Whip up a quick-fix recipe for Greek Cucumber Tomato Salad loaded with crisp veggies, protein-packed chickpeas and crumbled feta, all tossed in a lemony red wine vinaigrette.
A flavor trip with no passport required? Consider me there. Greek Cucumber Tomato Salad is a true vacation in a bowl. Bright and zippy with a classic red wine vinegar and lemon vinaigrette, this salad has a wealth of textures and flavors that really emphasize everything you love about a classic Greek salad, sans the leafy greens.
With no pesky lettuce getting in the way of all their glory, cucumber and tomato are the true stars here, along with creamy feta crumbles, briny olives and spicy red onions. This is one of my favorite portable picnic side salads, and becomes a full meal topped with grilled chicken, falafel or even extra chickpeas.
Can You Make Greek Cucumber Tomato Salad Ahead of Time?
I’m Team Marination when it comes to lettuce-less salads, and I believe this recipe tastes even better when prepared up to a day in advance. Store it, covered, in the refrigerator with the feta separate for crumbling atop the salad right before serving.
I do highly recommend eating up any leftovers within a day or two, as this ensures your cucumbers stay at their absolute crunchiest.
How Do You Cut Cucumbers and Tomatoes?
For this salad, I like to cut the cucumbers into half-moons. Start by cutting the whole cucumber in half lengthwise, then scooping out the seeds with a spoon. Next, slice widthwise, creating perfect little C-shapes that are ideal for soaking up all that vinaigrette.
Cutting up cherry tomatoes (rather than large tomatoes) makes this salad even more of a breeze to prep. You’ll just want to quarter them, making each bite of tomato close to the equal the size of your cucumber slices.
How Do You Keep Cucumbers Crunchy?
In general, cold, washed and patted dry cucumbers are happy, crunchy cucumbers. For extra textural oomph, salting the sliced cucumbers before tossing them in a salad will rid the slices of any excess water, allowing them to maintain their maximum crunchiness.
I like to toss the sliced cucumbers in a light dusting of salt, then place them in a colander over my sink to help drain off any liquid. Just 30 minutes will do the trick to keeping those cucumbers extra crunchy and not so waterlogged. Pro Tip: Remember to account for this added salt when whipping up your dressing!
Craving more? Subscribe to Just a Taste to get new recipes, meal plans and a newsletter delivered straight to your inbox! And stay in touch on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Make the dressing:
In a small bowl, whisk together the red vine vinegar, lemon juice, honey, garlic and oregano. While whisking, stream in the olive oil until emulsified. Taste and season the dressing with salt and pepper then set it aside.
Make the salad:
In a large bowl, combine the cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, black olives and chickpeas.
Add the dressing and toss to combine. Fold in the feta cheese and serve.
Kelly’s Note:
This recipe tastes even better when prepared a day in advance and stored, covered, in the refrigerator. Keep the feta separate and crumble it atop the salad right before serving.
★ Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
