Easy Cucumber Tomato Salad with a balsamic dressing is a refreshing and healthy dish that is easy to make and packed with flavor? This dish is perfect for a summer barbecue, a light lunch, or as a side dish for any meal.
Not only is this cucumber and tomato salad delicious, but it is also packed with health benefits. Cucumbers are low in calories but high in nutrients, including vitamin C and fiber. Tomatoes are also rich in vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C, potassium, and lycopene, which has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties.
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SIS Tip – Simple is Smart Tip.
This recipe includes sliced or diced red onions. Red onions can be hot and spicy if they don’t get enough water when they are growing. If your red onion is too spicy, slice it into very thin slices and pickle the onion before you add it to the salad. Here is a quick and easy Pickled Red Onion recipe.
Neuro Nutrition Nugget
Even though cucumbers might appear unremarkable, they offer a lot more than just hydration. This vegetable contains a range of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and electrolytes, most of which are found in its peel and seeds.
Technically, cucumbers are fruits and belong to the cucurbitaceae family, which includes other foods such as watermelon, courgette, and pumpkin.
Although cucumbers are not widely known as superfoods, they have been a part of Indian traditional medicine for centuries. Cucumbers have been found to offer numerous benefits, including brain health. They contain a flavonoid called fisetin, which research has shown can protect nerve cells, boost memory, and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s.
The combination of nutrients found in cucumbers can provide benefits such as improved hydration, weight loss, digestion, and gut health.
Ingredients for Cucumber Tomato Salad
Cucumbers: I use either English cucumbers and remove the seeds or mini cucumbers and don’t remove the seeds.
Tomatoes: A garden-fresh beefsteak is the best. However, in the winter, the grape or cherry tomatoes cut in half are good.
Red Onions: A medium red onion or sweet onion. I like to pickle the onion the day before because it adds a pretty color to the salad.
Fresh Basil: If you don’t have fresh Basil use some Italian parsley to add color and add a tsp. of dried basil to the dressing
Vinegarette Dressing:
Olive Oil: use extra virgin olive oil.
Aged Balsamic Vinegar: The more Balsamic Vinegar is aged the sweeter it becomes. I use a 25 year aged vinegar.
Roasted Garlic Cloves: How to Roast Garlic. Roast the garlic and store the roasted cloves in olive oil in the fridge. Don’t store at room temperature.
Dijon Mustard: If you don’t have Dijon, use spicy brown mustard.
Black Pepper: to taste
Dried Oregano: You can use 1 Tbsp. Fresh diced Oregano.
Mozzarella Pearls – This salad is Vegan without the Mozzarella. You can also dice up a larger ball of mozzarella.
Step by Step Instructions:
Instructions for Cucumber Tomato Salad
- Peel the cucumber, cut the peeled cucumber in half, and scoop out the seeds. If the seeds are tiny, you can leave them in the cucumber. Then slice each cucumber half into about 1/2 inch-thick, half-moon slices.
- Dice the tomato, or cut the grape tomatoes in half if you are using grape tomatoes.
- Finely chop the basil.
Make the Vinegarette
- Add the olive oil and balsamic vinegar to a small bowl. Add the garlic, mustard, black pepper, and oregano.
- Whisk to combine
- Pour over the cucumbers and tomatoes.
Finish and Serve the Cucumber Tomato Salad
- Toss the cucumbers and tomatoes together
- Add the optional mini mozzarella pearls.
- Toss to combine
- Sprinkle with the Fresh chopped Basil
- Serve immediately
- This salad is best eaten on the first day. You can refrigerate the leftovers in an airtight container for one to two days max.
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Equipment
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Ingredients
- 1 12 oz English cucumber
- 1 16 oz. large beefsteak tomato
- 1 medium red onion diced fine or sliced and pickled if it's hot or spicy.
- 1 tbsp Fresh Chopped basil. more if you love basil
Vinegarette Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup aged balsamic vinegar
- 3 cloves roasted garlic mashed, diced or sliced
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 cup mini mozzarella pearls is optional if you aren't Vegan.
Instructions
- Peel the cucumber, cut the peeled cucumber in half, and scoop out the seeds. Then slice each half into half-moon slices.
- Dice the tomato
- Chop the Basil fine.
Make the Vinegarette
- Toss the cucumbers and tomatoes together and put in a shallow salad bowl
- Add the optional mini mozzarella pearls.
- Add the olive oil and balsamic vinegar to a small bowl. Add the garlic, mustard, black pepper and oregano.
- Whisk to combine and pour over the cucumbers and tomatoes. Toss to combine
- Sprinkle with the Fresh chopped Basil
- Serve immediately
- This salad is best eaten the first day. You can refrigerate the left overs in an airtight container for one to two days max.
Video
Nutrition
I’ve been looking for Easy Cucumber Tomato Salad recipes and this one gives me all the steps I need. And it only takes 15 minutes to make, very convenient.
Thank you for taking the time to comment. Enjoy this fresh, bright and delicious salad.