The past several weeks I’ve been prepping Greek salads in mason jars for my daily lunches. The salad keeps well, up to five days in the refrigerator, in a jar as long as you layer it well—heartier vegetables on the bottom to marinate in the dressing and salad greens (which are more fragile) at the top so they don’t get soggy. When ready to eat, empty ingredients out onto a plate and enjoy!

I usually make about five jars of salad on the weekend as part of my meal prep for the week. It makes it easier for me to have a healthy lunch everyday during a busy week.

To keep it all plant-based, I skip the feta cheese found in traditional Greek salads and replace it with marinated tofu “feta”. It works. I use a creamy lemon-tahini dressing. It’s flavor comes from a nice balance of tahini, red wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice, and salt. Depending on how I plan to use the dressing, sometimes I skip the vinegar and use water instead. Besides salads, you can use this dressing as a dip for raw vegetables or a dressing for cooked vegetables.

Greek Salad in a Jar
The ingredients for the salad  are versatile. I usually go with what I have on hand.

The key to keeping everything crisp and fresh by the time you eat it is to build it right. Start with about 3 tablespoons of dressing at the bottom of the jar. Then add about a 1/3 cup each of grape tomatoes and sliced cucumbers. Continue layering with about 1/4 cup each of sliced red onions, sliced bell peppers, kalamata olives, capers, garbanzo beans, and tofu “feta”. Be sure to end with dry salad greens at the top of your jar.

You can adapt salad ingredients and proportions according to how and what you like. Some other ingredients could include sliced radishes, green onions, sun-dried tomatoes, etc. Refrigerate salad filled jar(s) until ready to eat. They’ll keep for up to five days.

Lemon-Tahini Dressing
1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup or more red wine vinegar (or water)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about two lemons)
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Stir well, until fully combined. Taste, adjust seasoning and consistency. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to five days. The dressing will thicken a little after refrigerated. You can add water to thin it out, if preferred.