Easy Greek Tomato Cucumber Salad

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• This is such an easy recipe to make. All you need to do is chop up the veggies which take no time at all. Mix it with the salad dressing and you are ready to go.
• You can definitely put this together even on your busiest day for a quick healthy dinner.
• This Greek tomato cucumber salad isn’t made with leafy greens which means you can make it several hours in advance and let the flavours develop. Which is great if you are going on a summer picnic or taking to a barbecue.

Ingredients

Cucumbers – use any variety you like. I used Lebanese cucumbers because they are small and mild in flavor.

Tomatoes – you can use big tomatoes or cherry tomatoes.

Capsicum (bell peppers) – you can use red, green, or yellow capsicum.

Chickpeas – The addition of chickpeas helps to make it a more filling salad. For convenience use, canned chickpeas, rinse, and drain them well before adding to the salad.

Onions – I used both red onions and spring onions (green onions) for flavor and texture. However, you can use either or both.

Greek feta cheese – not only adds a nice texture to the salad it gives it additional flavor because of its milky and salty taste.

Herbs - If you can use fresh herbs, they taste so much better. I used fresh coriander, mint leaves, and parsley because we like these flavors.

However, if you don’t like these herbs replace them with ones that you like.

And you don’t need to use three different varieties of herbs, you can use one or more if you like.

If you can’t get fresh herbs use dried herbs like oregano, parsley, or basil, use about ¾ teaspoon of each.

You can even use a combination of fresh and dried herbs.

For the dressing – extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, balsamic vinegar with a little salt for flavor and sugar for sweetness.

Fresh garlic – is used in the salad dressing for flavor. However, if fresh garlic upsets your stomach leave it out or, use ¼ teaspoon or to taste of garlic powder.

Equipment

• Sharp knife
• Cutting board
• Large salad bowl
• Medium jar with a screw top lid
• Grater with a fine mesh or garlic press

Step By Step Instructions

Make the salad dressing

The dressing can be either made directly in the salad bowl before adding the vegetables.

You could also mix all the salad dressing ingredients in a small bowl or jar and pour it over the salad at the end.

Preparing the salad ingredients.

Do you need to peel the cucumbers?

That really depends on the type of cucumber you use. Some varieties of cucumbers will have a slightly bitter taste on the skin and would taste better peeled.

If you are using Telegraph (long cucumbers) or Lebanese cucumbers the skin and be left on.

Do you need to remove the seeds from cucumbers and tomatoes?

If you plan on eating the salad soon after making you don’t need to remove the seeds.

If you plan on making the salad several hours in advance, I would remove the seeds.

This is because the seeds and their pulp contain a lot of moisture and when left to stand for several hours the salad will become very watery.

Removing the seeds is not going to entirely eliminate the liquid build-up in the salad but it will reduce it significantly.

How to remove seeds from cucumbers and cut for the salad

To remove the seeds from cucumbers, cut them in half lengthwise. Use a teaspoon to scrape or scoop out the seeds.

After deseeding the cucumber, slice each piece again lengthwise then cut into small chunks.

How to cut and deseed the tomatoes

To deseed large tomatoes cut in half and use a teaspoon to scoop out the seeds and pulp, then cut the tomato into a similar size as the cucumber chunks.

• Note: If you are using small tomatoes like cherry or grape you don’t need to remove the seeds from these, just cut them in half and use.

How to cut and deseed the capsicum

Cut the capsicum in half from top to bottom, remove the seeds and trim away the white membrane inside. Cut the capsicum into long strips and then into smaller pieces.

Making the Greek tomato cucumber salad

After you have finished cutting the vegetables and other ingredients add them to a large bowl and drizzle over the salad dressing and serve.

Expert Tips

• The salad dressing can be made in advance and can be stored in the fridge for several days. Allow the dressing to come to room temperature before using.
• Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days.

FAQ

More Veggie Recipes

You might also like to try this tomato bocconcini salad, or this broccoli cauliflower salad, or this spicy carrot salad or this roast pumpkin chickpea feta salad or these easy recipes:

• Black bean and corn salsa
• Potato salad with Greek yogurt
• Carrot pickle
• Roast pumpkin chickpea feta salad
• Wombok, red cabbage and apple slaw
• Healthy cold pasta salad
• Potato salad with Greek Yogurt
• Cold chicken pasta salad with mayo