Our Mediterranean Tomato Cucumber Salad is a mouthwatering side using fresh garden ingredients that we have tossed in a punchy little lemon, garlic vinaigrette to tie it all up. So quick and easy it makes it perfect for weekday dinners!
This is another Dad friendly salad and one of his favourites – he likes simple salads! Just give the man a simple tomato-cucumber salad tossed in a basic dressing and he is happy.
Some more of our “Dad friendly” salads are our traditional Greek Salad (Horiatiki Salata), our Panzanella salad or even our Cretan Salad would fit the bill.
Why We Love It ❤️
We serve a version of this Mediterranean salad at least three times a week just for Dad. But, there are so many other reasons that you should include it in your salad repertoire…
- It is ready in next to no time with a minimum of fuss
- It is cool and refreshing for hot summer days
- It uses readily available, simple ingredients
- Suits a variety of eating styles – Dairy free, Vegetarian and Vegan, Gluten Free, low carb and keto
- It is Low in calories and carbs but nutrient dense
Ingredients and Substitutions
As our Mediterranean salad only has a few ingredients it is important that you choose them wisely.
- Use bright red and super ripe tomatoes, this salad really benefits from their sweet tomatoey flavour. Try Roma, truss or heirloom varieties.
- Use either Persian,English or Lebanese cucumbers as they have few seeds and are sweeter.
- Use Greek oregano from a deli as it is more aromatic and flavourful than what you will find in the supermarket.
- You can change the herbs if you are not a fan of oregano and parsley try dried and fresh mint or basil or coriander/cilantro.
How to Make it a Meal: If you are starving and want to make this salad into a meal let's be honest tomatoes and cucumbers are just not going to cut it when you are hungry, right? Try adding:
A can of drained chickpeas, butter beans or any other beans. - Some grilled lamb fillets. - Shredded chicken. - A can of tuna, I love it with smoked tuna. - One cup of cooked grains such as quinoa, bulgur wheat, freekeh or couscous.
How to Make It
Step 1 – Prepare Your Veggies
Wash, trim and cut tomatoes into large chunks.
Wash, trim and cut cucumbers into half-moons.
Wash parsley, shake dry, pick the leaves from the stems and then roughly chop.
Step 2 – Assemble Your Salad
Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, season with sea salt and cracked black pepper.
Pour over olive oil and lemon juice, add the minced garlic and dried oregano and toss well to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings according to your liking.
Arrange in a salad bowl and keep chilled until ready to serve.
Serving Suggestions 🍽
This is such a quick and simple salad to put together with only a handful of ingredients which makes it an ideal side for weekday dinners.
It can be served with almost everything, try it with lamb chops; steak kebabs, kofta, lasagna, roast lemon chicken, grilled meats or fish.
Tips and Questions💡
What Makes This Salad Mediterranean?
It includes the classic Mediterranean flavour combination of sun-kissed tomatoes, crisp cucumber, aromatic parsley and oregano in a simple lemon, olive and garlic vinaigrette.
You will find many versions of this salad everywhere in the Mediterranean, you can add some onions for some pungent flavour, some cheese such as feta or mozzarella, olive, capers or peppers to change it up.
Can I Make It Ahead?
This mediterranean tomato-cucumber salad can be made several hours in advance and kept chilled in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
It is much nicer chilled on hot summer days, just give it a good mix through before serving.
How Can I Meal Prep for Weekday Lunches?
- Just make up the salad and portion it out into your containers.
- Shake up the dressing and place it in a separate small container to add to the salad just before eating.
- Keep in mind that it will only be good for approximately 3 days in the fridge.
- To make it more substantial, add a can of beans or tuna, your favourite cooked protein such as lamb fillets or grilled chicken or a cooked grain or pasta.
What Can I Do With the Leftovers?
- Still great in the fridge the day after once it has been dressed, you can add some cooked pasta or grains to bulk it up.
- But my all-time favourite thing to do with leftover tomato-based salads is to take out the cucumber, blitz the remaining salad, freeze it, and it is ready to take out and use the next time I am making a tomato-based sauce.
More Tomato Salad Recipes
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 560 grams heirloom tomatoes1 (4 medium – 17.5oz)
- 240 grams Lebanese or Persian cucumbers (2 medium – 11.15oz)
- ¼ cup parsley leaves
- Sea salt and cracked pepper
- 3 tbsps olive oil
- 2 tbsps lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
Instructions
- Wash, trim and cut tomatoes into large chunks.
- Wash, trim and cut cucumbers into half-moons.
- Wash parsley, shake dry, pick the leaves from the stems and then roughly chop.
- Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, season with sea salt and cracked black pepper.
- Pour over olive oil, lemon juice, add the minced garlic and dried oregano and toss well to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings according to your liking.
- Arrange in a salad bowl and keep chilled until ready to serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
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