They said it can’t be done. They said the Costco Mediterranean Salad couldn’t be made at home for the price. I say it can be, and for much less, and it will be even better! And better for you! And the only actual cooking is boiling the orzo.
Costco Mediterranean Salad – just waiting for the feta and dressing.
Now, if you’re a cook, you know that if ya go and buy everything for the salad, it adds up, but we usually count only the portions of ingredients we use and cross-utilise the other ingredients in different recipes, and we likely have most of the pantry ingredients. If you don’t cook or make food at home, will you be better off just buying the salad? We’ll see how it pans out. But either way, this might inspire you to make more food at home.
About the Costco Mediterranean Salad:
A friend raved about the Costco Mediterranean Salad, and in 2024, I dove in. The price was broken down on the package (at the time, $6.49 a pound plus sales tax). It was about the same price per pound as Costco’s New York Strip Steak, just a few feet away, was back then.
The salad was absolutely delish. The dressing was intense, and the salad was a play on bright and salty, with a definite Greek-leaning vibe. There were enough “extras” to keep things interesting. The slightly chewy orzo soaked in the dressing, but balanced it, too, and stood up to the ingredients without feeling stodgy.
Costco Mediterranean Salad
The Ingredients in Costco Mediterranean Salad:
Once opened, I was stunned to find my “salad” was mostly pasta, so I delved deeper. I just paid $14.26 with sales tax for this!
I grabbed my chopsticks and deconstructed it as best I could. And then measured and weighed. The ingredients were wilted, saturated, and stuck together, but I got close enough.
Full disclosure: I love figuring things out like this now and then, for myself and for you! In my final salad recipe, I did shake it up a bit and added more of most of the good stuff.
As good as I could get – but I got an idea of what was actually in the salad
How to Quickly Judge if a Homemade Version of Any Recipe will Save Money:
I judge by figuring out how much the priciest ingredient is and how much is used. I considered these four possible pricy “culprits”, and the salami was the heavy hitter.
If the priciest item is less than the entire item you’re buying, it’s usually worth investigating more. The salami was $5.49 for the package. The salad, with tax, was $14.26, with sales tax, about $7.13 per pound. Bingo!
- Genoa salami: $.78 an ounce, $5.49 for the package, about 5 ounces used: $3.90
- Sundried tomatoes: $.28 an ounce, $2.29 for the package, only 3 1/2 ounces: $.99
- Kalamata olives: $.43 an ounce, $4.39 a jar, about 1.5 ounces: $.65
- Feta cheese: $.58 an ounce, $3.49 for the package, about 1/2 ounce for: $.30
Total outlay: $15.66. For this salad: $5.84.
Then I look at the fillers and items that are easily variable in amount:
- Orzo: $.07 per ounce, $1.19 for the package, 3/4 cup dry for $.45
- Grape tomatoes: $1.79 per pint (10 to 12 ounces or 25 to 30 tomatoes, 10 in the salad, $.60
- Spinach: $.22 per ounce, $2.19 for the package; the 5 ounces were saturated, my guess was there was about 2 ounces actual: $.44
Total outlay: $5.17. For this salad: $1.49.
The Dressing:
- The dressing is made with all pantry ingredients except for the 1/2 lemon, which was $.69 or $.35 for the 1/2.
- If you buy everything, going cheap, it will run around $11.00, including 48 ounces of oil, 17 ounces of white wine vinegar, a jar of Greek seasoning, a carton of salt, a 5-pound bag of sugar, and a whole lemon. The portion of the ingredients for this recipe is about $.40 for 1/2 cup. (If you have the ingredients, my Greek Seasoning is fabulous!)
- Total oulay: about $11.00. For this salad: $.40
The Grand Totals:
- Purchasing every ingredient will run: $31.83. You could easily make two of these salads for close to the price of a single Costo Salad, especially if you shorted the salami a bit. If you have any of the staples, oil, sugar, salt, Greek seasoning, and vinegar, your initial outlay will be much less.
- The portion of the ingredients used for the salad is $7.70 for 2 pounds (the same weight as the Costco salad), which makes it $3.85 per pound.
- The Costco Salad was $14.26 total with tax ($7.13 a pound) and was two pounds, almost twice the cost of making your own.
- Where I live, sales tax on groceries is only applied to prepared items.
As you can see, the salad was mostly orzo!
The Final Judgement – at home is Cheaper, and it can be made Better!
Making the Salad at home, with wise use of ingredients, is almost half as much as the Costco salad.
But, I’m going to be making a few changes to make it a little healthier and cost a little less: Slightly less salami, more Feta, and a few more goodies, and definitely more spinach and tomatoes, in my recipe below.
Leftover Ingredients:
To use any remaining items, follow the tags at the bottom of the post for more recipes. Wasting any ingredients negates savings!
- Pantry staples: Store oil, vinegar, and spices in a cool, dark cupboard, not over the stove or microwave, which gives off heat. Sugar should be tightly sealed in an airtight jar or canister.
- Grains: Should be frozen for three days, then stored in an airtight container at room temperature. This applies to orzo or any grain.
- Brined items: Olives keep almost forever in the fridge. Sundried tomatoes in oil will keep for months; the color may fade, so best to use them in a month or two. Neither items “spoil” under proper conditions.
- Feta cheese: Best bought in blocks in brine; usually cheaper and better. If crumbles, use within several days. Blocks in brine will last for months as long as covered in brine. (Brine is easily made. See my post on Feta.)
- Salami: An opened log of Salami stays fresh in the fridge for up to three weeks, sliced deli salami, a week. Discard at the first sign of off odors, discoloration, or slime.
- Lemon: Once cut, wrap in a damp paper towel and place in a Ziploc in the fridge. Will last four to five days. W/o the paper towel, count on two to three days.
- Spinach: Any leafy greens should be placed unwashed in a ventilated container (like the clamshell it comes in) or in a loosely closed plastic bag. If in a clamshell, place a paper towel on top and store upside down. In a bag, place a paper towel on the bottom.
- Tomatoes: Store at room temp, under 75 degrees. If they are becoming wilted, place in the fridge, but this can impact flavor.
Leftover Costco Mediterranean Salad:
The Costco Mediterranean Salad is sturdy and will keep in the fridge for a day or two, although the spinach will get a little wiltier (but will still taste great).
If you’d like to keep it for three to four days, add the spinach only to the portion being served.
Other Salads You Might Like:
- The Best Salad in the World: This is a fun salad I copycatted from Cub Foods in Minnesota. Not my usual style, but it is fabulous!
The Best Salad in the World
- Favorite Antipasto Salad: another gorgeous salad with some of the same ingredients. This is a great salad to make to use some of the same ingredients, and it has chickpeas rather than pasta.
Favorite Antipasto Salad
Saving Money on Groceries:
What you pay for groceries depends on not just WHERE you shop, but WHEN. Be strategic and stock up at rock-bottom prices.
- The best sales are before holidays; check out Win at the Grocers. Think beyond the occasion & use the opportunity to stock up at a low for the coming weeks to months.
- If available, take advantage of discount stores like Aldi or Lidl. The pricing at Buyer’s clubs is not always the lowest, but can trump in quality. Be selective when shopping there.
Where I Shopped:
- Most of my ingredients were picked up from Lidl.
- The Feta was from my local grocery, although Costco has great pricing and quality.
- The olives were from the discount rack at the grocery store. Speciality items often end up there. I pick them up at a low price for just such an occasion as this.
I hope that the Costco Mediterranean Salad has given you some food for thought! And that you enjoy the departure (with receipts!) from my regular posts. Some might not care about a few dollars here and there, but for others, careful shopping (and a well-stocked pantry) can make all the difference.
Mollie
Costco Mediterranean Salad – this is better and less expensive than Costco!
Costco Mediterranean Salad
An easy main dish salad; sturdy enough for meal prep.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: main dish salad
- Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients
For the orzo:
- 3/4 cups uncooked orzo
- 1 teaspoon salt
Salad dressing:
- 1/4 cup salad oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 teaspoon Greek seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the salad:
Measure with your heart
- about 3 ounces of Salami from a tube of Salami, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/4 cup sliced Kalamata olives (pitted are easiest to work with)
- 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, sliced (or sub in roasted red bell pepper)
- 1/2 pint grape tomatoes (15 or so)
- 1/2 10-ounce bag of spinach, preferably not “baby” spinach
- 4 ounces crumbled or diced Feta
Instructions
For the Orzo:
Cook according to package directions, with a teaspoon salt. Drain very well and cool.
For the Salad dressing:
Add all ingredients, the oil, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, Green seasoning, sugar, and salt. Shake well. Taste and adjust flavors, more seasoning, sugar, or salt as desired.
For the Salad:
Mix together the cool orzo, the salami, the olives, the tomatoes, and the spinach. When ready to serve, add the Feta and mix with the dressing.
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