Fattoush Inspired Salad

This Fattoush Inspired Salad is easy to make, super fresh and very tasty. The addition of radishes and endives adds so much texture. This recipe was developed in partnership with the website Mediterranean Living. It features garden fresh produce, oven crisped pita bread, and a light and flavorful lemon, olive oil and sumac dressing. This recipe is easy to make and is a perfect refreshing summer salad

What is a fattoush salad?

Traditionally a Fattoush salad is a Lebanese salad made with fried pieces of unleavened bread, vegetables, vinegar or lemon and sumac. Fattoush's origin story seems to be that it was invented to use up stale bread much like a panzanella salad. In this Fattoush Inspired Salad I chose to stay close to the traditional ingredients. This fresh and summery salad features tomato, cucumber and radish.

Why you will love this fattoush inspired salad

You will love the simplicity of a Fattoush salad. This salad is easy to make and has few ingredients yet it is exquisitely tasty. There is no need for complicated dressings here to bring out the flavors of the fresh and crisp vegetables. Olive oil and lemon make them really pop. But the real star is the sumac. If you have never tried it, run to buy some! A little goes a long way with this pungent and citrusy spice which is unlike any other. Paired with garden fresh veggies and crispy bread, this is a summer night's dinner dream come true.

Ingredients for Fattoush

This recipe has a very small list of ingredients. Let's discuss them along with my favorite ideas for substitutes:

• Spring Mix: I love a good spring mix with it's delicious variety of delicate lettuces. It is a convenient choice for greens since it usually comes washed and ready to consume. You can use whatever greens you like, spinach, romaine, even iceberg.
• Belgian endives: These beautiful little endives have such a delightful crunch and they are visually stunning. I love using them when they are in season. Substitute any crunchier lettuce variety like romaine hearts, iceberg or even celery.
• Persian Cucumbers- These mini-cucumbers are my favorite. They are mild and sweet flavored, have few seeds and even the peel tastes good. If Persian's are unavailable, English cucumbers are my second choice, followed by the regular variety.
• Radishes-In my opinion, radishes are hideously underrated. They are both beautiful to look at and pleasantly crunchy. Their color adds vibrancy to any summer salad. I used a combo of Watermelon radishes and breakfast radishes. If you do not like the mild spiciness of a radish, just use more cucumber and tomato in the recipe.
• Cherry Tomatoes- Cherry tomatoes are the most flavorful all year round. That's why I use them in most of my salad recipes. They are colorful, sweet and tangy. If there are no cherries, chose grape tomatoes, compari tomatoes or Roma tomatoes.
• Pita Bread-I used prepared mini pita breads for my recipe. This was a quick and convenient way to execute this Fattoush inspired salad. However for maximum quickness you could also buy pita chips at the store. Or if you feel very motivated you can make homemade pita to use. I shared my easy pita bread recipe with Mediterranean Living on their site here
• Lemon and Olive Oil- This fresh and inviting summer salad is simply dressed in lemon and extra virgin olive oil. It is quite stunning in its simplicity and flavor. If you prefer a more robust dressing, a balsamic vinaigrette or an Italian dressing would taste really good too.
• Spices- This recipe has sumac, garlic salt and salt as the very simple seasonings.

How to make a fattoush inspired salad

This salad is so easy to make. This is a recipe even a beginner cook can make with success.

• Crisp the pita- First we season the pita with olive oil, garlic salt and salt and then crisp it in the oven
• Tear the pita- Once the pita has crisped we tear it into bite sized peices and set aside
• Make the salad- This salad is like a work of art! Just layer all the gorgeous vegetables attractively on a platter. Then top with the pita!
• Dress the salad- Lastly we drizzle the salad with olive oil, squeeze the lemons and season with salt. Then eat immediately.

Other delicious Mediterranean dishes

• Mediterranean Mezze Platter
• Mediterranean Farro Salad
• Italian Vegetable and Farro Salad