Israeli Salad Recipe

A fresh-picked salad is the ultimate celebration of a summer garden. Toss in some perfectly toasted leftover pita bread and you've created a meal. Using stale bread in salads is a worldwide custom-Italy has panzanella and Lebanon has fattoush, but today, I'm serving up an Israeli salad recipe packed with homegrown goodness and local corn.

My garden is overflowing with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and herbs. These vegetables plus some super sweet local corn are the inspiration behind this Israeli salad recipe. Does your garden have an abundance of vegetables? Truly, anything goes in this chopped salad.

Key Salad Ingredients

• To make this chopped salad, you'll need the freshest summer produce like lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and red bell peppers.
• Season and toast pita bread that's past its prime. Not wasting any crumbs here.
• Fresh herbs like mint, parsley and thyme.
• For variety, add roasted vegetables like corn and onion, and top it all with a simple, lemony vinaigrette.

How to make Israeli Salad

• Start by toasting the pita bread.
• Then, roast the corn and onion.
• Then, spread chopped lettuce over a serving platter. Layer on the sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, red peppers, parsley and roasted corn and onion.
• Next, whisk the salad dressing ingredients and toss with the salad.
• Finally, tuck in the toasted pita bread chips.

Helpful tip

Brush your pita breads with oil and sprinkle with seasoning before slicing into triangles and baking. The toasty crunch of the pita is the heart of this salad.

Israeli Salad Recipe

Lisa Keys

Fresh summer salad utilizing leftover pita bread.

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course lunch, main, Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine Mediterranean, middle eastern

Servings 6 servings

Calories 214 kcal

Ingredients

  

Pita Bread Chips

• 3 pita breads cut into 8 triangles each
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon za'atar seasoning zatar, zaatar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Salad

• ½ cup sweet corn kernels
• ½ red onion thinly sliced and rinsed in cold water
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus additional for seasoning salad
• 1 head romaine lettuce chopped
• 9 cherry tomatoes halved
• ½ English cucumber halved lengthwise and thinly sliced half moons
• 1 red bell pepper seeded and diced into bite-size pieces
• ¼ cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Dressing

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

 

Pita Bread Chips

• Heat oven 350°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Toss pita triangles with olive oil, za'atar seasoning and salt.
• Place triangles, in a single layer, on baking sheet.
• Bake for 8 minutes then turn with a spatula and toast 2 minutes more.
• Transfer pitas to a cooling rack. Increase oven heat to 400°F. Retain baking sheet.

Salad

• Toss corn and red onions with olive oil and salt.
• Place on same baking sheet used to bake pitas.
• Roast at 400°F for 10 minutes or until vegetables get some char.
• Line a serving platter with lettuce. Top with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, parsley and roasted corn and onion mixture. Sprinkle evenly with 2 teaspoons of salt. Drizzle with prepared salad dressing and toss well. Add additional kosher salt to taste.
• Tuck in pita chips.

Dressing

• Whisk all ingredients together until blended.

Notes

½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar plus ½ teaspoon maple syrup can be used in place of pomegranate molasses or ½ teaspoon lemon juice plus ½ teaspoon honey.

Keyword garden fresh, pita chips, pomegranate molasses, roasted corn, stale bread, summer, vegetarian

I'd love to know what you are growing this season. Please leave a comment and tell me what salads you are enjoying.