Mediterranean
Cucumber Tomato Salad
Cucumber, tomato, and red onion with olive oil, red wine vinegar, and feta. A raw side that takes about 15 minutes and no stove.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 0 min
- Total
- 15 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- No cooking. It is ready when it is dressed.
- Salt and a short rest pull water out so the dressing is not watery.
- Feta adds salt so you do not need much more.
- It sits next to grilled meat or a grain bowl without competing.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Toss the cucumber, tomatoes, and onion with the salt. Let them sit 5 minutes.
- 2
Drain off the watery liquid that collects if there is a lot of it.
- 3
Add the oil, vinegar, and pepper. Toss.
- 4
Add the feta and herbs.
- 5
Taste. Add a pinch more salt or vinegar if it is dull.
- 6
Serve soon. It is best within an hour.
Pro tips
- Salty feta means you may not need the full half teaspoon on the vegetables. Taste.
- English cucumbers have fewer seeds and less water.
- Cut the pieces a similar size so every bite has both.
Easy substitutions
- Feta
- A few olives, chopped, if you are skipping cheese.
- Red wine vinegar
- Lemon juice.
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate up to 1 day. It will get soupier.
Reheating
Do not heat it. Eat it cold.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 120
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 7 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
Budget friendly
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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