A simple, but delicious salad with romaine lettuce, crumbled feta cheese and toasted almonds, all tossed in an easy sweet and sour vinaigrette.

feta almond salad on plate with fork

Today I wanted to share this simple salad, that is a copycat of a salad a local restaurant features. While it doesn’t have a lot of ingredients, it is surprisingly satisfying and one of the most made salads in my kitchen!

I think what makes this salad special is the lovely combination of flavours – from the crisp greens, to the toasted almonds, then the salty feta and all tossed in a simple sweet/sour/garlic vinaigrette. It has shades of Caesar salad, so it pairs beautifully with so many meals. I love this simple salad and hope you will, as well!

Ingredients and Substitutions

Romaine Lettuce – go for the large, loose, dark green and leafy romaine lettuce, vs. the lighter coloured, packaged romaine.

Feta Cheese – you can use feta crumbles or crumble the feta cheese yourself.

Sliced Almonds – also known as flaked almonds (not slivered).

For the vinaigrette, you will need …

Rice Vinegar – unseasoned rice vinegar is specified (the one with the green cap :), but seasoned rice vinegar will work with some small adjustments as noted in the Recipe Card below.
Brown Sugar – light brown sugar is all you need here.
Fresh Garlic – there really isn’t a good substitute for fresh garlic in this dressing.

Oil – canola oil is what I use, but you can use any neutral-tasting oil you like.

Recipe Tips

  • You’ll want your fresh garlic to be very finely minced, so use the fine side of your box grater or a whatever tool you night use to zest a lemon (stick-type microplane grater/zester).
  • Speaking of the garlic, you can play around with the amount of garlic you add, to your taste.
  • You probably don’t need to salt the salad at all, as the feta is salty and there is some salt in the vinaigrette.
  • While the vinaigrette quantities are specific, you can consider the amount of lettuce, feta and almonds you use in your salad quite flexible. It’s just a matter of taste, so feel free to adjust.

How to Toast Sliced Almonds

  • In the oven: Scatter evenly on a baking sheet and toast in a 350F oven for 3-4 minutes, stirring a couple of times, until lightly golden.
  • In a skillet: Heat a dry, non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the almonds and cook, stirring, until lightly golden. Remove almonds from baking sheet so they don’t continue to cook on the hot baking sheet.
  • In the microwave: Scatter almonds in an even, single layer on a microwave-safe plate. Cook in 30 minute increments, stirring well after each 30 seconds, until the almonds start to colour. Careful! Plate may be hot, so use an oven mitt. Remove almonds from plate when they reach the desired colour, so they don’t continue to brown on the hot plate.
feta almond salad on white plate with fork

Top Tip

Be prepared to enjoy this salad anytime, but toasting extra almonds and making a double-batch of the vinaigrette. Refrigerate the nuts and vinaigrette, then you are ready to simply toss and enjoy anytime!

feta almond salad on plate with fork

Get the Recipe: Simple Feta and Toasted Almond Salad

A simple salad with romaine lettuce, crumbled feta and toasted almonds, tossed with a sweet/sour/garlic vinaigrette.
5 stars from 7 ratings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Vinaigrette:

  • 1/4 cup canola oil, or sunflower, vegetable oil, or other neutral-tasting oil
  • 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar, or seasoned rice vinegar and reduce the brown sugar by half
  • 4 teaspoons brown sugar, packed
  • 1 teaspoon fresh garlic, finely grated, loosely packed

For the salad:

  • 3 – 4 cups Romaine lettuce, chopped
  • 1/3 cup Feta Cheese, crumbled
  • 1/4 cup Sliced almonds, toasted *see Notes below for how to toast almonds
  • Salt and Freshly ground pepper

Instructions
 

  • Toast the almonds: Toast the almonds until lightly golden, in either the oven, on the stove-top in a skillet or in the microwave. *See Notes below for how-to toast almonds.
  • Mix the vinaigrette: Combine the vinaigrette ingredients in a small jar (or bowl). Shake or whisk well to combine. Set aside.
  • Prepare the salad: In a large bowl, add the some chopped romaine lettuce. Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese and the toasted almonds. Toss quickly to combine. Drizzle with enough of the vinaigrette to moisten to desired level. Toss to combine. Season with some freshly ground pepper, to serve, if desired.

Notes

How to Toast Almonds:
In the oven: Scatter evenly on a baking sheet and toast in a 350F oven for 3-4 minutes, stirring a couple of times, until lightly golden.
In a skillet: Heat a dry, non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the almonds and cook, stirring, until lightly golden. Remove almonds from baking sheet so they don’t continue to cook on the hot baking sheet.
In the microwave: Scatter almonds in an even, single layer on a microwave-safe plate. Cook in 30 minute increments, stirring well after each 30 seconds, until the almonds start to colour. Careful! Plate may be hot, so use an oven mitt. Remove almonds from plate when they reach the desired colour, so they don’t continue to brown on the hot plate.
Make extra dressing and toasted almonds and refrigerate, so you’re ready to enjoy this delicious salad anytime!
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Course: Salad
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 226kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 11mg, Sodium: 145mg, Potassium: 132mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 3123IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 92mg, Iron: 1mg
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