Easy Cucumber Tomato Onion Salad

For me, salads are always the perfect side dishes. They are so refreshing and light. It’s almost like they cleanse the palate when eaten alongside a heavy meal.

You can either have them before your meal or, like me, with the meal.

Having them before the entree is perfect if you’re looking to lose a few pounds because it satisfies you, and you don’t eat as much of everything else.

This cucumber, tomato, and onion salad is made even better by adding Feta cheese and fresh chopped herbs like parsley and dill. No leafy greens are involved in this one.

I love salads and have tried quite a few recipes. Some fun ones like Popcorn Salad, sweet ones like Cranberry Salad, and my Healthier Waldorf Salad. 

Colorful salads like my beautiful Tossed Salad, and the classic Caesar Salad. 

Ingredients Needed

• English cucumbers: I love them because they are seedless. This makes the salad less soggy. 
• Beef tomatoes. These were the ones I had on hand, but you can use your favorite variety.
• Red onion: I just love its bright purple color and rather spicy flavor. You can use your favorite onion.
• Feta cheese is a bit salty, and it gives the salad a creamy texture that goes so perfectly with tomatoes and cucumbers.
• Parsley and dill: if you have never added chopped herbs to a salad, you should start doing it now. It is amazing the amount of flavor they provide. For me, they are game-changers!
• Apple cider vinegar: is the healthiest option and the one I like the most. Red wine vinegar is also a great option.
• Extra virgin olive oil: the perfect and healthier option for any salad. 
• Sugar: just a touch of sugar makes every dressing better. You can also use honey or maple syrup. 
• Salt and pepper: add them to taste. Freshly ground pepper is better than store-bought pre-ground, which can lose its flavor with time.

How To Make Tomato Cucumber Salad

1. Using a large salad bowl, combine sliced cucumber, chopped tomato, sliced onion, chopped parsley, and dill.
2. Add the Feta crumbles.
3. Mix the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper, drizzle over the salad, and toss to combine. 

How To Make Salad Dressing At Home

This dressing is very simple. All you have to do is whisk all the ingredients together.

Whenever I am making a salad dressing, depending on the amount, I will use either a whisk or a blender. Oil and vinegar and all the other ingredients have to be thoroughly combined, and air must be incorporated into the mixture so it emulsifies.

Commercially sold dressings have emulsifying agents added that ensure their stability. Since we are making it at home, the whisk or blender is our best option.

What To Serve With Tomato-cucumber Salad?

Oh, the possibilities are endless! My family loves when I make Cilantro Lime Chicken and serve this salad as a side dish.

Or, I would recommend that you keep a chicken pot pie in the freezer, and whenever you don’t want to cook, you just thaw it and serve this simple salad with it.

Another great recipe to serve salad with is Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken, it is so easy and fast, you’ll have dinner on the table in no time.

Baked Bone-In Chicken Breast is another great partner for this salad. It is a little fancier for when you have guests over. If you’re serving meat, this salad would go great with Lipton Onion Soup Meatloaf.

What about making some meatballs with our Tex Mex Meatball Recipe and making it with cucumber tomato salad? I saved the best for last.

This is my favorite salad to serve whenever I make The Best Marinated and Grilled Flank Steak because of the perfect summer salad!

Can You Make Cucumber And Tomato Onion Salad Ahead Of Time?

Yes, you can. The good thing about this salad is the absence of lettuce or any other leafy green. When you add dressing to salads containing leafy greens, they generally don’t last too long because they become soggy very quickly.

This salad doesn’t have that problem. Since English cucumbers don’t have too many seeds, it doesn’t become watery. I suggest taking the seeds out of the tomatoes if you plan to make this salad ahead of time.

You can either wait until you plan to serve it to add the dressing, or you can store it with the dressing already mixed in, but only if you plan to serve it within the next day.

Otherwise, it will be wiser to have all your veggies chopped and mixed but add the dressing at the very end.

Recipe tips

1. Seed the tomatoes if you can. This makes the salad less “watery.”
2. Try to make all the cucumber slices the same width and the tomato cubes the same size. It just makes the salad look prettier.
3. Make the dressing in a separate bowl and use a whisk to mix the ingredients instead of adding them all one by one on top of the veggies. This way, you don’t have to over-toss the salad to get everything to mix.
4. If you are not serving the salad immediately, store it in the fridge until you do.
5. Make-ahead salads are better tossed with the dressing until you are ready to serve them. Store the veggies already chopped in the fridge and add the dressing a few minutes before serving it.