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A big bowl of the maroulosalata, sitting on a countertop with serving utensils sitting inside of it
  • Gluten Free
  • Grain Free
  • Refined Sugar Free

5 from 11 votes
Home | Recipe | Salads

Easy Maroulosalata Salad (Kokkari Copycat)

Protein 15g
Carbs 19g
Fats 37g
There is nothing better than a bright and refreshing Greek-style salad. Filled with crisp lettuces, bright herbs, and a creamy feta cheese dressing, Maroulosalata, aka a Greek lettuce salad, is the definition of just that. My Easy Maroulosalata Salad is a simple and healthy take on this traditional Greek recipe, and is a riff off of my favorite salad from famed San Francisco-based restaurant, Kokkari. It comes together in just a few minutes, and is perfect as an appetizer or as a main course!
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    There is nothing better than a bright and refreshing Greek-style salad. Filled with crisp lettuces, bright herbs, and a creamy feta cheese dressing, Maroulosalata, aka a Greek lettuce salad, is the definition of just that. My Easy Maroulosalata Salad is a simple and healthy take on this traditional Greek recipe, and is a riff off of my favorite salad from famed San Francisco-based restaurant, Kokkari. It comes together in just a few minutes, and is perfect as an appetizer or as a main course!

    A big bowl of the maroulosalata, sitting on a countertop with serving utensils sitting inside of it

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    Every time my husband and I venture into San Francisco for a date night, there’s one place that I want to go: Kokkari. Nestled close to the Embarcadero, Kokkari is a cozy, upscale restaurant known for creating timeless Greek dishes. From the Avgolemono (aka chicken and rice soup) to chicken and lemon rice, I love their rendition of traditional Greek food. There’s truly nothing like it!

    But by far, my favorite dish to get there is their Maroulosalata, aka their greek lettuce salad. This salad may look simple on the surface, but is anything but ordinary. It’s made with crisp lettuces, fragrant herbs, toasted pine nuts, and a creamy feta cheese dressing to tie it all together. It’s reminiscent of the classic caesar salad, but made even better!

    Luckily, however, you don’t need to travel to San Francisco to try this delicious salad. In fact, it’s so simple and easy to make at home! I love throwing this salad together on the days where I don’t have a ton of time to cook, but want something that’s filling and delicious. It’s the perfect salad to serve as an appetizer, or enjoy as a main course. No matter how you choose to enjoy it, you truly can’t go wrong.

    All of the ingredients needed to make this maroulosalata, sitting on a countertop
    To make this salad, you will need romaine lettuce, radicchio, dill, green onion, pine nuts, olive oil, greek feta cheese, garlic, lemon ground black pepper, and water.
    A blender, filled with all of the ingredients needed to make the creamy feta cheese dressing
    Start by making the dressing. Add all of the dressing ingredients (minus a bit of the feta cheese) and blend until it’s smooth and creamy.

    What You Need to Make This Light, Refreshing Salad with Creamy Dressing

    • Romaine Lettuce: When it comes to salad greens, I am a big fan of romaine lettuce. Why? Because it is perfectly crunchy and doesn’t easily get soggy, so your salad can always have the perfect consistency.
    • Radicchio: Also known as Italian Chicory, radicchio is a bright red, lettuce-like vegetable that is perfectly crunchy and slightly peppery in flavor, making it perfect for this salad.
    • Dill: Dill is one of my favorite herbs, and adds the best flavor to this salad!
    • Green Onion: If you’ve never had sliced green onions in a salad before, let me be the first to tell you that they’re amazing. I love the taste that the green onions bring to this salad!
    • Pine Nuts: Every salad needs a crunchy element, and for this salad, we’ll be using pine nuts. Toasted pine nuts are not only incredibly fragrant, but they also add a dose of healthy fats and plant-based protein to this salad.
    • Olive Oil: Of course, this wouldn’t be a greek salad without the olive oil. Good quality olive oil is a staple when it comes to Greek / Mediterranean cooking, so it is essential to this recipe! My favorite olive oil is by Graza.
    • Greek Feta Cheese: The key to getting the best flavor to this salad is to use Greek feta cheese that is in the brine, NOT crumbled. Why? Because it’s fresher and creamier, which means that it will lead to a better flavor and consistency in this dressing.
    • Garlic: I highly recommend using fresh garlic cloves, in this recipe. It adds the best flavor that just cannot be replicated by garlic powder!
    • Lemon: A squeeze of fresh lemon juice adds brightness to this salad, and helps cut through the fat of the Greek feta cheese.
    • Ground Black Pepper: A pinch of black pepper adds the perfect balance of flavor!
    • Water: Depending on how thick the dressing is, you may need a little bit of water to help thin out the consistency. You’ll want it to be thick and creamy, but still liquid enough to toss into the salad!
    A blender, filled with the blended creamy feta cheese dressing
    The dressing should be thick and creamy. If the dressing is too thick, you can add in more water to thin it out!

    How to Make This Simple & Easy Greek-Style Salad

    To make this salad, start by preparing the produce. Wash and chop the romaine lettuce, radicchio, dill, and green onions, and place them into a large bowl. Next, prepare the dressing. Add all of the dressing ingredients, minus some of the feta cheese (we will reserve this for topping the salad at the end!) to a blender.

    Blend the dressing ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Depending on how thick the dressing is, you may need to add a little bit more water and re-blend, until your desired consistency is reached. Then, set the dressing aside and toast the pine nuts. Heat a small pan, on the stove, over medium heat, and add in the pine nuts. Allow the pine nuts to toast until they’re fragrant – this should take approximately 2-3 minutes. Watch them carefully so that they don’t burn!

    A close-up image of the maroulosalata, with the dressing actively being poured on top of it
    Toast the pine nuts in a pan until they’re toasty and fragrant, then add them to a bowl alongside the lettuce, radicchio, dill and green onion.
    A bowl of the maroulosalata with salad tongs tossing the salad
    Finally, pour the dressing on top, add in the last bit of crumbled feta cheese, then toss, serve, and enjoy!

    Once the pine nuts are toasted, remove them from the heat and allow them to cool before assembling the salad. Toss the cooled, toasted pine nuts into the bowl with the produce and then top with the dressing. Mix the salad together, until all of the ingredients are fully coated in the dressing.

    Finally, top the salad with the rest of the crumbled feta cheese and more dill, if desired. Then, serve and enjoy! Store any leftovers in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to two days.

    If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a review and rating below! To see more recipes and behind the scenes, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube! I’m also now on Pinterest, so stop by and take a look at what’s new.

    ** Photography by Gayle McLeod 
    A big bowl of the maroulosalata, sitting on a countertop with serving utensils sitting inside of it

    Home | Recipe | Salads

    5 from 11 votes

    Easy Maroulosalata Salad (Kokkari Copycat)

    • Gluten Free
    • Grain Free
    • Refined Sugar Free
    There is nothing better than a bright and refreshing Greek-style salad. Filled with crisp lettuces, bright herbs, and a creamy feta cheese dressing, Maroulosalata, aka a Greek lettuce salad, is the definition of just that. My Easy Maroulosalata Salad is a simple and healthy take on this traditional Greek recipe, and is a riff off of my favorite salad from famed San Francisco-based restaurant, Kokkari. It comes together in just a few minutes, and is perfect as an appetizer or as a main course!
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    Servings: 4 Servings
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    Ingredients

    For the Salad:
    • 2 Heads Romaine Lettuce, chopped; this is approximately 3 cups
    • 1 Head Radicchio , chopped; this is about 1.5 cups
    • ½ Bunch Dill, chopped; this is about 1/4 – 1/3 cup
    • 4 Green Onions, sliced
    • ½ Cup Pine Nuts, toasted
    For the Dressing:
    • ¼ Cup Olive Oil
    • 7 Ounces Greek Feta Cheese
    • 2 Cloves Garlic
    • 1 Lemon, juiced
    • ½ Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
    • ¼ – ⅓ Cup Water, to thin the dressing, as needed

    Instructions 

    1. To make this salad, start by preparing the produce. Wash and chop the romaine lettuce, radicchio, dill, and green onions, and place them into a large bowl.
    2. Next, prepare the dressing. Add all of the dressing ingredients, minus some of the feta cheese (we will reserve this for topping the salad at the end!) to a blender.
    3. Blend the dressing ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Depending on how thick the dressing is, you may need to add a little bit more water and re-blend, until your desired consistency is reached.
    4. Then, set the dressing aside and toast the pine nuts. Heat a small pan, on the stove, over medium heat, and add in the pine nuts.
    5. Allow the pine nuts to toast until they're fragrant – this should take approximately 2-3 minutes. Watch them carefully so that they don't burn!
    6. Once the pine nuts are toasted, remove them from the heat and allow them to cool before assembling the salad.
    7. Toss the cooled, toasted pine nuts into the bowl with the produce and then top with the dressing. Mix the salad together, until all of the ingredients are fully coated in the dressing.
    8. Finally, top the salad with the rest of the crumbled feta cheese and more dill, if desired. Then, serve and enjoy! Store any leftovers in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to two days.
    Nutrition Hide Nutrition
    Calories: 441kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 15gFat: 37gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 611mgPotassium: 1159mgFiber: 8gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 27617IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 377mgIron: 5mg
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    What others are saying

    1. Melody Vrancken
      April 29, 2024

      Love Recipes.

      Reply
      1. kalejunkie
        May 1, 2024

        I’m so thrilled to hear that, Melody! Thank you for your support!

    2. Julie
      May 30, 2024

      5 stars
      We loved this salad! My picky eater told me that this is a keeper. So crisp and delicious. We made it without the radicchio (picky eater). Just added more romaine as a substitute. Served with our Avgolemono Lemon Chicken Soup.

      Reply
      1. kalejunkie
        June 3, 2024

        Woohoo! I am so happy to hear that, Julie! Thank you for your review.

    3. Amanda Brady
      June 10, 2024

      5 stars
      I made this for lunch today and it was amazing! Love the feta to make the dressing creamy and the bitterness of the radicchio with the fresh dill and pine nuts. I added farro, chickpeas and edamame to make it a little more filling for a complete lunch. Will definitely be making this recipe again!

      Reply
    4. Morgan Feldkamp
      August 13, 2025

      Can these sit separately in the fridge over a few days? Then you just mix as needed?

      Reply
      1. Nicole Modic
        August 16, 2025

        Yes, absolutely! You can prep the lettuce and herbs in one container and keep the dressing in a separate jar. When you’re ready to eat, just toss them together so the greens stay crisp and fresh.

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