Mediterranean Cucumber and Tomato Salad with Feta
This easy cucumber and tomato salad is made with simple ingredients like fresh tomatoes, crisp cucumber, feta cheese and a delicious homemade dressing!
Servings: 6 servings
Equipment
- Medium Saucepan
- Large Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 pints ripe cherry tomatoes quartered (about 4 cups) or grape tomatoes
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 medium shallot minced
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ground black pepper
- 1 medium cucumber peeled, seeded and diced into ½-inch chunks
- 4 ounces feta cheese crumbled
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh parsley minced
Instructions
- Combine the tomatoes, salt and sugar in a medium bowl; toss to combine. Let stand for 30 minutes.
- Transfer the mixture to a salad spinner and spin until the seeds and excess liquid have been removed, about 1 minute. Stir to redistribute the tomatoes during spinning as needed. Return the tomatoes to the bowl and set aside. (If you don’t have a salad spinner, you can put the tomatoes in a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and gently shake the bowl to remove the excess seeds and liquid.) Strain the tomato liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a liquid measuring cup, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible.
- Combine no more than ½ cup of the tomato liquid with the garlic, oregano, shallot and vinegar in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Simmer until the mixture is reduced, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Whisk in the oil, and season with pepper to taste.
- Add the cucumber, feta, dressing and parsley to the bowl with the tomatoes. Toss gently and serve.
Notes
- You can substitute cherry tomatoes with grape tomatoes.
- You can use Persian cucumber, English cucumber or standard cucumber.
- You can omit the sugar, if desired.
- If you don't have a salad spinner, follow alternative directions above.
- Don't be too concerned if you don't have very much tomato liquid. Even after spinning the tomatoes, sometimes you may get even less than 1/4 of a cup. Combine whatever liquid you have, up to 1/2 cup, with the other ingredients and decrease the amount of time to simmer on the stove.
- Store this salad in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 0g | Calories: 132kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 327mg | Potassium: 437mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 945IU | Vitamin C: 39.1mg | Calcium: 122mg | Iron: 1.5mg