Sheet Pan Mediterranean Spinach Salad with Lemon Yogurt Dressing

Here’s a colorful and protein-packed salad recipe for you, and the roasted chicken, cauliflower, and chickpeas that star in this Sheet Pan Mediterranean Spinach Salad with Lemon Yogurt Dressing keep it feeling warm and hearty — even on a cold winter’s day.

Fair warning: This Mediterranean spinach salad recipe takes a bit more hands-on time and dirties a few more dishes than some of the other easy dinner recipes on Mashup Mom. But, the fun interplay of textures, colors, and flavors you get here makes it all worth it! (No worries: It’s not a difficult recipe, it just has a few more hands-on steps.)

Sheet Pan Mediterranean Spinach Salad with Lemon Yogurt Dressing

Ingredients

– for the marinade

3 Tbsp olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp oregano
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp parsley
Juice from half a lemon
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste

– for the chicken & cauliflower

1-1.25 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
Half a medium head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets

– for the chickpeas

One can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed, and patted dry on paper towels
2 tsp olive oil
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika

– for the lemony Greek yogurt dressing

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice of 1/4 of a lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp oregano

– for the salad

8 oz bag fresh spinach (or use the 5 oz clamshell baby spinach, depending on the “stuff” to salad ratio you want)
2 chopped Roma tomatoes
6 oz black or Kalamata olives, sliced
One avocado, chopped (or a cucumber, or both — I just didn’t have any cucumber handy today!)
Oregano, to taste

Directions

Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray and preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon half of the marinade into a separate bowl, add chicken, and toss to coat, then set the chicken aside to continue marinating.

Add the cauliflower florets to the bowl containing the rest of the marinade, and toss to coat.

Spread cauliflower out in a single layer on the prepared sheet pan and roast at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, drain and rinse the chickpeas and pat dry with paper towels, discarding any skins that slough off. Toss chickpeas with olive oil and spices in the same bowl you used for the cauliflower.

After 10 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and stir the cauliflower, moving it to one half of the baking sheet. Add the chickpeas in a single layer to the same pan and continue roasting for another 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and stir both the chickpeas and the cauliflower, moving them aside to make room for the chicken but keeping them in a single layer. Add marinated chicken to the baking sheet and continue roasting at 425 degrees for another 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

While chicken is cooking, mix together your Greek yogurt dressing (I just used my little food chopper), then taste the dressing and add a little more lemon juice, oregano, or other seasonings as desired. Also, chop the tomatoes and avocado (and/or cucumber) for the salad.

When the chicken, cauliflower, and chickpeas are done, remove the sheet pan from the oven and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Arrange the roasted chicken and vegetables on top of the fresh spinach, along with the tomatoes, olives, and avocado or cucumber, then sprinkle the entire salad with dried oregano.

Serve your finished Mediterranean spinach salad with lemon yogurt dressing (see Note).

Note: The dressing will start to separate fairly quickly, so just give it a good stir right before serving. Note that you do want it on the tart side to play off the seasonings on the roasted chicken, cauliflower, and chickpeas. You can either plate your four salad servings separately or make one big plate; I made mine separate so that low carb MashupDad could easily leave out the chickpeas.

Don’t let the lack of an ingredient stop you

Before making this salad I seriously considered driving to the store for… one cucumber. But you know what? It’s cold outside, and I really have better things to do with my time — so, that cucumber simply became avocado in the recipe idea floating around in my head. You can often improvise if you don’t have (or don’t enjoy) every ingredient in a recipe, and the avocado was actually darn tasty (so the next time I think I’ll use both!).

This mouthwatering sheet pan Mediterranean spinach salad with lemon yogurt dressing is naturally gluten free, and chock full of lemon, garlic, and oregano flavor. Everything in the salad but the chickpeas is low carb (if you’d like to modify it for a low carb diet); if you’re not low carb, you could easily throw everything into a wrap or enjoy your salad with pita bread or naan. Make it work for your tastes and your family’s dietary needs.

Sheet Pan Mediterranean Spinach Salad with Lemon Yogurt Dressing, printable recipe

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5 from 3 votes

Sheet Pan Mediterranean Spinach Salad with Lemon Yogurt Dressing

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This mouthwatering sheet pan Mediterranean spinach salad with lemon yogurt dressing is naturally gluten free, and chock full of lemon, garlic, and oregano flavor. 

Course dinner

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4

Author Rachel Singer

Ingredients

- for the marinade

• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp oregano
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp parsley
• Juice from half a lemon
• Sea salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste

- for the chicken & cauliflower

• 1-1.25 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
• Half a medium head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets

- for the chickpeas

• One can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed, and patted dry on paper towels
• 2 tsp olive oil
• Sea salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp paprika

- for the lemony Greek yogurt dressing

• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Juice of 1/4 of a lemon
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Sea salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 tsp oregano

- for the salad

• 8 oz bag fresh spinach (or use the 5 oz clamshell baby spinach, depending on the "stuff" to salad ratio you want)
• 2 chopped Roma tomatoes
• 6 oz black or Kalamata olives, sliced
• One avocado, chopped (or a cucumber, or both -- I just didn't have any cucumber handy today!)
• Oregano, to taste

Instructions

• Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray and preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Combine marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon half of the marinade into a separate bowl, add chicken, and toss to coat, then set the chicken aside to continue marinating.
• Add the cauliflower florets to the bowl containing the rest of the marinade, and toss to coat.
• Spread cauliflower out in a single layer on the prepared sheet pan and roast at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. 
• Meanwhile, drain and rinse the chickpeas and pat dry with paper towels, discarding any skins that slough off. Toss chickpeas with olive oil and spices in the same bowl you used for the cauliflower.
• After 10 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and stir the cauliflower, moving it to one half of the baking sheet. Add the chickpeas in a single layer to the same pan and continue roasting for another 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and stir both the chickpeas and the cauliflower, moving them aside to make room for the chicken but keeping them in a single layer. 
• Add marinated chicken to the baking sheet and continue roasting at 425 degrees for another 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
• While chicken is cooking, mix together your Greek yogurt dressing (I just used my little food chopper), then taste the dressing and add a little more lemon juice, oregano, or other seasonings as desired. Also, chop the tomatoes and avocado (and/or cucumber) for the salad.
• When the chicken, cauliflower, and chickpeas are done, remove the sheet pan from the oven and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. 
• Arrange the roasted chicken and vegetables on top of the fresh spinach, along with the tomatoes, olives, and avocado or cucumber, then sprinkle the entire salad with dried oregano.
• Serve your finished Mediterranean spinach salad with lemon yogurt dressing (see Note).

Notes

The dressing will start to separate fairly quickly, so just give it a good stir right before serving. Note that you do want it on the tart side to play off the seasonings on the roasted chicken, cauliflower, and chickpeas. You can either plate your four salad servings separately or make one big plate; I made mine separate so that low carb MashupDad could easily leave out the chickpeas.

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