The aroma from this salad is the most deliciously fresh scent of cucumbers, parsley, and crunchy green peppers, and it’s beyond delightful. The only thing better than the aroma is the flavor. In short, this Super Fresh Cucumber Salad is one big bowl of cold, crunchy, juicy, loveliness.
Cucumber and tomato salads really aren’t anything new (definitely check out our Creamy Cucumber Salad, too), but sometimes I like to post the small variations on classics that I’m currently crushing on. This week when I took a look in my refrigerator and saw leftover red onion and leftover feta, I knew immediately that I needed to pick up a couple of cucumbers and tomatoes to make this Super Fresh Cucumber Salad.
Make it Your Own
This is a great base salad that can take a number of different add-ins. You can get a little fancy by adding some kalamata olives or roasted red peppers, add some protein like tuna or beans, or even add some cooked orzo or bowtie pasta to bulk it out a bit. There are a lot of options, so keep this recipe on hand for using up leftovers and filling out your dinner menu with tons of super fresh vegetables!
What to Serve with Cucumber Salad
This super fresh salad makes a great side dish for: Mediterranean Turkey Burgers, Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken, or Yogurt Marinated Chicken.
Super Fresh Cucumber Tomato Salad
Servings 6 1-1.25 cups per servingIngredients
RED WINE VINAIGRETTE
- 1/4 cup olive oil ($0.52)
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar ($0.20)
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice ($0.06)
- 1 tsp dried oregano ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- Freshly cracked pepper ($0.03)
SALAD
- 2 cucumbers ($1.58)
- 4 Roma tomatoes (about 1 lb.) ($2.08)
- 1/2 small red onion ($0.38)
- 1 green bell pepper ($0.98)
- 1/4 bunch parsley ( $0.23)
- 2 oz feta ($1.12)
Instructions
- Prepare the vinaigrette first to let the flavors blend as you prepare the rest of the salad. In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper. Set the dressing aside.
- Peel the cucumbers if desired. Dice the cucumbers, tomatoes, and bell pepper. Thinly slice the red onion*. Pull the parsley leaves from their stems, then give them a rough chop. Crumble the feta cheese.
- Place the cucumbers, tomatoes, bell pepper, red onion, parsley, and feta in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over top, and toss to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat. This salad holds up well over a few days in the refrigerator. Be sure to stir briefly to redistribute the flavors before serving.
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Cucumber Tomato Salad – Step by Step Photos
Make the red wine vinaigrette first to let the flavors blend a bit while you prepare the rest of the salad. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp salt, and some freshly cracked pepper. Set the dressing aside.
These are all the vegetables (and feta) that I used in the salad. Two cucumbers, one green bell pepper, 4 Roma tomatoes, 1/2 small red onion, about 1/4 bunch parsley, and 2 oz. feta. Peel the cucumber if you like. Dice the cucumber, bell pepper, and Roma tomatoes. Slice the red onion VERY thinly. Pull the parsley leaves from the stems, then roughly chop them. Crumble the feta. To take the bite off the red onions, make sure to slice them very thinly and you can soak them in ice water for 5-10 minutes before adding them to the salad.
This is how I chop my cucumbers. A chunky dice is nice for this salad because it helps them hold up a little better in the refrigerator. Peeling stripes into the skin first gives them a cool visual effect once chopped. Then cut the cucumbers into about 1/2-inch wide rounds, and cut each round into quarters. That gives me nice chunky pieces of cucumber.
Place your cucumbers (those are on the bottom), bell pepper, tomato, red onion, parsley, and feta in a large bowl.
Stir the dressing one more time, then pour it over the salad.
And then simply toss to combine. You can serve it immediately or refrigerate for later.
And when you do open your refrigerator later, you’ll be all like, “Ahhhhhhhh SUPER FRESH!” Or at least I did. :P
Yum! That sounds amazing!
Kari
http://sweetteasweetie.com/organic-roasted-cauliflower-grocery-outlet/
This is an authentic Greek salad–exactly what we lots hundreds of times during our years living in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean. We never ate a “salad” with lettuce, just chopped cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, feta, onions, and a lemon and oregano flavored dressing. They usually, but not always, included a handful of Kalamata olives and sometimes some garlic in the dressing. They were usually more coarsely chopped so i could easily pick out the onions
This is delicious! I’m excited to eat this for lunches this week. I did make some modifications, but I love your recipes because it’s easy to know what I can modify without “breaking” the recipe. I added more feta (4 oz instead of 2 oz) because I love feta, and I used balsamic vinegar because I like it more than red wine vinegar. And I just realized I completely forgot to add parsley, so I may bring some with my lunches to sprinkle on top. I also added some cooked orzo per your suggestion (it was 1/2 cup dry), though I think in the future I might use a bulkier pasta to better match the chunky size of the vegetables. This is also a pretty dressing-heavy salad, so I think it could stand up to bigger pasta pieces. This is exactly the kind of fresh, vegetable-y thing I’ve been craving, so thank you!
We really enjoyed this salad. My husband is on a reduced sodium diet, so I left salt out of the dressing. The combination of red wine vinegar and lemon juice really brightens the flavor
10/10, this salad is bomb! Making it for a second time already to take to work this week.
How long will this keep in the fridge? Thanks!
Awesome recipe! My husband even had seconds!
This salad is making my mouth water! So absolutely beautiful and I too like a salad without greens for a different treat. Beth–thank you for really expanding my horizons in the kitchen but you have probably helped me in other rooms too :) My husband thinks I have improved my “chef skills” 100% and it is true. I’m from a long line of FUN ladies……but cooking was not our “passion” ahahah. Thank you and my husband thanks you too. He was the chef but now…….I’m better and more well rounded with my cusine due to YOU! I can’t THANK YOU ENOUGH!!!!
My pleasure, Sharon! :)
Just got it on my computer. Don’t know if you re-loaded. But my iPhone was print challenged
I think there are issues with the recipe plugin’s print feature for mobile devices. I will be switching to a new plugin soon. Thanks for letting me know!
This looks SO perfect. Loving the freshness of the cukes and tomatoes. Need to make this next week!
http://odessadarling.co
Printable recipe seems challenged for first time. Wonder if it has to do with your upload. First time this has occurred from your site and your print button. When I go to print it comes up as a blank page.
Your offerings are amazing. Thank you.
add olives & a bit of pasta and my boys would devour this in one sitting! yum. tysm for sharing xo
I love salads that don’t have greens in them (I can’t eat greens). Will be making this for lunch next week.
That salad looks exactly as it’s billed – fresh, tasty, and economical. Just right for Spring and dining outdoors, so thanks for posting. And glad another food blogger sometimes goes against SEO rules – I think the content of the recipe speaks for itself!
Oooooh, looks delicious and refreshing…I’m antsy for spring to come up here in the north. It’s still grey and cool where I live. :(
Personal tip about the cucumbers – I like to cut off a big chunk, cut it into quarters lengthwise, then put them all side-by-side (I keep the quarters together, so it looks like just two halves laid side-by-side), and *then* slice as thinly or as chunkily as I like. I find that when I have a lot of cucumber to chop, this way is a little faster than stacking and quartering circular slices (which I also do at times). :)
True! Thanks for the tip!