Pair all your main dishes with this quick and easy Cucumber Tomato Salad! Delicious ingredients like fresh basil, dill, and mozzarella bring life to this fresh and vibrant side dish.
You’re looking at the only summer side dish you’ll ever need!
Okay, that may be a stretch, but this Cucumber Tomato Onion Salad is so fresh, frisky and flavorful that it plays nicely with any main entrée.
Plus, it takes only a few minutes to whip up and it saves well!
What we have going on here with this Cucumber Tomato Salad is basically a chopped version of Caprese Salad paired with a classic Zesty Cucumber Salad.
The end result is a vibrant healthy salad with snappy texture from the crisp cucumbers, and tangy herby flavors all rolled into one delicious side dish.
If you grow a garden and you have some fresh tomatoes to use up, now is their time to shine! Similarly, if you’re a farmer’s market fanatic and you find yourself buried in fresh cucumbers and fresh herbs, here is your solution.
The great thing about this cucumber tomato salad recipe is the ingredients can be found at any grocery store and the salad is so versatile!
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for this easy Cucumber Tomato Salad!
Ingredients for Cucumber Tomato Salad:
Vegetables: Fresh cucumber, fresh tomatoes, and red onion make up the fresh vegetables in this delicious tomato cucumber salad.
Use any type of cucumber you like here, as well as any kind of tomatoes. English cucumbers, regular cucumbers, and Persian cucumbers are all great in this easy recipe.
Persian cucumbers have thinner skin and contain far fewer seeds than regular cucumbers (they are nearly seedless) so keep that in mind when making your selection.
Small tomatoes like grape tomatoes and cherry tomatoes work great, as do larger tomatoes like vine-ripened tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, roma tomatoes, etc. Try to stick with ripe, juicy tomatoes if possible for the best results!
Fresh Mozzarella Cheese: While the cheese is optional, fresh mozzarella brings marvelous creamy flavor and soft texture to the fresh salad, making it more substantial and giving it a rustic vibe like a Refreshing Greek Salad.
Dressing Ingredients: Olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh basil leaves, fresh dill, sea salt and black pepper are all we need to dress the salad to make it taste rich, tangy and herby. You can use fresh parsley too if you’d like!
You can also do as I do and drizzle the salad with balsamic vinegar in addition to the red wine vinegar. If you have the time to make a balsamic reduction sauce, feel free to do so as it is divine!
Looking for ways you can change up the recipe? Here are some ideas.
Recipe Adaptations:
- Swap out the fresh mozzarella for 6 ounces of feta cheese crumbles or omit the cheese altogether.
- Use one large English cucumber or five Persian cucumbers instead of using a regular cucumber if you’d prefer.
- Double the recipe if you’re serving more than 4 individuals.
- Use balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, rice vinegar, white wine vinegar or vinegar of choice for the simple dressing. I like using red wine vinegar and finishing the salad off with a drizzle of balsamic reduction.
- Slice up one large ripe avocado and add it in for an amazing creamy texture.
- Add in one to two cans of cooked beans such as kidney beans, black beans, or chickpeas for a more substantial salad.
- If you love bell peppers, chop up a red bell pepper or green bell pepper and add it in!
- Toss in ¼ cup of pine nuts or ½ cup of pistachios, chopped walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, etc.
- Many people add a little sugar to the dressing. If you’re fine with some added sugar, you can mix the oil and vinegar with 2 to 3 teaspoons of white sugar or pure maple syrup.
- Mix in 2/3 cup of pitted kalamata olives or black olives.
- If the fresh herbs in your area aren’t looking great, you can swap them out with 2 to 3 teaspoons of Italian seasoning.
- Whip up any kind of homemade dressing for this refreshing salad. Some people like adding sour cream for a creamy cucumber salad.
Now that we’ve covered the fresh ingredients, let’s make this tomato-cucumber salad!
How to Make Cucumber Tomato Salad:
Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and toss everything together until well-combined. There is no need to prepare the dressing separately from the salad, so feel free to toss every last ingredient into one bowl and mix everything up.
Taste the salad for flavor and add more olive oil, vinegar, sea salt, or black pepper to taste. If you’re feeling fancy and would like to make a balsamic reduction sauce, feel free to drizzle one to two tablespoons of balsamic reduction over the salad.
Serve this easy cucumber tomato salad alongside any main dish, and enjoy!
Store cucumber tomato salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Note: If you would like to store the salad for more than 1 day, I suggest mixing in the fresh chopped basil and mozzarella just before serving for the best results. This ensures the salad stays tasting as fresh as possible.
The way I see it, this amazing vegetable side dish is the perfect side dish for everyday eating and is also fancy enough to serve guests. Whip it up for any gathering, holiday, picnic, or barbecue!
It pairs very well with any type of grilled meat or fish.
It’s an easy salad for summer time featuring a great deal of fresh produce with a punch of fresh flavor.
If you enjoy fresh salad recipes like this, also make these reader favorites!
More Side Salad Recipes:
- Avocado Salad
- Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
- Chickpea Avocado Cucumber Salad
- Black Bean Corn Salad
- Greek Lentil Salad
- Sweet Potato Black Bean Salad
Refresh your face with this simple salad!
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped*
- 1 large cucumber, thinly sliced
- ½ medium-sized red onion, thinly sliced
- 8 ounces fresh Mozzarella cheese, optional**
- 3 Tbsp olive oil or avocado oil, to taste
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar***
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
- 1 sprig fresh dill, chopped
- ½ tsp sea salt, to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper, to taste
- 2 to 3 Tbsp balsamic reduction, optional
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and toss everything together until well-combined. There is no need to prepare the dressing separately from the salad, so feel free to toss every last ingredient into one bowl and mix everything up.
- Taste the salad for flavor and add more olive oil, vinegar, sea salt, or black pepper to taste. If you’re feeling fancy and would like to make a balsamic reduction sauce, feel free to drizzle one to two tablespoons of balsamic reduction over the salad.
- Serve this easy cucumber tomato salad alongside any main dish, and enjoy!
- Store cucumber tomato salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Note: If you would like to store the salad for more than 1 day, I suggest mixing in the fresh chopped basil and mozzarella just before serving for the best results. This ensures the salad stays tasting as fresh as possible.
Notes
Nutrition
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Lorena Martine
Tuesday 25th of July 2023
That was so fantastic. Looking so great and test like amazing.
Julia
Wednesday 26th of July 2023
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it, Lorena! Thanks so much for swinging back around to share your experience - this is super helpful! xoxo