Greek salad egg scramble (Horiatiki strapatsada)

Never waste another bite of leftover Greek village salad! Now you can reinvent the leftovers into something else – this Greek salad egg scramble or Horiatiki strapatsada. All you need are some eggs, and you have a brand new meal that no one will ever imagine is the result of leftovers!

The perfect Greek salad (also known as Greek village salad, or horiatiki salata in Greek) combines few, fresh ingredients and the result is perfection. Vine-ripened tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, feta, Kalamata olives, olive oil, oregano are the basic ingredients. From there you can season with salt and pepper to taste, and maybe even add in some bell peppers.

Why this recipe works

As delicious as Greek village salad is, leftovers tend to fall short. This is because leftover salad needs to be stored in the refrigerator (because of the feta). The cold causes the tomatoes to get mealy and soggy, a lot of water gets released from the vegetables, and the entire salad becomes diluted in flavour. Still okay to eat, but not great. Because of this, for years, we found ourselves tossing leftover horiatiki salad in the compost. We are very ashamed of that!

But no longer! I have come up with the most delicious way to use up even the smallest bit of leftover horiatiki salad. I make this Greek salad egg scramble – a new version of the classic strapatsada recipe.

Making this Greek salad egg scramble takes only a few minutes and does not require anything more than some eggs. This makes it a quick, easy and economical meal that you will absolutely love!

Key ingredients

Leftover Greek village salad – You can prepare a Greek village salad, or horiatiki salata, for this recipe alone. The idea however is to use up any leftovers that you may have, so that all of the beautiful ingredients found in your Greek salad don”t go to waste.

Included in my recipe for Greek village salad you will find:

• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Red onion
• Kalamata olives
• Feta cheese
• Olive oil
• Greek dry oregano
• Optional ingredients include bell peppers, typically green

Eggs – I use large eggs in this recipe (and all recipes actually, unless specified otherwise)

How to make

Making this Greek salad egg scramble is so easy! There are only a few steps, and the entire process will take you under 10 minutes, from start to plating!

Preparation

• Pick out the olives in your leftover salad and remove the pits. Chop olives in half or fourths and return to salad.
• Crack your eggs in a small bowl and whisk well until the whites and yolks are combined.

Instructions

Step 1
Place the leftover Greek village salad in a non-stick frying pan, being sure to include some of the liquid in the salad. You will need about 1 1/2 cups of Greek salad for every 2 eggs, for each serving.

Step 2
Cook the Greek salad over medium heat stirring regularly until almost all of the liquid has evaporated.

Step 3
Add the eggs to the frying pan and allow to cook for a minute or so. When most of the egg has set, begin to stir it around with a spatula to ensure that all of the egg is cooked.

Step 4
Serve with some additional crumbed feta on top if desired.

Cooking tips

Use the right temperature

Be sure to use a medium heat when cooking down your leftover Greek village salad. It needs to cook slowly so that it does not burn, while heating through. The olives will release some of their aromatic oils due to the heat, and the feta will get soft and creamy. So delicious!

Do not remove the cucumbers!

It may seem odd to include warm cucumbers in an omelette, but trust me, it works! The cucumbers offer a great texture and taste to the Greek village salad egg scramble. Give them a try, and if you really don’t enjoy them I guess you can remove them the next time!

Pit your olives

If your olives have not been pitted before being added to the Greek salad, you will need to pit them for the egg scramble. Pitting Kalamata olives is really easy. Simply press down with the blade of a large knife and the olive should split open. At that point it is super easy to pick out the pit.

Recipe variations

If you want to get even more creative with this recipe, here are a few variations that you can try.

Add some heat

The Greek salad egg scramble would be great a little spicy. Add some chili flakes, or chili oil to the pan right after you add the eggs for a bit of heat!

Use egg whites

If you want a healthier and lighter version of the recipe, use egg whites instead of whole eggs. You can either purchase egg whites in a carton or separate out whole eggs. Keep the yolks and add them to avgolemono sauce to make it even richer.

Add some Greek sausage or loukaniko

If you have leftover Greek sausage or loukaniko, or any other sausage, chop it up and add it to the frying pan at the same time as the leftover salad. This will add great flavour to your meal. Of course you don’t have to use leftovers – you can cook up some sausage specifically for this recipe!

What to serve with

I love to eat this horiatiki strapatsada with some sort of bread or potatoes. It really makes this light omelette a hearty and satisfying meal.

Pita bread

Pita bread, either one that I make on my own with this pita bread recipe, or pita bread I purchase is perfect with this egg scramble. I typically cut the pita into wedges and use those to scoop up the eggs. So handy, and delicious!

Grilled bread

If you have a nice baguette or loaf of country bread you can cut a thick slice and season it with some olive oil and oregano and then grill it either outdoors or on a grill pan. I love to serve the egg scramble on top of the grilled bread.

French fries

If you are looking for a gluten-free option, try this Greek salad egg scramble with some homemade french fries. Put everything on one plate, and enjoy a bites which combine some of the egg with some fries. Delicious!

Storing and reheating

Given that you are making this egg scramble with leftovers, ideally you should be eating it as soon as you make it. You can of course prepare it and enjoy it a few hours later (if you are taking it with you for lunch at work for example). Simply keep it in the refrigerator and reheat it in the microwave.

Related egg recipes

If you are looking for more amazing and quick egg based recipes there are a ton for you to enjoy. These are some of my favourites:

Strapatsada is a classic Greek dish made with tomato sauce and eggs. It is super simple, and so satisfying. Another favourite is tsik tsik. This recipe is full of vegetables and makes a really healthy meal. Finally, eggs with loukaniko and potato is a truly hearty recipe that comes together really quickly.

Serving size

For each serving you will need approximately 1 1/2 cups leftover Greek salad and 2 large eggs.

Greek salad egg scramble, or horiatiki strapatsada, is an easy and delicious way to use up any Greek salad leftovers. Don’t let any of your beautiful ingredients go to waste. Turn them into something amazing with this simple recipe!

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