This Greek cucumber tomato salad with feta is a fresh, no-lettuce twist on a Mediterranean classic. Made with crisp cucumber, juicy heirloom tomatoes, briny olives, and creamy feta, it’s tossed in a simple lemon and olive oil dressing that lets the ingredients shine.
When I've been to Europe, it is usually vinegar (an acid), oil, and one or two herbs for the dressing. Often they weren't even mixed, they were just poured and sprinkled on the salad then the salad was given a quick toss. It’s a colorful, easy salad that’s perfect for warm-weather meals, potlucks, or anytime you want a light and refreshing side.
This recipe is a nod to those simple ingredients. This Easy Caprese Pasta Salad also uses a small number of ingredients to create a wonderful dressing for the salad. As does this simple dill vinaigrette dressing.
Table of contents
Why You'll Love This Tomato and Cucumber Salad with Feta
- Fresh and Vibrant: The salad features a variety of colorful vegetables like cucumber, tomatoes, and bell peppers, offering a delightful crunch and burst of flavor in every bite.
- Salty and Tangy Accents: Feta cheese adds a creamy and salty element, while kalamata olives provide a touch of brine that perfectly complements the other ingredients.
- Simple and Customizable: This salad comes together quickly with minimal prep work. Feel free to adjust the vegetables based on your preferences or what's in season!
- 3 Ingredient Greek Dressing - this dressing is easy, fresh and flavorful and lets the salad ingredient flavors star in the show.
Ingredients
All ingredients for this cucumber feta cheese salad are simple, fresh ingredients. It is an easy but delicious salad to put together.
For the Salad
- 1 English cucumber, sliced
- 2 ripe tomatoes, cut up
- ½ green bell pepper, sliced into bite sized pieces
- 4 ounces feta cheese, cubed into ½ inch or smaller pieces
- ½ heaping cup whole Kalamata olives (or your preferred type)
For the Dressing
- A light and flavorful vinaigrette (Easy Greek Salad Dressing with three ingredients)
- If you have made this before and and/or are comfortable with just tossing together a quick dressing, all you need is:
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon dried oregano plus salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions:
Step 1
Prep the Vegetables: Wash and cut the cucumber, tomatoes, and bell pepper (if using) into bite-sized pieces.
Step 2
Assemble the Salad: In a large bowl, combine the sliced cucumber, tomatoes, bell pepper, feta cheese, and olives.
If your tomatoes are very juicy, you can remove the seeds using a small spoon. This will prevent the salad from having too much vegetable juice and from diluting the dressing.
Step 3
Dress and Serve: Drizzle your prepared vinaigrette over the salad and toss gently to coat all ingredients. Serve immediately and enjoy the fresh flavors of this classic Greek salad!
Tips:
- Use high-quality ingredients for the best flavor. Opt for fresh, seasonal vegetables and a good quality feta cheese.
- For a more vibrant salad, slice the cucumber with the peel on.
- Let the chopped vegetables sit for a few minutes before assembling the salad to allow any excess juices to release, preventing a watery salad.
If you are using my simple and fresh tasting Greek Salad Dressing, follow this link to my 3-ingredient Greek salad dressing recipe.
Storage
This salad does not store well once all the vegetables have been cut. If possible, prepare the amount needed for the meal. A few hours (4ish) before the meal is fine.
I do store this in the refrigerator when I have leftovers but I find I sometimes have to drain the vegetable liquid (mainly from the tomatoes and cucumbers) and add a splash of fresh dressing.
FAQs
Unfortunately, this recipe doesn't store for long once the vegetables and the tomatoes are sliced, To save time on the day of, I would have all the vegetables cleaned and ready to go in one bowl. Leftovers can be stored for 2 days in the refrigerator but this salad is best served fresh.
The dressing can be made the day before, but allow it to warm to room temperature prior to serving. Refrigerating the dressing will make it thicker or even solidify it (due to the olive oil).
Use about ½ a cup.
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Other Delicious Fresh Salads
Printable Recipe
Greek Cucumber Tomato Salad with Feta
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil use your favorite olive oil or extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice fresh squeezed from a lemon is best
- ½ teaspoon oregano dried
For the Salad
- 1 English Cucumber sliced (if using regular cucumbers, remove seeds)
- 1 Tomatoes thinly sliced. I prefer regular heirloom tomatoes for a vibrant fresh taste.
- ½ Green Pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
- 4 oz Feta Cheese cut into ½ inch squares (using crumbled feta is also fine!)
- ½ cup Olives Kalamara Olives - pitted and used whole.
Instructions
- Add olive oil, lemon juice and oregano into an 8 oz mason jar with a lid.
- Shake until emulsified
- Drizzle over your fresh Greek Salad and gently toss.
Notes
If you do have leftovers, refrigerate. You will probably have to pour off accumulated vegetable juices (from tomatoes and cucumber) and add a little more dressing.
Nutrition (I am not a nutritionist. These are estimates only)
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