Cucumber salad is one of those summer dishes that everyone loves. It's a classic! It's served at pretty much every outdoor summer gathering, and it's the perfect recipe to show off the best of the best of fresh summer produce! My recipe has a touch of sweetness and a touch of heat. You are definitely going to want to bring this to your next backyard BBQ.
I know, I know. It's almost fall and I should be switching into pumpkin/squash everything mode with my recipes, but it's still 174 degrees in Maryland. I'm just not ready to make that transition. The autumn themed recipes are coming; I PROMISE.
Not to mention, I make cucumber salads quite often. Even in the dead of winter. I love having a big bowl in my fridge when I'm craving some fresh veggies. Truthfully, I don't think I've ever followed a recipe for cucumber salad or made the same one twice, so I figured it was about time I put a cucumber salad recipe on paper. So here it is!
I'm obsessed with how colorful this one is. This time of year is ideal for cucumber salads because produce is being harvested at it's finest, and when it's this hot outside sometimes a cool, refreshing salad is all you want. This salad would be great served alongside burgers and dogs or as an addition to your weekly meal prep. I almost always have a cucumber salad stashed in my fridge for an easy vegetable fix. They last up to a week in the fridge!
With just a few ingredients (that you probably already have on hand), and about 10 minutes of work you can have this salad ready in no time! Here's what you'll need:
For the Veggies:
- 1 large tomato (sliced into bite size pieces)
- 1 large cucumber (sliced into bite size pieces)
- ½ of a small red onion (thinly sliced)
- Fresh parsley; I like tearing off a few pieces and using it as garnish before serving, but that's totally not a necessity.
This recipe is super customizable. You can swap out the tomato slices for halved campari tomatoes or use a few small pickling cucumbers instead of one large one. Use whatever you have on hand!
For the Dressing:
- 3 tablespoons sweet Italian vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon dried dill
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Once again, the dressing can be easily modified with items you probably already have. Any sweet vinegar will work just fine, and you could easily play around with the spice blend. As long as you use a 3:1 ratio for the vinegar and the olive oil, your dressing will turn out great!
To assemble this salad simply slice the veggies, whisk together the dressing ingredients until smooth and then toss it all together! Yup, that's it! I like letting it chill in the fridge for an hour or so before serving. The veggies will absorb some of the flavorful dressing, but still be crisp and absolutely delicious!
I hope you try this delicious recipe full of garden delights. Please take lots of photos! I love, love, love seeing your recipe recreations. Tag me and use the hashtag #paleoishkristaeats on Instagram! Drop a comment below and let me know what you think! Many thanks!
PIN NOW! MAKE LATER!
Easy Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 1 tomato large
- 1 cucumber large
- ½ red onion small
- 2 tablespons parsley fresh
Dressing
- 3 tablepoons sweet Italian vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dill dried
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Slice the tomato and cucumber into bite size pieces. Thinly slice the red onion. Combine the vegetables in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients until smooth.
- Add dressing to the bowl with the vegetables and gently toss to combine.
- Refrigerate for an hour. Garnish with torn parsley before serving.
