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.
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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
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Video
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
Great, easy recipe. I used queso fresco instead of feta because I had some left over from the Creamy Salsa Chicken Skillet and added mint as an excuse to cut some unruly growth off the plant in my kitchen. I also grilled some chicken tenders with dried oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and added that in for protein. The only change to the actual recipe I would make is to use less onion. I love red onion, but it was a little too prevalent here.
Oh that sounds perfect! Thanks for sharing!
Any idea how many calories are in this salad…it is very yummy!
Thanks for the request! I do get that request a lot, but unfortunately I don’t have a reliable source for the nutrition information. The calculators and databases that most bloggers and websites use to calculate the info can be extremely inaccurate, and for something that can so severely impact the health of people with health conditions, I just don’t feel comfortable publishing unreliable numbers. I prefer to leave it up to the reader to use the database or calculator they trust. I’m sorry and I wish accuracy were easier than shipping the food off to a lab for analysis!
Great use for all the cucumbers!!
I make a salad almost identical to this. I sometimes add chickpeas and bring it to work for lunch. It is so summery and fresh. :D
Do you recommend if making a day ahead to just prep/chop and wait to add the feta and dressing? I am bringing this to easter tmrw and I would make fresh but I have a large amount and short time to make it so it would be ideal to do tonight. What are your thoughts? Thanks!
I would definitely wait to add the dressing until the day of. :) Sorry I didn’t get to this comment before Easter! I hope it turned out well.
This salad was amazing!! It’s like Olive Garden, but better! I added some romaine but otherwise kept the recipe as is. The dressing is so easy and mouthwatering. Thank you!
This is a really popular salad in Bulgaria, called Shopska salad. I’m so glad to see it here ^_^
Such a great recipe! It’s so fresh and healthy!
Great recipe! And it keeps well (I’m an empty nester so I’m the only one eating). Had to sub Italian season for the oregano (I was out) but it was still good.
One note … I saved this in Pinterest. Used to get the recipe when I tapped Make It. Now it goes to an error page on this website and I have to search for it here. That is, can no longer access. Note that I even deleted it from Pinterest and resale’s using the Save button above … so it seems like the link issue is here.
Regardless … I still come back, it’s good!!!
Hmm, thanks for letting me know about the link issue! Do you know what URL the your PIN is trying to link to?
Sooo good. I added chopped kalamata olives and left out the parsley. I love when a few simple ingredients come together to make something awesome!
Made this for my family and they loved it especially my husband who hates salad. This recipe is a keeper
I’ve made this recipe twice (within a week — it’s just that good). Both times I drained/rinsed a can of chickpeas and added most of it into the salad. It’s a great addition because it provides another dimension of color and texture, as well as protein. The first time I didn’t have feta or lemon and I actually liked the salad better without the cheese (and I’m a pretty h-core cheese lover). Italian seasoning works well too in place of the oregano. There are lots of options for customizing. A+!
Just made the salad last night/had some for lunch today and it was excellent. I used a little more feta than the recipe lists (I picked up some good feta for a really low price so I treated myself) and substituted yellow onion for red b/c it was a bit cheaper but top marks all around – I have to say the vinaigrette really helped tie everything together. And I was able to use cucumbers and parsley from my garden which added a degree of freshness that was really lovely.
This salad was one of the best
I don’t like parsley, would fresh basil be a good substitute?
Basil would probably be awesome. :) Different, but awesome.