered
- ⅓ cup feta cheese crumbled
Instructions
- Add the dressing ingredients to a small jar and give a good shake to combine (see notes re when to add the dressing as this will depend on when you plan to eat the salad).
- Place the salad ingredients in the order they are listed, in even layers, inside the jar.
- Store in the fridge, covered, for up to 4 days (see notes).
- When ready to serve, add the dressing, give the salad a good shake, and enjoy.
Notes
- If you are planning to eat the salad that day then you can add the dressing to the bottom of the jar. If you are making multiple salads to be eaten over a few days you should store the dressing separately and just add when serving.
- Do not freeze this salad. It will be very gross once defrosted.
- You can easily add more of the veggies you enjoy and reduce or remove the ones you don’t like.
Katerina | Once a Foodie says
I've been loving everything in a jar lately and this, to me, is the perfect meal prep - always ready to go when you get hungry! I love that this is so portable and makes it so easy to eat real food when you're in the office or on the go. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Donna says
So good for meal prep! Thanks for popping by 🙂