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Marinated Olives with Feta and Cherry Tomatoes is a quick and simple side salad or an appetizer with crusty bread. Kalamata and Castelvetrano Olives are tossed with cherry tomatoes and crumbled feta in a light vinaigrette with fresh basil! It's the perfect addition to lots of occasions any time of year and ready in 10 minutes!
- Goes with Lots of Menus! - Marinated Olives and Feta is a versatile recipe that is bursting with flavor! Add a bowl to a charcuterie board, serve it as a side salad when grilling in the summer, or add some crusty baguette and scoop it like bruschetta!
- Fresh and Pantry Ingredients - While cherry tomatoes are great in the summer, this salad can be made any time of year with lots of pantry staples, the good olives!
- If you Love those Fancy Olives, try my Prosciutto Pasta with Artichokes and Olives and this Mediterranean Hummus with Olives and Feta!
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Ingredients & Substitutions
Fresh ingredients plus a little help from the pantry, marinated olives with feta cheese can be tossed together in minutes!
- Kalamata and Castelvetrano Olives - I call these "the good olives!" Getting the right olives is extremely important for this recipe. You want olives from a jar, not the black olives from a can that go on taco dip or the dull green olives for martinis. Get the bright green Italian Castelvetrano Olives and the blackish purple Kalamata Olives. Make sure they are pitted! If you've always disliked olives, make sure you give the good ones a try!
- Feta Cheese - Try to buy a block of feta cheese that comes in a tub of brine. This is always the best flavor, just crumble it yourself, leaving some nice big pieces!
- Cherry Tomato - Fresh summer cherry tomatoes are best of course, but with the marinade, winter grocery store tomatoes are fine for this recipe. If you've got lots of cherry tomatoes, try my Cherry Tomato Bruschetta!
- Basil - Go for a fresh bunch of basil, it adds so much flavor and a pop of bright color. Fresh oregano, thyme or parsley could also be used.
- Vinaigrette - Toss all your ingredients in a little olive oil and red wine vinegar with just a pinch of salt, pepper and dried oregano. This gives it an Italian, Mediterranean flavor while letting the bold flavor of the olives shine through. Red wine vinegar could be subbed with white wine vinegar and dried Italian seasoning could be used in place of oregano.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
This olive feta tomato salad is the easiest dish at add when you need something extra with your meal!
Step 1 - Add all your ingredients to a bowl. I like to leave the cherry tomatoes whole and tear or chop the basil into large pieces.
Make sure to buy pitted olives!
Step 2 - Toss everything together with a spoon. This is all it takes to marinate the ingredients!
It can sit on the counter a few minutes, or up to an hour and it's ready to serve!
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Get the Right Olives - This is really important! Kalamata and Castelvatrano Olives are brightly colored and delicious! Buy them in jars and make sure they are pitted. If you only have one or the other, you could make this recipe with just one.
- The Dressing - It's hardly even a dressing, just give the salad a quick drizzle and a pinch of seasonings, you don't really even need to measure!
- Don't Refrigerate the Tomatoes - This is a quick marinade on the countertop, not all day in the fridge. This is because tomatoes really shouldn't be stored in the refrigerator. Store them on the counter, add them to the salad at room temp, and let them marinate on the countertop. Just a few minutes is long enough, but it can sit out up to an hour while you prepare the rest of your meal. Now if you really want to make it in advance and keep it in the fridge, it will be ok, just pull it out a little ahead of time to take the chill off.
- How to Make Crusty Bread Crostini - This dish is delicious with crusty baguette, or you can bake it to make crostini. Just toss baguette slices on a large sheet pan with a good drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of garlic powder and oregano. Bake at 400°F for about 10 minutes, giving the slices a flip about halfway through.
- Storage - Leftovers can be stored in the fridge and eaten the next day. It's best to pull it out ahead of time and let it sit on the counter a bit to take the chill off the tomatoes.
Ways to Serve
Marinated Olives and Feta with Tomatoes are a handy addition to lots of menus and can be served as a side dish salad or an appetizer.
- Holidays and Special Occasions - Serve a bowl as an appetizer with crostini or as an addition to a charcuterie board with meats, cheeses, dips and spreads like my Raisin Pine Nut Goat Cheese Dip.
- Summer - Summer grill outs with burgers, sausages, steak or chicken go great with fresh flavorful side salads! Add these marinated olives along with my Lemon Feta Orzo Salad, Peach Caprese Salad or my Melon Prosciutto Salad.
- Italian Night - A simple olive feta tomato salad is great to add to Homemade Pizza or pasta night! Serve it as a side dish with my Sausage Orecchiette with Peppers and Spinach or this Bacon Kale Spaghetti!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you could make this dish with just the marinated olives and feta, just use a bit less of the olives oil, vinegar and seasonings.
Yes, you can really make this recipe in any amount and the measurements don't need to be exact. Not much salt is needed since the olives are salty.
Yes, you can make this dish up anytime the day of to bring to a party. If it's going to be out more than an hour, just keep it in the fridge. Pull it out a bit before serving to take the chill off the tomatoes.
More Fresh Side Dishes!
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Marinated Olives with Feta and Cherry Tomatoes
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Print Pin RateIngredients
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup kalamata olives
- ½ cup green Castelvetrano Olives
- ½ cup feta cheese crumbled
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 grinds fresh black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon fresh basil or other herbs
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix.
- Can be served right away or can sit on the counter up to an hour.
Notes
- Serve as a salad alongside any summer meal, Italian pasta or main course, or as an appetizer like bruschetta with baguette or crostini.
- To Make Crostini - Toss baguette slices on a large sheet pan with a good drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of garlic powder and dried oregano. Bake at 400°F for about 10 minutes, flip slices about halfway through.
- Olives - Kalamata and Castelvetrano Olives both come in a jar, make sure to buy them pitted.
- Feta Cheese - Buy feta in a block that comes in a tub of brine and crumble it yourself for the best flavor.
- Don't Refrigerate Tomatoes - The tomatoes in this dish are best if they aren't refrigerated. The dish can be made up quickly and can marinate on the counter a few minutes or up to an hour.
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