Come summer and we all look for something fresh, cooling, healthy and tasty! Simple salad are always the top choice during this season. Salads are the base or you can say a centrepiece to summer parties. They are economical, easy to make, keeps you hydrated and so refreshing on hot days. Do you see those plump red tomatoes cubes and fresh dill in that picture above? When you are blessed to have home grown garden fresh ingredients like these, who wouldn’t want to indulge in this wholesome goodness! 🙂
Why You Will Love This Salad
I love to eat fresh wholesome salads as they are so nourishing and keeps you full. Out of many, one of my most favorite is this awesome Onion Cucumber and Tomato Salad recipe. Tossed in olive oil and vinegar, this amazing salad has all the goodness of cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, olives and dill. With few simple elements, you can toss this hearty and filling salad meal in less than 5 minutes. Believe me, you don’t even need to whisk the vinaigrette dressing separately. The dressing here is simple drizzle of olive oil and vinegar, that’s it! Once you eat this simple salad with red onion, tomatoes and cucumbers, you will definitely fall in love with it, it’s that good! You can eat a lot of it without feeling loaded. This is a classic one bowl salad which will take only few minutes of your time. Isn’t that easy, quick and super simple? Yes, it is! 🙂
Ingredients
Cucumber: English cucumbers are perfect for this recipe. You really don’t need to peel or to deseed them. They are quite tender! Simply cut them either in cubes or in slices and use. In case if you have no access to English cucumbers, then you can use regular Asian variety. Just peel them, scoop out the tough seeds if any and use. You can also use Persian cucumbers here. Tomatoes: I have used nice ripe and firm red tomatoes as well as cherry tomatoes here in this salad recipe. But, you can also use any one of them, if you wish to. Colorful cherry tomatoes also works great here. Onions: I love the crunch and punch of red onions in this recipe. It pairs perfect with the duo here. Onions, cucumbers and tomatoes are evergreen allies to each other. Together, they will never disappoint. Olives I have added this on my liking and it tastes great. Olives give nice Mediterranean kick to the salad. Dill leaves: Dill is my favourite herb and I love to pair it with almost every thing. It adds cool fresh hint and aroma. Be it Indian food or International cuisine, dill adds amazing freshness and flavor to the most food. Especially, grills, stew, curries, salads and soups. Oils and Vinegars: I always prefer to add extra virgin olive oil for the best taste. I am sure you all agree to this. Therefore, keep in mind to use good quality EVOO only. Balsamic vinegar adds nice tang here, but you can absolutely use red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar here as well. Finally, you will need some salt and pepper to taste.
How to make Cucumber Tomato Salad?
In a large bowl, add diced cucumbers, tomatoes, sliced onions, olives, dill, vinegar, EVOO, salt and pepper. Toss well and refrigerate for 10 minutes before serving.
Serving ideas
Serve this refreshing onion cucumber and tomato salad as sides to summer meals or eat it on it’s own.
Pair it as side dish to pasta, risotto, burgers and sandwiches. A bowlful of fresh salad along the side to fried or baked chicken, kebabs or baked Salmon is simply irresistible! The salad pairs perfect with Dal Makhani or Chicken Curry or Butter Chicken along with naan bread or Jeera Rice. At times, I toast some nice thick slices of sour dough bread drizzled with olive oil and garlic. And, then serve this salad with the toasted bread and boiled or scrambled eggs for breakfast, pure bliss!
Variation ideas
You can transform this simple salad into an exotic one easily using seasonal ingredients. They can be roasted Corn, Baby Spinach, Artichoke hearts, Radish, Edamame, Lettuce, and Avocado. Fruits like Mango, Apple, Strawberry and Pears are great option to go in.Combine this salad base with some grilled Halloumi cheese, crisp garlic croutons or leftover crusty sour dough.You can also use fresh basil, parsley or oregano along with dill or any of them. Toss a bit of garlic, add in some chilled pasta, you have nice and quick tomato salad with Italian flavors. Top it with some crumbled or cubed feta cheese to make delicious Greek style salad (do try my delicious Summer Tomato Salad with feta).Add some fresh mozzarella balls into it, or mix in some kidney beans or chickpeas to add more protein into this salad. Fresh mozzarella and tomatoes pairs amazing in salads.
All I would say here is do not limit your imagination and experiment to create your own new ideas.
More easy and Fresh Salads for you
If you made my Onion Cucumber and Tomato Salad Recipe, please let me know how it turned out for you! I’d love to hear through your comments and ratings below. If you’d like more deliciously easy recipe inspiration, follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook or YouTube. You can also get all of my newest content delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for my email newsletter.
đź“– Recipe
