Crisp, cool, colorful, and crunchy—it’s Greek Cucumber Salad!
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This colorful salad is the one to take to your next picnic. It’s a delightful mix of textures and flavors and is sure to please. It’s a good start to “eating the rainbow”, with its green, red, and purple hues. Don’t skimp on the freshly ground black pepper! Making it a few hours ahead of time gives the flavors time to mix and mingle.
You’ll want to slice everything into bite-sized pieces. (Is it just me or have cherry tomatoes doubled in size lately?) And while the onions are already thinly sliced, I prefer to cut them in half as well. If you have a mandoline, put it to use and get evenly sliced cucumbers in a short amount of time.
You’re going to love the refreshing flavor and cucumber crunch combined with the light dressing. It’s perfect as laid out in this recipe, but you can customize it by adding more of the ingredients you love and removing those you don’t care for. The overall effect is still going to be the same delightful salad.
Garden Tip! If you have a lot of cucumbers in your garden, harvest and pickle them while they’re small to make these air-fryer fried pickles.
Is Greek Cucumber Salad Healthy?
This is an extremely healthy salad loaded with antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and nutrients. The feta provides protein, but if you’d like a protein boost, add ½ cup of rinsed and drained canned beans, such as cannellini.
The salad can be made vegan by using plant-based feta, which is remarkably like dairy feta in taste and texture. A scant teaspoon of honey added to the dressing is a delightful touch unless a vegan salad is your goal. If that’s the case, ½ teaspoon of organic cane sugar can add that little bit of sweetness you’re after.
Is the type of Cucumber important?
Cucumbers can be peeled or left intact. Your call. If using organic cukes, a fun alternative is to peel them into stripes, so each bite has just a bit of peel. If I can’t find organic cucumbers, I peel them. Either way, be sure to scrub them well with a veggie brush, as they are likely coated with a food-grade wax. I like to soak them in a vinegar-and-water mix first, to loosen that wax. I soak the tomatoes before cutting, as well.
English cucumbers are known to have smaller seeds, so they are preferable. Mini cucumbers will also work well and sometimes are easier to find in the organics section. Larger regular cucumbers are not recommended, but if that’s what you need to use, consider slicing in half lengthwise and then running a spoon down the middle to remove the seeds, which can be tough and unappealing.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 large English cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine
Mix cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, and olives in a bowl.
Dress
Whisk oil, vinegar, oregano, salt, and pepper; pour over salad.
Toss
Gently toss the salad with dressing.
Garnish
Top with feta cheese before serving.
DEVOUR!
FAQs & Tips
This salad is best eaten within 24 hours of making it. A few hours gives the flavors time to mix, but the tomatoes and cucumbers will begin to break down and change consistency after too much time in the fridge. A day and a half is about the maximum time you’ll want to wait to eat it.
While these substitutions may still make for a good salad, it’s the Kalamata olives and feta cheese that make it the “Greek” salad it is.
The red wine vinegar is sublime, but others can be used in a pinch. Of course, the flavor profile will change significantly. The red wine combined with the oregano really works to provide the perfect light dressing.
Serving Suggestions
This crunchy, substantial salad will pair well with a black bean burger or jalapeno-popper burger. Yum! It’s also a lovely complement to the sweet potato casserole served at Christmas. It will work with fish, chicken, or this gluten-free pasta recipe. Or, for a light meal, pair it with a soup, like this Coconut Curry With Almond Butter, Sweet Potato & Apple Noodles.
Ingredients
- 2 large English cucumbers thinly sliced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives pitted and halved
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the sliced cucumbers, halved cherry tomatoes, sliced red onion, and halved Kalamata olives.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and toss gently to coat evenly.
- Sprinkle the crumbled feta cheese over the salad just before serving.
Nutrition Info:
Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.
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