Israeli chopped vegetable salad

Diced fresh, ripe vegetables, lightly dressed with olive oil, lemon and herbs. Israeli salad is great with falafel, or even just for breakfast!

Between school and university, I spent the year in Israel with a group of like-minded people from Habonim-Dror. We were based on a kibbutz in the north of Israel. Each of us was ‘adopted’ by a kibbutz family for the duration of our stay. It was a great way to feel welcomed and part of the community.

Family meals

While we lived and worked on the kibbutz, all of our meals were eaten in the communal dining hall. All except one. On Sunday evenings there was no dinner service, and people ate at home with their families. So of course I would go and eat (and play, and chat, and just hang out) with my kibbutz family. 

Freshly baked bread… and Israeli salad

My kibbutz Dad would bake fresh bread every week. Their house didn’t have space for an oven in its tiny kitchen, but they had an old second hand one on their balcony! The knob had fallen off and you needed a pair of pliers to adjust the temperature. But every week it baked delicious fluffy rolls, with the occasional bagel and  other breads (and cakes) too.

And there would also always be this chopped vegetable salad – an Israeli staple – which was present regardless of what other treats were on the table.

Simply wonderful

The chopped Israeli salad is wonderful in its simplicity – diced fresh, ripe vegetables, lightly dressed with olive oil, lemon juice and herbs. So delicious!

You’ll find it everywhere in Israel – at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and alongside everything from pizza to hummus, shakshuka to shawarma.

Try it in a pita with falafel, on top of your malawach, on a buffet with moroccan carrots and red cabbage salad, or even mixed with cottage cheese and chopped egg as a wonderful and filling breakfast.

Israeli salad ingredients

This is a super-simple salad, so it doesn’t have a long list of ingredients. To make a classic Israeli chopped vegetable salad, you will need:

• Tomatoes – large and ripe
• Cucumber – a big ‘English’ cucumber or a few smaller cucumbers
• Pepper – I like to use yellow pepper for the colour, but red or green peppers are also fine
• Lemon juice – freshly squeezed is best!
• Olive oil – if you can get Israeli olive oil then so much the better
• Salt and pepper – to season
• Chopped parsley or coriander (cilantro) – optional but delicious
• Za’atar – also optional, but also delicious!

Israeli salad additions

This recipe for Israeli salad is the classic mixture of tomatoes, cucumber and pepper, with olive oil, lemon, herbs and seasoning. However there’s plenty of room for additions and creativity!

Spring onions, or diced red onion add a punchy flavour. Chopped avocado will add creaminess. You can stir in some cooked chickpeas or crumbled feta to make this into a more substantial dish. 

I’ve seen Israeli salad recipes that include everything from artichokes to olives, but I still make Israeli salad to my kibbutz Dad’s recipe. You can’t mess with the best! 

I’ve given only rough quantities here – adjust according to your taste.

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📖 Recipe

Israeli chopped vegetable salad

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Diced fresh, ripe vegetables, lightly dressed with olive oil, lemon and herbs. Israeli salad is great with falafel, or even just for breakfast!

5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine Israeli

Servings 2

Calories 152 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 2-3 large ripe tomatoes
• 7-10 cm piece cucumber or 1-2 baby cucumbers
• 1 yellow pepper, stalk and seeds removed
• 1-2 tablespoon chopped flatleaf parsley or coriander (cilantro) (optional)
• Juice of half a lemon or thereabouts
• Glug of olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ½-1 teaspoon za'atar (optional)

Instructions

 

• Cut the tomatoes, cucumber and pepper into 8-10 mm (approx. ⅓-½ inch) dice, and combine in a bowl.
• Add the parsley or coriander (cilantro), lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and mix well.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Sprinkle over the zaatar.
• Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Israeli chopped vegetable salad

Amount per Serving

Calories

152

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

11

g

17

%

Saturated Fat

 

2

g

13

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

8

g

Sodium

 

13

mg

1

%

Potassium

 

651

mg

19

%

Carbohydrates

 

13

g

4

%

Fiber

 

3

g

13

%

Sugar

 

6

g

7

%

Protein

 

3

g

6

%

Vitamin A

 

1850

IU

37

%

Vitamin C

 

143

mg

173

%

Calcium

 

40

mg

4

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword cucumber, pepper, tomato

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More Israeli recipes

If you’d like to try more Israel-inspired recipes, how about

• limonana – Israeli mint lemonade
• vegan malabi with pomegranate
• tabbouleh salad with freekeh
• pickled green plums
• cafe hafuch – Israeli upside-down coffee

I’m linking this salad up with Inheritance Recipes, organised by  Pebble Soup and Coffee & Vanilla.

And since I posted this just in time for Yom Haatzmaut – Israel’s Independence Day – I’m adding it to the Food Year Link-up at Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen.