This cucumber tomato feta salad is easy, simple and so delicious. It’s made with just a few ingredients and is one of our favorite summer salad recipes.
One can never have enough salad recipes, right? I love using fresh and seasonal ingredients in my salads and serve them with fresh and bright dressings. Some of our favorite summer salads are couscous salad and Turkish tomato salad. This tomato feta salad is a staple in our kitchen because it’s packed with flavor in every bite and is perfect for warm summer days.
What does feta cheese taste like?
Feta cheese is a firm cheese that’s common in the Middle East and the Mediterranean regions. It’s known as a breakfast cheese but is also used in salads and savory pastries.
Feta has a bold salty and tangy flavor and is made from sheep or goat’s milk. It’s easy to crumble feta and you can easily sprinkle it on salads to give them that pungent flavor that makes them so tasty!
How do you use feta cheese?
What I love about feta is that it’s so versatile. You can use feta as a breakfast cheese, or as a filling or topping for flatbread. Marinated feta in olive oil is a delicious addition to any appetizer platter and you can give so much flavor to a humble salad like this Greek chickpea salad by adding some crumbled feta to it. One of the best ways to use feta is to make a traditional Greek salad with fresh ingredients and a nice block of feta.
You can also sprinkle feta on your grilled or roasted vegetables or just add it to a sandwich. Another favorite way to use feta is to make it into a dip. I love this whipped feta dip topped with honey and oregano.
Tomato feta salad ingredients
This feta salad recipe calls for some simple ingredients that you probably already have at hand:
- Persian cucumber: I love using Persian or mini cucumber instead of English cucumber because they’re crisp, and have thinner peel.
- Tomatoes: You can use any kind of tomatoes that you prefer for salads. I usually use Roma tomatoes, but cherry or grape tomatoes work just as fine.
- Red onion: A little bit of red onion makes this summer salad so delicious.
- Feta cheese: Make sure you’re getting a good quality feta as it’s going to be the star of the dish.
- Fresh mint: Herbs are perfect for summer salads.
- Walnuts: You can add walnuts for some extra crunch.
- Olives: I love adding pitted olives (green or kalamata) to this feta salad.
These are the ingredients I use to make this feta and cucumber salad. However, if I don’t have olives or walnuts at hand, I simply skip it. If you’re not a fan of olives or fresh mint, you can leave them out. But don’t skip the feta, it’s the best part of this salad!
What kind of feta should I buy?
In order to buy good feta cheese, you should know what a good feta looks like. First of all, always opt for a block of feta and not crumbled feta for two reasons: feta blocks are more inexpensive and feta crumbles can be dry. It’s best to crumble feta fresh and right before using it. It’s best to buy feta from ethnic Greek or Turkish stores, however, you can find good quality feta at supermarkets, too.
How to make cucumber feta salad
Start by making the feta salad dressing and set it aside. Then chop the tomatoes, cucumbers and then red onion. Place the vegetables in a large bowl and add in chopped walnuts, and diced feta cheese. Add in the olives and chopped mint. Stir well to make sure the ingredients are well incorporated.
Add in the lemon mint dressing and gently stir the feta salad using a wooden spoon. Serve immediately.
Feta salad dressing
The dressing for this cucumber feta salad is a lemon mint dressing. I’ve used dried mint to make this dressing which gives it a nice aroma without overpowering the flavor. Because of lemon, this salad dressing has such bright flavor and is perfect for summer.
What to serve cucumber feta salad with
This homemade tomato cucumber feta salad is ideal for summer and goes so well with any kind of grilled meat such as beef shish kabob or chicken shish kabob. I love serving it with some Keftedes (Greek meatballs) or Karniyarik (Turkish stuffed eggplants) as well. Okay, I think we all know what dinner is going to be tonight!
Looking for more Mediterranean salad recipes?
Variations:
- Add canned chickpeas or canned white beans.
- Swap parsley or fresh dill for mint.
- Add romaine lettuce.
- Use cherry tomatoes instead of roma tomatoes.
It’s best to make this salad right before serving since it’s made with tomatoes. This is an easy feta cucumber tomato salad that you can make a few minutes before serving. The dressing doesn’t contain much salt because feta itself has enough salt. However, taste before serving and add more salt if needed.
Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad
Ingredients
- 3 Persian cucumbers chopped
- 2 Roma tomatoes chopped
- 1/2 red onion sliced
- 4 oz Feta cheese cubed
- 1/2 cup fresh mint chopped
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
- 1/2 cup olives
Feta Salad Dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 lemon juice of
- 2 tsp dried mint
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix chopped cucumber, tomatoes, and onion.
- Add in cubes feta, mint and walnuts. Stir to combine.
- Stir in the olives.
- Make the dressing by mixing olive oil, lemon juice, dried mint, salt and pepper in a jar.
- Pour the dressing on the salad right before serving.
- Stir and taste, add more salt if needed.
- Serve immediately.
Beth
What a fresh and flavorful salad! I’m with you and can never have too many salads in my recipe book!
Kalee
I love how fresh and delicious this salad is! I’m always a fan of feta cheese too! This is a perfect blend of flavors!