Israeli Salad with Challah Croutons

This Israeli Salad with Challah Croutons is a delicious refreshing and satisfying salad to make. A perfect side dish with any meal or enjoy for a light lunch!

Israeli salads are one of the most refreshing, flavorful and delicious dishes. From what I hear this is a dish served at majority of meals in Israel. Anywhere from breakfast to lunch and dinner. And it can be found at most restaurants, falafel stands and anywhere. I love how simple and flavorful it is and how you can serve this with any meal!

There are so many variations of what you can do with an Israeli salad. Using different veggies, herbs, dressings, anything. But this is the standard base of diced tomatoes and cucumbers. Dressed with some lemon, olive oil and herbs. Plus I love adding some feta cheese to give it even more richness and and creaminess. And don’t even get me started on the challah croutons. I had some challah leftover from my baby’s naming and we put it to use.

I never made croutons over a skillet before but these turned out absolutely delicious! Added on top of the Israeli salad and you have yourself the most flavorful and satisfying salad. My kids even loved this so that’s how you know it is good. When a 4 year old and 2 year old are asking for more salad – it’s a good sign!

What ingredients you need to make Israeli Salad with Challah Croutons:

• Challah bread – I had leftover challah from my baby’s naming. If you don’t have challah use a thick-cut brioche bread. If you’re gluten-free, use gluten-free bread!
• Extra virgin olive oil – high quality olive oil makes all the difference in recipes like this.
• Dried oregano – you’ll need this for the croutons and salad
• Cucumbers – seedless cucumbers are my personal favorite here 
• Grape tomatoes – I usually look for organic tomatoes when possible
• Scallions – you’ll need white and green parts of the scallion to make this salad 
• Fresh parsley – if you don’t have fresh parsley, you can use dried but use a bit less
• Lemon – fresh lemon juice is recommended for this
• Feta cheese – I look for sheep’s or goat’s milk feta cheese

How to make Israeli Salad and stovetop Challah Croutons:

1. First make the challah croutons by warming a large skillet with olive oil
2. Add the challah pieces and coat with oil and spices
3. Toast on medium heat for about 10 minutes, flipping frequently to keep toasting on each side
4. Remove from heat and set aside to begin making salad
5. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except feta cheese and toss well
6. Add the feta and mix to combine then add challah croutons and serve!

FAQs on making Challah Croutons with Israeli Salad:

1. How long does this salad last? It should last about 3-4 days but it may be a bit soggy. I like to keep the dressing less if I want this to be leftover. I also add in the croutons before serving so they don’t get soggy.
2. How do you serve this Israeli salad? Any way you want! It makes for a great side dish to any meal or even as a main with some protein on top like chicken or salmon and some rice on the side if you want.
3. Can I double or triple this salad? Absolutely! Feel free to increase quantities if you are serving a larger group
4. My salad is watery when I take it out of the fridge, what can I do? Use a slotted spoon to remove some water at the bottom of the bowl. It’s normal for the cucumbers and tomatoes to release some water.
5. I am gluten-free and can’t eat challah, what can I do? Use a thick-cut gluten-free bread or baguette instead. Let is thaw out if it is frozen.

A few other delicious salad recipes to try:

Duryea’s Lobster Cobb Salad Recipe

Shaved Broccolini, Brussels Sprout and Kale Salad

Make the Barbuto Kale Salad at Home

The Best Salmon Kale Salad Ever