Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad

The Ingredients

This is what you need:

• Persian cucumbers, also sometimes called mini cucumbers, have thinner skins and less seeds than regular ones. They have a similar diameter to cherry tomatoes, so they look beautiful in the overall salad. English cucumbers are a good substitute. 
• Tomatoes: All you have to do is slice a pint of cherry tomatoes in half. They can be red, yellow or orange. You can substitute with grape tomatoes, but they aren’t as juicy.
• Red onions add a pleasantly sharp accent.
• Feta cheese goes perfectly with cucumbers, tomatoes and red onions. I cut it into cubes instead of breaking it up into pieces or buying it crumbled. Then you get bigger and bolder bites of feta in the salad. If you aren’t a fan of feta, you can use goat cheese, which is more creamy and soft, so it will coat the cucumbers and tomatoes more than feta which is firmer. Torn fresh mozzarella is an even milder option, and you would have a cross between a caprese salad and a Greek salad.
• Parsley: For fresh herbs, I stir in lots of chopped parsley. You can also use basil or dill or a mix.
• Greek vinaigrette: The dressing has minced garlic, whole grain mustard, dried oregano, kosher salt, black pepper, red wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice and olive oil.

Optional Additions

• Kalamata olives will turn this into a traditional Greek salad. Make sure to use pitted olives.
• Lettuce: Try chopped romaine, kale or baby spinach. This is a great way to make the salad go farther and serve more people. I love doing this with leftovers too.
• Chickpeas will make the salad eat more like a vegetarian main dish, and it will be more filling. I include them in this Greek quinoa salad.
• Couscous, quinoa, farro or barley: Stir the salad into cooked grains.
• Pasta: There is enough vinaigrette that you can combine the salad with penne, fusilli or another short pasta shape.

How To Make This Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad

1. Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl. That includes the cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, feta and fresh parsley.

2. Make the vinaigrette. Whisk together the garlic, mustard, oregano, salt, pepper, red wine vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil in a small bowl.

3. Pour the vinaigrette into the salad. Stir the veggies and everything together until the salad is well combined. Wait 15 minutes to let the flavors meld before serving it.

Serving

This tomato cucumber salad is a side dish that you can serve with vegetarian main dishes such as these balsamic grilled vegetable skewers or this roasted ratatouille quinoa. I also pair it with this mushroom corn penne or this grilled zucchini corn pasta.

Recipe Tips

• You can make the vinaigrette in advance, but wait to slice the cucumbers and tomatoes. Keep the dressing in a mason jar or another airtight container in the refrigerator up to 2 days. Let it sit out at room temperature. It will likely harden in the fridge.
• Cut the feta into cubes when it is cold. In general, feta is a more crumbly cheese. For this salad, I prefer cubes to crumbles. It is easier to cut it more cleanly when it is cold. 
• This salad is wonderful as written, or it can be a starting point. As mentioned, you can add olives and make this a more traditional Greek salad. Or turn it into a pasta salad or a grain salad. 
• Use ripe tomatoes for the best taste. This is a summer recipe that’s best during tomato season. If you can, splurge on farmer’s market tomatoes or pick them from your garden if you are lucky enough to have tomato plants at home.

More Cucumber Salad Recipes

Asian Cucumber Salad
Chickpea Cucumber Salad
Strawberry Cucumber Feta Salad
Cucumber Avocado Feta Salad
Pineapple Cucumber Salad

This salad is part of my guide to easy salad recipes for every season featuring fresh ideas for all year long.