Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Green olive grain salad
Green olives give this cool grain salad a briny bite that's especially good against cucumber and feta. The grains catch the lemony dressing, with fresh herbs tucked all through the bowl. It's a satisfying forkful with plenty of crunch, saltiness and bright flavor to come back to.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Original yield
- Serves 6
- Ingredients
- 10 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Lunch · Sides
- Cuisine
- American
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 31–60 minutes
- Dish type
- Salads
A few quick notes
1. Cool the cooked grains
Cook grains according to their package and allow them to cool before mixing.
2. Use a large mixing bowl
Combine the cooled grains with cucumber, feta, olives and herbs in a roomy bowl.
3. Whisk before dressing
Mix the dressing in a separate bowl before pouring it over the salad and tossing.
Get to know the ingredients
Pitted green olives
Use pitted olives as listed before adding them to the bowl.
Cubed feta
Cube the feta for mixing through the grains and chopped cucumber.
Fresh lemon juice
Use the fresh lemon juice in the dressing that coats the grain mixture.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 6. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 4 steps completeMake room for Green olive grain salad
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Toss the dressing through
Combine the dressing with the full salad until mixed, then serve.
A little more help as you go
Grain preparation
The recipe starts from grains cooked according to their package rather than prescribing one cooking time.
Fresh herbs in the bowl
Add the fresh herbs with olives, cucumber and feta before the dressing.
A few questions you might have
Should I dress hot grains?
The directions have you cool the cooked grains to room temperature first.
Which grain is shown in the ingredient entry?
Bulgur wheat is the example given for the cooked grains.
Do I need pitted olives?
Yes, the green olives are listed pitted before adding to the salad.
When should I add the fresh herbs?
Add them with the olives after transferring the cooked grains to the mixing bowl.
Does the feta get blended into the dressing?
No, add the cubed feta to the grains with cucumber before dressing the salad.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: simply-delicious-food.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
