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
I am making this today, Thursday to take away with me for a weekend outing! Hope it holds up well, does anyone know for sure?
Simple but refreshing!! An easy side salad that’s perfect for summer.
My niece made this for Father’s Day and everyone loved it!!!! Would you happen to have the nutritional information per serving ? I log everything into My Fitness Pal app! Thanks
Thanks for this recipe, Beth! I made it last night for the family and they loved it :D
Since my most recent blood test came back with high triglycerides I’ve been trying to find new, healthier recipes. This one looks delicious. Thanks Beth!
Hi Beth! If I want to double this, do I double everything in the dressing, including the lemon juice?
Yep, to double this one just double every ingredient. :)
This salad is exceptional. I initially made it exactly as described and it was perfect. Then today I made a huge batches for this week’s lunches but added a whole bunch of chopped peppers and Romaine that I had and it’s incredible!
I made this salad for 120 people. They all loved it, but it was really cheap to buy. At the end it costed me only €50.
I’ll remember this one!
I LOVE this! I literally ate the whole thing by myself lol no one even got to try it! I don’t like parsley so I didn’t use it and I used those baby cucumbers instead of regular ones. Also good with Parmesan cheese if you run out of feta like me. Also! Use it in a wrap with hummus! Kind I’d runny but it’s so so good!!
What would be a good substitute for the parsley
I don’t like parsley so I just didn’t use it, still great!
I just made this salad for the falafel hummus bowl you posted a few Sundays ago, and it was just perfect for these hot August days. I enjoyed the textures of the vegetables, the tang of the feta, and the acidity of the dressing. What a well balanced side salad that I can easily convert into a pasta salad or entree salad.
Hi!, This may be said elsewhere, but this is my first time looking at your blog. I am wondering where you grocery shop. Thanks
The answer to that has changed over the eight years that I’ve been blogging, but for the past 4-5 years I shop mostly at a local grocery chain called Rouses, but I also hit up Whole Foods on a regular basis. Sometimes I go to different Ethnic markets to get specialty items.
I know tomatoes are kind of integral to this salad, but what would be a good substitute, if possible? I have family members that can’t eat tomatoes, but the rest of the salad sounds delicious!
Hmm, maybe a red bell pepper? You won’t have the acidity of the tomato, but the dressing has plenty, so it would probably still be good.
This salad was easy to prepare and delicious! This will be a repeat to our table.
Every time I open your website a very annoying ad from chase comes on in Spanish. I would like that to stop.
I have been using your site for several years and this has started happening.
Thank you for letting me know! If you could email me with a little more info, we can try to get that ad blocked. Where on the page is it showing up? Is it a video ad? Can you get a screen shot of it? If you have any of that information, please send it to budgetbytes@gmail.com. Thanks!