Lemon, Feta & Pistachio Salad | Cold B**ch Salad Recipe

Summer is in full swing, and for me that means this lemon feta salad has become every.single.meal. It has an addictive and bright honey lemon vinaigrette, and it is the perfect summer salad. It’s great in its simplicity, because it’s just a few fresh ingredients and a quick lemon vinaigrette recipe, and you have the perfect side dish.

I use this recipe as a great side dish option to whip together for a barbecue, dinner party, or for when there is a lot going on. It’s delicious, impressive and easy, but it won’t take up too much of your time. Plus it’s fresh.com.

If you have been following along on my Instagram, you know that I recently became a Farmer’s Market devotee (and thus, much more poor) but the ingredients were just BEGGING to become a summer salad. So I made this quick lemon vinaigrette to let the ingredients really shine. I’m in my big foodie phase right now, so I wanted to make sure this recipe really was all about these summer ingredients!

Now that I’ve gotten all emotional over….salads. Let’s make it.

What you will need for the lemon vinaigrette

• Juice from one lemon
• 1 tsp tahini
• 1 clove garlic minced finely
• 1/2 tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste

Ingredients for the salad

• 3 cups spinach roughly torn
• 1 large beefsteak tomato
• 1/4 cup feta cheese
• 1/4 cup pistachios chopped

How to bring this summer salad together

• In a small jar, add the ingredients for the salad dressing (in no particular order) and shake well. The dressing should emulsify after 30-90 seconds of shaking. You can also mix with a whisk if you don’t have a jar on hand!
• Thinly slice the beefsteak tomatoes and lay them flat on a plate. Each plate should have 4-5 slices of tomato.
• In a large bowl, toss the spinach, feta and pistachios. Add in the dressing and toss again.
• Top the tomatoes with the salad and serve with crusty bread. Super simple but so so good.

How to make this salad your own

The best part about a fresh summer salad is you can tweak it to fit YOUR tastes and YOUR needs. Not a spinach girl? Add in your favorite type of mixed green. Couldn’t find any beefsteak tomatoes at the peak of ripeness? It’s totally fine to swap in Roma tomatoes. It’s all about using what ingredients you have and what you like.

If you want to umpfh up the satiation factor for this salad (or make it into a full meal) I highly recommend pairing it with a simple protein. This could be either grilled salmon or chicken, or my favorite Tofu Nuggets recipe.

And just because this lemon feta salad only has a few toppings, doesn’t mean that you’re tied to only those toppings. The BEST part about salad is the toppings! Feel free to get creative, go a little crazy and experiment with what you think would pair best with this honey lemon vinaigrette.

Tips, tricks and storage recommendations

Tips for making the lemon feta salad dressing

• Make sure to take your time mixing the dressing to fully emulsify the ingredients. Salad dressings usually use mustard to emulsify, but this honey lemon vinaigrette recipe is unique in it uses tahini! The only thing this changes is the amount of time it takes to combine the ingredients. Definitely take a minute or two to fully shake or stir the dressing to make sure everything comes together!
• Tear your spinach, instead of chopping it. This is very similar to “massaging” kale. When spinach is torn instead of chopped, it breaks down some of the stiff, chewy fibers in the vegetables, and makes it softer, easier to eat and just better for salads overall. It gets your hands a little dirty, but it’s really fun to get in there and tear it up! Plus yknow, free anger management.
• If you don’t have uber sharp knives, use a serrated knife on your beefsteak tomatoes. Tomatoes are always a b*tch to chop, so this is my favorite kitchen hack if you don’t have time to pull out your knife sharpener. Plus it helps your tomatoes get super thin.
• Dress your lemon feta salad right before you serve it. I know it seems like a no-brainer, but especially on a hot summer day, this will really help preserve the freshness of the salad!

Storage recommendations for this recipe

• This recipe will keep for about 24 hours, fully dressed. If you have dressed the salad and want to store it, I recommend keeping it in the original bowl and covering with cling wrap.
• To make the salad ahead of time, I would prep all of the vegetables EXCEPT the tomatoes. And then prep the salad dressing on the side. Slice the tomatoes and dress the salad right before you plan on serving. If you choose this method, the lemon feta salad should last in your fridge fro 3-5 days. The honey lemon vinaigrette will last on its own for 7 days in the fridge!

And that’s about it! I hope this recipe makes your summer, because it totally made mine. And if you try this recipe and love how it looks, feel free to tag me on Pinterest or Instagram! I live for seeing these recipes ~out in the wild~ haha.

And of course it would mean the world to me if you left a comment or rating to let me know what you think, and I’m always happy to answer qs down there as well! In the meantime, happy summer 🙂