Delicious Fattoush salad filled with grilled pita bread, eggplant and feta cheese is the perfect side salad or light lunch.
What is Fattoush Salad?
Fattoush is a chopped Middle-Eastern salad consisting of most importantly bread and chopped vegetables and finished with Sumac. Mine includes grilled eggplant which isn’t traditional but makes an excellent addition. I grill the eggplant with the pita bread which makes it the prefect Summer side dish.
Ingredients
Full recipe with amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Pita bread.
- Tomatoes. Use any ripe in-season tomatoes you can find.
- Cucumber. I prefer using smaller Mediterranean cucumbers as I find they are sweeter.
- Eggplant / Aubergine.
- Feta cheese. I always use feta cheese in brine.
- Lettuce. Not essential but it adds bulk which is great if you’re feeding a crowd.
- Spring onion / Green onion / Scallion.
- Herbs. I used fresh mint and parsley.
- Sumac.
- Salt and pepper.
- Olive oil.
- Lemon juice.
- Garlic.
How to make grilled Fattoush salad
- Grill the pita and eggplant: Slice eggplant into thin slices then brush with oil. Brush whole pita bread with oil and place on a hot grill with the eggplant. Allow the pita to grill until golden and crisp. The eggplant is ready when it’s slightly charred and golden on both sides. Remove from the grill and set aside.
- Make the dressing: Whisk together olive oil, fresh lemon juice, fresh garlic that you’ve minced or crushed, sumac, salt and pepper.
- Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and spring onion. Roughly break over feta cheese. Tear the pita bread into rough shapes then add to the salad with the grilled eggplant. Pour over the dressing and toss to combine. Sprinkle over more sumac and serve.
Can I make Fattoush salad ahead?
The eggplant can be grilled a day in advance. The pita can be grilled up to an hour before assembling the salad. The assembled salad (without dressing) will be fine at room temperature for up to an hour. The vegetables will start softening the bread so it’s best to add the grilled bread just before serving.
Easy salad recipes
Grilled Fattoush Salad with Eggplant
Ingredients
- 2 pita breads
- 2 medium eggplant thinly sliced
- 3 cups lettuce roughly chopped
- 2 cups tomatoes roughly chopped / halved if using small tomatoes
- 2 cups cucumber sliced
- ½ cup spring onion / green onion thinly sliced
- 1 cup feta cheese roughly crumbled
- 1 cup fresh herbs (mint, parsley)
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- small garlic clove crushed/minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sumac + more for serving
Instructions
- Brush the pita bread and eggplant slices with olive oil.
- Heat a grill or grill pan over high heat and cook the pita until golden brown and crisp. Cook the eggplant until caramelized and golden on both sides. Remove and set aside.
- To make the dressing, whisk together all the ingredients and set aside.
- Assemble the salad by combining the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, spring onion and feta in a large bowl.
- Break the pita bread into rough chunks then add to the salad along with the grilled eggplant.
- Pour over the dressing, toss and sprinkle with sumac then serve.
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