Greek Salad with Meat

Our attempt at recreating the legendary Greek Salad with Meat served at Christo’s Restaurant in Brockton, Massachusetts.

The Best Greek Salad Ever with Massachusetts roots

My husband Jack grew up in Brockton, Massachusetts. Anyone who lived in or around the city of Brockton (like Jack) has probably eaten at Christo’s Restaurant at least once in their life.

Christo’s was a Greek restaurant that opened in 1964 on the East Side of Brockton, and it quickly became a landmark for the best Greek food around the South Shore area of Massachusetts.  In particular, Christos is famous for their Greek Salad – so much so that former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis named Christo’s owner, Chris Tsanganis, the “Greek Salad King” – and the name proudly stuck!

Jack grew up eating at Christo’s and it turned into a Friday night tradition as he got older – ordering a Greek Salad with Meat, Italian bread, and drinks with good friends.  When Jack and I started dating years later – as you might expect – a  dinner date at Christo’s was at the top of our must-do list, and I soon got to experience being greeted and seated in the retro decor of Christo’s restaurant by Mr. Tsanganis himself!, and eating the delicious Greek salad with meat I had heard so much about!

In recreating this Greek Salad with Meat recipe, Jack has tried to be as authentic as possible to the original salad that he ordered countless times over the years. 

It’s made with crisp, fresh iceberg lettuce and other vegetables, and of course, Kalamata olives, pepperoncini, and good quality feta cheese.  It’s topped with a generous portion of roast beef, Virginia ham, and genoa salami – but adding that is optional if you prefer your salad without meat.

But what really makes this salad special is the Greek Salad Dressing – a secret recipe that Jack has done his best to recreate here. I think he’s come very close recreating Christo’s Greek salad with meat at home!

• It’s a fantastic recreation of one of the best Greek salads – served with an amazing Greek Salad Dressing on top.
• This is a hearty meal-in-one with all of the different meats added to the salad, or you can omit the meats and enjoy it as a side salad instead.
• This is a versatile recipe. Swap in or out different meats and vegetables to suit your tastes.

• Greek Salad Dressing – Mix up a batch of our recipe here. It was inspired by the dressing served at Christo’s.
• Lettuce – The original salad was made with crisp, fresh iceberg lettuce.
• Cucumber
• Celery
• Green Bell Pepper
• Red Onion
• Tomatoes
• Kalamata Olives
• Pepperoncini
• Feta Cheese – It’s always best to buy the blocks of feta and crumble it yourself.
• Deli Meats – The Christo’s salad included roast beef, black forest ham, and Genoa salami. You can swap in other deli meats if you prefer.
• Bread – For serving, you can slice up some Italian bread or a French baguette.

1. Prepare the Greek Salad Dressing.
2. Cut up the vegetables and meat according to the ingredients list in the recipe card below.
3. Assemble the salad by tossing lettuce, cucumbers, celery, green peppers, and red onions with some of the dressing, then pour out onto a platter or into a serving bowl.
4. Top with tomatoes, olives, pepperoncini, feta, and chopped deli meats.
5. Serve immediately.

• Can I make Greek Salad with Meat ahead of time? Like any salad, once you add the dressing, the vegetables will start to wilt so it’s best to assemble the salad right before serving. You can, however, mix up the dressing, and cut up the vegetables and meats ahead of time. Just keep them chilled in separate containers before you assemble the salad for serving.

This Greek Salad with Meat recipe originally appeared on A Family Feast in June 2013. We’ve updated the post and photos, but the delicious recipe remains the same

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