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cucumber tomato salad in a shallow green bowl

Cucumber Tomato Salad

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This simple cucumber tomato salad is always the star of the show with its sweet tangy vinaigrette, rich creamy mozzarella, and crisp summer veggies.

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Cucumber tomato salad is of those refreshing salad recipes with a tangy pop of flavor in every single bite. It’s one of the classic dishes that’s withstood the test of time offering a welcome and scrumptious reprieve from the summer heat.

It takes me right back to my Grandma’s little pink kitchen. She had a table for four at one end with a beautiful corner window where she and I would sit, eating this old-fashioned salad and watching the squirrels and birds play in her garden.

Every time I make this salad, I’m immediately transported back to that table and the special lunches we shared. That’s why I love this salad so much! I know that cucumber salad recipes are kind of a dime a dozen. So, when you come across one of these amazing tomato salad recipes that are simple and delicious – it’s a keeper!

If you’re planning a holiday menu, be sure to browse my Easter Side Dishes for more fresh, crowd-pleasing recipes. And when you’re ready for even more variety, try my Grandma’s Carrot Salad, Creamy Cucumber Salad, or Copycat KFC Coleslaw.

cucumber tomato salad in a shallow green bowl

 

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS RECIPE

  • This salad is full of crisp cucumbers, perky tomatoes, and peppery red onion.
  •  It also makes for perfect potlucks and afternoon picnics

HOW TO MAKE CUCUMBER TOMATO SALAD RECIPE

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, toss the sliced cucumbers with 1 teaspoon salt, then allow to sit for 1 hour at room temperature to “sweat”. Drain off liquid.
  3. Add tomatoes, mozzarella, onions, and dressing to drained cucumbers and toss until ingredients are evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour before serving. Adjust seasoning and serve. Store leftovers in the fridge.

**See Full Instructions Below

cucumber tomato onion salad, close up

CUCUMBER TOMATO SALAD INGREDIENTS

  • Cucumbers –I like to use English cucumbers in my salad rather than the shorter, slicing variety mainly because they have smaller seeds.
    • If you can’t find English cucumbers or those kitchen countertops are full of the slicing of Kirby varieties, you can definitely substitute five or six in this recipe.
    • If you’re concerned at all about the bitterness, cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise, then scoop out the seeds with a spoon and discard them before slicing the cucumbers.
  • Tomatoes –  When choosing tomatoes, I prefer grapes to their larger cousins because they’re predictably sweet and lower on the acid scale, plus they hold their shape better, especially since the skins are intact.
  • Vinegar – If you’re looking for a vinegar substitute because you’re not a fan of balsamic, you can definitely stick with my grandmother’s choice of apple cider vinegar.
    • Feel free to experiment with white or red wine vinegar too. You just may find you need an extra pinch or two of sugar if you use something other than the balsamic.
  • Balsamic vinegar – The tangy Balsamic vinaigrette is a big part of this cucumber salad, but you can make it with store-bought dressing. Of course, I love the homemade stuff, but I totally understand the need for convenience too.
  • Raw Onions- I know some people shy away from raw onion in salads, but they’re a wonderful contrast to the cucumbers in my cucumber tomato onion salad. The subtle heat gets toned down by the cooling quality of the cucumbers, plus they add extra crunch and color. The balsamic vinegar helps to smooth out the flavors a bit too, so trust me on this one.

CUCUMBER TOMATO SALAD TIPS

You’ll want to sweat your cucumbers with a little salt before mixing up your cucumber salad to pull out some of the moisture. This helps keep your salad from being watered down after it sits in the fridge.

I recommend an hour of chill time in the icebox before serving but everyone has different tastes. My family loves this cucumber tomato salad immediately after it’s made while those cukes are super crunchy. Chill time will soften them just a little, but it also gives all those flavors time to mingle and soak in.

cucumber tomato onion salad in a shallow green bowl

STORING + FREEZING + MAKE-AHEAD

  • How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? This refreshing salad will stay fresh and yummy in the fridge for up to 3-4 days when stored properly. You’ll want to keep it in an airtight container to protect the integrity of the ingredients.
  • Can You Freeze This? Well – the good news is that this salad only has 10-minute prep time. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t freeze well but who needs to freeze it? The FAM is gonna’ want to gobble this up as soon as it’s ready.
  • Make-Ahead Tips: This is one of those outstanding salads that gets even better as it chills in the fridge. The flavors mingle and coat the veggies for an extraordinary burst of flavor in every single bite. If time is a factor, you can make the entire salad a day or so ahead, or you can whip up the tangy vinaigrette and add it to the veggies a couple of hours before serving.
  • Safety Info: It is important to observe the FDA recommended a 2 hour serving rule.

SERVING RECOMMENDATIONS

I absolutely love the way this cucumber tomato salad complements the flavor of million dollar chicken or my delicious beef shish kabobs. They make a phenomenal flavor pair for dinner. If you’re short on time after a long hard day, then whip up a batch of Italian dressing chicken to go with your salad.

I also like to serve this as a side dish for one of our backyard grill fests and ladies’ lunch, but you can also serve it like my Grandma did, as a great, light lunch with some crusty bread.

MORE DELICIOUS SALADS

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cucumber tomato salad in a shallow green bowl
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Cucumber Tomato Salad

This simple cucumber tomato salad is always the star of the show with its sweet tangy vinaigrette, rich creamy mozzarella, and crisp summer veggies.
Prep Time10 minutes
Resting Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Kathleen

Ingredients

Dressing:

  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Salad

  • 3 English cucumbers thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups grape tomatoes cut in half
  • 2 cups Mozzarella cut into small cubes
  • 1 cup red onions thinly sliced
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, toss the sliced cucumbers (3) with 1 teaspoon salt, then allow to sit for 1 hour at room temperature to "sweat". Drain off liquid.
  • Add tomatoes (2 cups), Mozzarella (2 cups), onions (1 cup), and dressing to drained cucumbers and toss until ingredients are evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. Adjust seasoning and serve. Store leftovers in the fridge.

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Notes

  1. You’ll want to sweat your cucumbers with a little salt before mixing up your cucumber salad to pull out some of the moisture. This helps keeps your salad from being watered down after it sits in the fridge.
  2. I recommend an hour of chill time in the icebox before serving but everyone has different tastes. My family loves this cucumber tomato salad immediately after it’s made while those cukes are super crunchy. Chill time will soften them just a little, but it also gives all those flavors time to mingle and soak in.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of the recipe | Calories: 328kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 631mg | Potassium: 425mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 835IU | Vitamin C: 13.3mg | Calcium: 239mg | Iron: 1.2mg
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. MEG says

    I have made this 3X and it works so well, even when I don’t have the right ingredients. The key is the balsamic because everything is less … harsh. I have never had English cukes so I’m stuck de-seeding regular ones. Not easy to cut on a mandolin, however, after de-watering them with salt for an hour. I have even de-seeded my tomatoes, not having any grape or cherry, even. Both the de-seeded tomatoes and cuke slices get DRIED before adding together to decrease water content. Never needed to substitute another oil for the olive, and I’d never sub in jarred garlic bits-only fresh will do! And keep in mind, the vinaigrette amounts can be halved because leftovers tend to get marinaded. Love the idea of adding pasta to the salad if you end up making the full amounts for the vinaigrette!
    (As for the blog write up, I think “sinfully” delicious is a poor choice of adjective and there’s no call to push alcohol when the correct word is “beverage” for “All you need is a drink to complete a meal!” but I do love all of your explanations and descriptions of ingredients.)

    Reply

  4. JOHN JOSEPH RYAN says

    Made it with hot house cucumbers but still salted them for an hour and then drained with colander and amazed at the amount of liquid that came through. However, I cheated, instead of the dressing i used an italian salad dressing, about two tbs and left it to marinate overnight and i was quite happy with the way the salad came out.

    Reply

    • Kathleen says

      Hi Bonnie! I haven’t tried using canoli oil on salad yet but I think you can. If you give it a try, let us know how it turns out for you. Good luck!

      Reply

  6. Kristin says

    This sounds amazing, I was wondering if you have ever added a brown rice pasta to it? Or if you have a similar recipe that would have pasta noodles included.

    Reply

    • Kathleen says

      Hi Kristin. No, I haven’t added any pasta to this salad. The recipe makes a lot of dressing. It serves as a marinade as well. I think it the old fashioned way to make it. Anyway, the reason I mention this is you could likely add a good amount of cooked pasta and have enough dressing to cover it without having to increase the recipe. Let us know if you try it! 🙂

      Reply

  7. Mary Eileen Gill says

    I made this recipe but halved the amount for the dressing, and I only had 2 cucumbers, not 3. It is fantastic and so much less bitter than any cucumber salads I’ve made previously.

    Reply

  9. Mary says

    This is so darn delicious and addicting. I love how easy it is to make and best when nice and cold. Thank you. So yummy!

    Reply

  10. Carol says

    I don’t like cucumbers at all! What might be a good substitute because everything else in this salad sounds so good with the balsamic dressing!

    Reply

    • Kathleen Smith says

      Oh Carol! Hmmmm, what about some grilled zucchini. Grill it just until its tender, but firm (Not mushy) then cool it and cube it up. I think that would be AMAZING! I love grilling extra veggies whenever I light up my grill and saving them to use the next day. Thanks for the question, I’m totally going to make it that way <3

      Reply

  11. Gerlinde says

    I just found your blog on Facebook and I absolutely loved the pecan bars which I pinned to make later . I also like this salad , I will make that tonight with feta cheese.

    Reply

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