Pesto is the green sauce of summer and this recipe repurposes it into a creamy dressing to elevate a Greek-inspired salad. The salad has all of the typical Greek salad ingredients – juicy tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, and salty olives and feta. For protein, use a chopped up beef patty or any other cooked protein (chicken, fish, etc…). Pesto gets mixed with yogurt, lemon, and olive oil to quickly be converted into a tangy dressing that you’ll drizzle on top of everything. Finish it off with a final touch of crunchy nuts, fresh herbs, and bright pickled red onions.
Ingredient highlight
Beef! Is an extremely nutrient-dense meat with lots of iron, vitamin B12, zinc, and selenium to name a few. Try to buy grass-fed organic (and local if that’s an option) beef when possible.
This is a great article to help you understand what to look for when buying grass-fed beef.
Servings 4
Prep Time 15 minutes 
Cook Time 8 minutes Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef, formed into patties*
- 6-8 cups lettuce or arugula
- ½ lemon
- 1 large cucumber, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
- 2 tomatoes, chopped**
- ½ cup olives, pitted, halved
- Feta cheese, for topping
- Toasted almonds or walnuts, for topping
- Chopped herbs, for topping (parsley, basil, dill, cilantro, etc…)
- Pickled red onions
For the pesto dressing:
- ¼ cup + 1 tbsp pesto (recipe here or use store bought)
- ¼ cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- *Use any leftover cooked protein here. You can grill burgers or cook them on the stove top. You could also skip the patty making and just cook the ground beef into chunks since we’re chopping them up anyways. You can use whatever protein you want (sausage, chicken, pork, etc…).
- **As always, if you have time, salt your tomatoes ahead to enhance their natural flavor!
- Bulk it up! ~ I like this with a side of buttered toast or avo toast or a bag of chips. You could also just add in a scoop of cooked grains.
Instructions
- Season the patties all over with enough salt to lightly coat. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat (or just grill them!). Add a bit of oil followed by the beef patties and cook for about 3-5 minutes per side. Set aside to rest. You can leave them whole or chop them up for the salad.
- In a small bowl, add the dressing ingredients and whisk until combined. If it’s too thick to drizzle, add water to thin it out (I added about 1 tbsp water). Thickness will depend on the consistency of your pesto.
- In a large bowl, add the lettuce/greens and toss with a squeeze of lemon (½ lemon) or splash of vinegar and a generous pinch of salt (we just want it lightly seasoned – the dressing will go on top later). Toss to coat.
- To serve, add lettuce to your bowls. Top with the cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, and meat. Drizzle the sauce all over.
- Top with cheese, nuts, herbs, and pickled onions. If you have extra pesto left over, add a scoop to your bowls. Finish it off with a drizzle of olive oil and some black pepper.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Cook the patties
- Make the pesto + pesto dressing
- Pickled a red onion
- Chop and salt 2 tomatoes
- Pit and halve ½ cup olives
- Chop 1 large cucumber
- Toast nuts, for topping
Substitutions:
- To make vegetarian, use tofu, beans, and/or boiled eggs as your protein. Or a vegetarian “sausage”. I like to include multiple sources of vegetarian protein if I’m skipping the meat.
- To make vegan, see above + skip the feta. Add avocado and a sprinkle of salt.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer:
- Cooked patties: up to 4 days in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer.
- Pesto: up to 5 days in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Warm up the leftover patties. Assemble your salad!
- Make this a grain bowl, wrap, or even a Greek taco.
- Top with avocado and boiled/fried eggs.
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