• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Toasty Kitchen

  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • FAQ

subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • FAQ

×
Home » Recipes » Salads

Shepherd's Salad

Modified: Oct 22, 2024 · Published: Aug 4, 2019 by Heather · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 741 words. · About 4 minutes to read this article.

Jump to Recipe
Shepherd's salad recipe.
Shepherd's salad recipe.
Shepherd's salad recipe.
Shepherd's Salad by The Toasty Kitchen

Shepherd's Salad, or choban salad, is a light and refreshing salad that can be tossed together in minutes. It's filled with cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, feta cheese, olives, and a light lemon vinaigrette dressing.

Shepherd's salad in a glass serving bowl on a counter top.

If you're in need of a refreshing and flavorful summer salad, look no further. You're going to love this shepherd's salad because it's filled with simple seasonal ingredients and it's easy to pull together in a moment's notice.

Shepherd's salad is a Turkish chopped salad that's meant to be prepared with any fresh, simple produce you have on hand in a home garden. The name comes from the shepherds who would collect ingredients from their farms and toss them together to make these salads.

Serve shepherd's salad with a slice of crusty bread for a complete meal. It's perfect for hot summer days when you can't imagine turning on the stove.

Ingredients and substitutions

Ingredients laid out on counter top.
  • Fresh produce - Shepherd's salad is meant to be customizable with any fresh produce you happen to have on hand. The most common ingredients include cucumber and tomatoes. I've also added red onion today. Fresh diced pepper is another common ingredient.
  • Feta cheese - Adds a creamy, salty element to the salad.
  • Olives - I used kalamata olives, but they can be substituted with other olives you have on hand, or omitted entirely.
  • Lemon - Adds a bright, citrusy flavor to the dressing. I don't recommend omitting it. However, it can be substituted with an equal amount of vinegar if needed.
  • Parsley - Adds peppery flavor to the salad.
  • Olive oil - The base of the dressing.
  • Seasoning - Salt and red pepper flakes add flavor to the dressing. Red pepper flakes can be substituted with black pepper. Other spices like paprika, sumac, or cumin can be added for a warm, savory flavor.

Optional additions

Overhead view of a glass bowl filled with fresh vegetable salad with a serving spoon.

Add more flavor to your shepherd's salad with these optional additions:

  • Chopped fresh herbs like dill, mint, or oregano
  • Dried spices like sumac, paprika, or cumin
  • Bell pepper
  • Jalapeno pepper
  • Romaine lettuce

What is choban salad?

Choban Salad, also called shepherd's salad or Çoban salatası, is a Turkish salad commonly made with chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, onion, and parsley. It is typically topped with a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, and salt.

The name comes from the shepherds who would make this salad using crops from their farms and common ingredients they always had available.

While there are many versions of a shepherd's salad, the important part is that it's made with easy, inexpensive ingredients that you have on hand.

Make ahead

Salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, and feta cheese.

If you need to make your shepherd's salad a few hours before an event or party, simply refrigerate until it's ready to serve.

Because the salad contains vegetables, some juices will release once they're tossed in dressing. The salad will start to get soggy after a day or so.

If you need to make your salad a day ahead, I'd suggest storing the salad ingredients and dressing ingredients separately.

Just before serving, toss your salad in the dressing.

Recommended

  • Greek chickpea salad in a serving bowl with a wooden serving spoon.
    Greek Chickpea Salad
  • A white bowl filled with black beans, red peppers, and avocado.
    Avocado Black Bean Salad
  • A person scooping cowboy caviar from a bowl with a tortilla chip.
    Cowboy Caviar
  • A serving bowl filled with broccoli cauliflower salad.
    Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

📖 Recipe

Shepherd's salad in a glass serving bowl on a counter top.
Print Recipe
5 from 1 review

Shepherd's Salad

Shepherd's Salad, or choban salad, is a light and refreshing salad that can be tossed together in minutes. It's filled with cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, feta cheese, olives, and a light lemon vinaigrette dressing.
Prep Time10 minutes minutes
Total Time10 minutes minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 130kcal
Author: Heather

Ingredients

  • 2 cucumbers, seeded and chopped
  • 4 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
  • ½ medium red onion, chopped
  • 4 ounces feta cheese, cubed or crumbled
  • ¼ cup chopped parsley
  • 2 ounces kalamata olives, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

  • In a bowl, add diced cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, feta cheese, olives, and parsley.
  • Add olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and red pepper flakes. Toss to coat.
  • Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to serve. Best enjoyed the same day.

Equipment Recommendations

  • Boos Maple Cutting Board
  • Zwilling Pro Chef's Knife
  • Lemon Juicer
  • Pyrex Glass Mixing Bowls

Notes

  • Chopping tip: Maintain a uniform size when dicing your ingredients. A salad is easier and more pleasant to eat when all of the ingredients are cut to a similar size.
  • Serve fresh: Because the salad contains vegetables, some juices will be released once they are tossed in the dressing. The salad will start to get soggy after a day or so.
  • Make ahead tip: If you need to make your salad a day ahead, I'd suggest separating your salad ingredients from your dressing ingredients. Then, just before serving, toss your salad in the dressing. This way, your salad will remain beautiful and fresh, without any wilting ingredients.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 130kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 559mg | Potassium: 273mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 769IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 122mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Turkish

More Salad Recipes

  • A glass serving bowl filled with hot honey brussels sprouts salad.
    Hot Honey Brussels Sprouts Salad
  • A bowl filled with spring fruit salad topped with poppy seed dressing.
    Spring Fruit Salad
  • Garden salad ingredients in a large serving bowl.
    Garden Salad
  • White bowl filled with sweet potato feta salad.
    Sweet Potato Feta Salad

Share this post:

Reader Interactions

Comments

No Comments

5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Heather of The Toasty Kitchen

Hi, I'm Heather!

I love cooking with simple, everyday ingredients and want to help you make homemade meals with ease.

Read more

Reader favorites

  • A metal fork in a bowl of cheesy rice.
    Cheesy Rice

  • Whipped buttercream frosting recipe.
    Whipped Buttercream Frosting

  • Beef roast in a large slow cooker.
    Slow Cooker Beef Roast with Potatoes and Carrots

  • Pouring gravy over a bowl of mashed potatoes.
    How To Make Gravy Without Drippings

Parties & Potlucks

  • Two glasses of punch.
    Spring Party Punch

  • A mint chocolate chip mini cheesecake unwrapped on a cutting board.
    Mint Chocolate Chip Mini Cheesecakes

  • A stack of birthday cake rice krispies treats.
    Birthday Cake Rice Krispies Treats

  • A stack of birthday cookie bars.
    Birthday Cookie Bars

Footer

featured on:

decorative image of website logos.

Explore

  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Subscribe

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Image Copyright
  • Contact

Copyright © 2025 The Toasty Kitchen®

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




Let us know what you thought of this recipe:

This worked exactly as written, thanks!
My family loved this!
Thank you for sharing this recipe

Or write in your own words:

A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.