• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About Chelsea
    • All About Paleo
  • Recipe Index
  • My Favorites
    • Favorites: Paleo Foods List
  • Subscribe

Chelsea Joy Eats

menu icon
go to homepage
  • About Chelsea
    • All About Paleo
  • Recipe Index
  • My Favorites
    • Favorites: Paleo Foods List
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About Chelsea
      • All About Paleo
    • Recipe Index
    • My Favorites
      • Favorites: Paleo Foods List
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Gluten Free Salad Recipes

    Jul 6, 2021 · Modified: Mar 4, 2022 by Chelsea · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · Tags: dairy free, gluten free, grain free, keto, low carb, nut free, paleo, primal, Whole Life Challenge, Whole30

    Mediterranean Tomato & Cucumber Salad

    Sharing content is one of the best ways to support this blog!

    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Print
    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    Fresh and vibrant, a Mediterranean Tomato & Cucumber Salad incorporates so many summer flavors! This salad comes together quickly and easily, but keeps fairly well in the fridge for a go-to dose of summer veggies. It's gluten free, vegan, Whole30, low carb, and keto.

    Mediterranean Tomato and Cucumber Salad with text overlay

    Ingredients for a Mediterranean-style tomato and cucumber salad

    Summer salads are often best with a pared down ingredients list that truly focuses on fresh vegetables and their inherently incredible flavors. Still, you'll need to pull in a few extra ingredients and fresh herbs to make this salad really pop!

    • cucumbers
    • cherry tomatoes
    • red onion
    • kalamata olives
    • fresh oregano
    • fresh mint
    • olive oil
    • red wine vinegar
    • feta cheese (optional)
    • Mediterranean tomato and cucumber salad with fresh herbs
    • Fresh vegetables and herbs laid out on a dark background

    Do I have to peel the cucumbers for salads?

    No, it's not entirely necessarily — but peeling them in sections as I did for the photos adds a nice visual touch to this salad!

    Some find the peel of a cucumber, expecially out-of-season cucumbers, to be rather bitter or tough. If you fall into this category or you know the cukes in your pantry have a thick skin, you may fare better with peeling them.

    Why macerate the onions?

    As you read through the instructions for this recipe, you'll see that an extra 15 minutes is devoted to macerating the onions — essentially just letting them sit in the red wine vinegar for a while.

    Macerating is a way of softening food in liquid. I like using the method to take a bit of the bite out of fresh onions. After all, it's so easy for onions to overpower the rest of a dish. The acid in the red wine vinegar will help to draw out that intense bite and soften the onions a bit without completely wiping out the welcome crunch and flavor.

    So, you can skip this step, but I don't recommend it! Otherwise the onions may overpower the rest of the salad.

    • Fresh vegetables and herbs for a tomato and cucumber salad laid out on a wooden tray
    • Mediterranean tomato and cucumber salad with fresh herbs

    More colorful summer salad recipes

    Bowl of Greek salad with grilled chicken
    Mediterranean Cauliflower Salad Recipe | DoYouEvenPaleo.net
    Thai Cabbage Salad with Sunbutter Dressing | DoYouEvenPaleo.net

    Did you try this recipe? I'd love to hear what you think! Comment below or tag me on Instagram.

    Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    cucumber and tomato salad with fresh herbs and feta cheese

    Mediterranean Tomato & Cucumber Salad

    • Author: Chelsea Joy
    • Prep Time: 20 minutes
    • Total Time: 30 minutes
    • Yield: 6 servings 1x
    • Category: Salad
    • Method: No Cook
    • Cuisine: Mediterranean
    • Diet: Gluten Free
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    Fresh, vibrant Mediterranean Tomato & Cucumber Salad incorporates so many summer flavors! Macerating the red onions at the beginning cuts down on their tear-inducing bite, but adds a slightly pickled flavor to the salad. Don't skip that step!


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
    • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
    • 2 cups cherry tomatoes
    • 2 cucumbers (roughly 4 cups sliced)
    • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano
    • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
    • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
    • 2 ounces feta cheese (optional)
    • ¼ cup kalamata olives (optional)

    Instructions

    1. Combine the sliced red onion and red wine vinegar in a jar. Set aside for 15 to 30 minutes to let the onions macerate and soften (the longer they sit, the softer and more flavorful they will be). Meanwhile, prep the rest of the vegetables by halving the cherry tomatoes and slicing the cucumbers thinly. After the onions have macerated, drain the vinegar into a separate bowl.
    2. Add the cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, oregano, and mint to a large bowl. In a separate, smaller bowl, add 1 tablespoon of the reserved vinegar. While stirring vigorously, add the extra virgin olive oil. Stir in salt and pepper, then taste. Add more of the reserved vinegar if desired. Pour the dressing over the tomato and cucumber mixture, then toss to coat.
    3. If using kalamata olives, add them and toss the salad. If using feta cheese, crumble it over the top of the salad just before serving.

    Keywords: tomato cucumber salad

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @chelseajoyeats on Instagram and hashtag it #chelseajoyeats

    More Gluten Free Salad Recipes

    • BLT Breakfast Bowls (Low Carb)
    • Bacon, Spinach, and Red Onion Salad
    • Classic Chicken Salad (Paleo & Low Carb)
    • Whole30 Herbed Chopped Salad

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    About Me:

    DoYouEvenPaleo.net
    Hello! I'm Chelsea, the author, recipe developer, and photographer behind Chelsea Joy Eats (formerly DoYouEvenPaleo). Life should be full of flavor, and I've made it my mission to bring you recipes and lifestyle advice that do just that. Most of the recipes here are paleo and gluten free! Want to know more?

    Latest Videos

    Me, In Your Inbox:

    Footer

    Heads up! Some of the links above may be affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. There's no additional cost to you for doing this, and it's incredibly helpful for me. If you do decide to purchase something from an affiliate link, thanks in advance for your amazing support (which helps to keep me going)! Check out my entire disclosure, privacy policy, and copyright for more info.

    FeedFeed

    Copyright © 2023 Chelsea Joy Eats on the Cookd Pro Theme

    90 shares