Whether you want to pull together an easy weeknight salad with premade falafel or are making your own falafel and just looking for something to serve it with, I’ve got you covered here.
Chopped salads = salads where each ingredient is somewhat the same size, meaning most bites will have several of the different ingredients present. It is my favorite kind of salad, and in this case we are filling it with crispy fresh ingredients, little Mediterranean flavor twists such as olives and cilantro, and tossing it all in a creamy harissa dressing. Those crispy and creamy elements make it a great match for falafel, giving lots of contrast to every bite.
This will be all the more incredible with a really crispy homemade fried falafel, but it works great with cold premade falafel balls too (which is what I am using for the batch photographed) even if they are softer.
This salad will rock your next barbecue or dinner party, but you can use my recipe in other ways too. For a more substantial dinner, use the chopped salad base to serve with some larger fried falafel on flatbreads. For meal prep, arrange the ingredients into mason salad jars for a week’s worth of lunches.
And if you have any falafel left over, check out my One Pan Falafel Bake which will help you turn it into a super easy dinner.
Ingredient Notes & Tips
- This recipe calls for premade falafel – the kind you can eat cold or hot. This salad works either way. You can keep them cold or pan fry, bake or air fry them and add them to the salad hot. This kind of falafel isn’t the most legit (I personally enjoy it just fine anyway), so if you want to make your own falafel, go for it! I recommend this recipe.
- My recipe includes a half batch of my homemade harissa ranch dressing which I love with this salad, and it is so easy to put together. If you already have something like chipotle ranch all ready to go, feel free to use that for a similar fresh and creamy but smoky effect.
- The salad ingredients are pretty flexible. I am showing you how I make it, but your salad could include cucumbers, corn, avocado, a can of drained chickpeas, or anything else you might consider chopped salad essentials. All I would say is that, for me, the non negotiables are the olives, cheese and cilantro (fresh coriander) to get the best flavor.
- If you’d rather swap in another cheese such as grated pecorino or manchego, or small cubes of cheddar, go ahead.
Serve me with…
To make a meal out of this salad, pair it with:
- Something simple: Air Fryer Sweet Potato Halves or Air Fryer Potato Wedges.
- Something bready: Creamy Harissa Mushrooms on Toast or Air Fryer Portobello Mushroom Burgers.
- Soup: Sweet Potato, Lentil & Coconut Soup or Curried Carrot & Lentil Soup.
And if you are frying your falafel and adding it to the salad hot, consider some other hot toppings too in the form of fried halloumi cubes or spicy eggplant!
Falafel Chopped Salad
Ingredients
- 8-12 premade falafel balls or patties
Salad Ingredients
- 1 head iceberg or romaine lettuce, chopped vertically and horizontally to make bite sized pieces
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1 small carrot, grated
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes , quartered
- ⅔ cup black olives, sliced
- ¾ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 handful cilantro (fresh coriander), finely chopped
Harissa Ranch
- 4 tbsp sour cream, you can use greek yogurt if you prefer
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tsp harissa paste
- ½ tsp apple cider vinegar
- 0.25 tsp garlic powder
- 0.25 tsp onion powder
- 0.25 tsp dried parsley
- 0.25 tsp dried dill
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- First, prepare the harissa ranch by mixing all ingredients together in a small bowl. If possible, make it in advance and keep it refrigerated for a few hours or overnight to let the flavors settle.4 tbsp sour cream, 2 Tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tsp harissa paste, 0.25 tsp garlic powder, 0.25 tsp onion powder, 0.25 tsp dried parsley, 0.25 tsp dried dill, salt and pepper, 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- Chop the salad ingredients into tiny bite sized pieces and toss together in a bowl.1 head iceberg or romaine lettuce, 1 red pepper, 1 small carrot, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 2/3 cup black olives, 3/4 cup feta cheese, 1 handful cilantro (fresh coriander)
- Pour in around 3/4 of of the dressing. Toss through the salad and then decide whether to add the rest.
- Add the falafel on top (hot or cold, whole or chopped) and serve.8-12 premade falafel balls or patties
