Fattoush Salad {Fresh Lebanese Garden Salad with Toasted Pita Bread}

You will love this Lebanese-inspired Fattoush Salad filled with fresh garden vegetables, herbs & toasted pita pieces, dressed with lemon & olive oil.

When I first learned of Fattoush Salad, I felt like I hit the jackpot. All the fresh vegetables, and the crunch of seasoned, toasted pita scattered within the salad…does it get much better? I don’t know about you but I need a little crunch in my salads – I have a weakness for crunchy croutons so I try to healthfully swap for nuts instead. Toasted whole wheat pita (I love the Joseph’s brand) is another go-to of mine after discovering this Middle Eastern inspired salad.

My version of Lebanese Fattoush Salad isn’t as traditional as it could be. I didn’t have sumac on hand and most recipes you will see do use sumac (it is dark in color and has a tangy lemony flavor) so instead I used za’atar which is a blend of spices that does typically includes sumac. Traditionally made or not, this is one of my favorite salads. This is the za’atar spice I use, thanks to my friend Liz‘s recommendation years ago.

Just look at that toasted pita.

Another reason I love this salad so much? It can be dressed simply with lemon and olive oil (and a sprinkle of za’atar).

I was inspired to make this salad last week after seeing a recipe for it in one of my newest cookbooks that I picked up this summer, LEON Happy Salads. I discovered this series of cookbooks last year and also have this one and I absolutely adore them. I didn’t follow the recipe exactly, but I used what I had on hand.

This is seriously the cutest cookbook and has some great classics and creative salad recipes.

Hope you all have a great weekend!! If you are in the salad making mood this weekend, try my Spinach Salad with Peaches and Gorgonzola or Tangy Mustard Broccoli Slaw with Mango. Or for a heartier salad to have as a meal this Baked Chicken Greek Salad with Avocado looks pretty incredible to me!

Print Recipe

Fattoush Salad

Yield: serves 2

Ingredients:

• small pita bread (I use Joseph's Pita)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• a pinch of za'atar
• 1 head romaine lettuce heart, chopped
• 1/2 seedless cucumber, diced
• 2 green onions, chopped
• fresh parsley
• fresh mint
• coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
• lemon
• olive oil

Directions:

1. Heat oil in small skillet. Break pita into small bite size pieces and add to the skillet, sprinkling with za'atar. Fry for a couple of minutes, turning occasionally, until pita is browned and crisp.
2. Combine all of the salad ingredients into a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, squeeze lemon and drizzle oil over salad. Toss until well combined.
3. Divide into two plates and add pita crisps. Enjoy!

Recipe inspired and slightly adapted from LEON Happy Salads cookbook