Name: Mediterranean Watermelon Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 1 tablespoon lime juice (about 1/2 a lime); 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper; 8 cups cubed watermelon (1/2 a medium watermelon); 4 cups thinly sliced cucumber (about 2 large cucumbers); 1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives; 1/4 packed cup chopped fresh mint; 1/2 cup cubed feta cheese (optional)

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Summer is here and 4th of July is just around the corner—my Mediterranean Watermelon Salad is perfect for both!

I originally made this salad in 2016 for a cookout with friends. I wasn't sure what the reaction would be (I honestly threw the ingredients together willy-nilly) but everyone enthusiastically gobbled it up. Soon my guests asked for the recipe. For a food blogger, that's a sure sign you've got a winning combo on your hands!

I jotted down what I remembered and vowed to make it again. But autumn came too quickly and I missed the window for summery watermelon recipes. Once summer rolled around this year, I was itching to recreate this recipe.

It's finally ready for you!

First thing's first. How do you cut a watermelon?

Some very ingenious people have come up with different ways. To cube watermelon for this recipe, this is my favorite method. No fuss watermelon cubes every time! Plus, if you just skip the last horizontal slices you end up with watermelon "sticks" that are perfect for snacking. Pro tip. *wink*

Next, we've got to cover the issue of the feta. Well, it's not exactly an issue, but it may seem a little out of place considering most of my recipes are dairy free (and, of course, this is a paleo blog). As I've covered before, I'm not "perfect paleo", and I sometimes include a little diary in my recipes.

You can easily take the feta out if you don't want to include it or can't tolerate dairy. If you want to include it, yay! Toss it in! I try not to randomly throw cheese in a recipe just for the sake of having it, and I honestly think the feta adds a little somethin' somethin' to this salad. But without cheese, it's still a dang delicious salad.

Fresh watermelon and cucumber studded with kalamata olives, fresh mint, and feta. You can't get much more summery than that. Bring this Mediterranean salad to a potluck or hoard it all for yourself — I won't tell!

This salad is best served as soon as it's all tossed together. The leftovers can get a little soggy... that said, I definitely ate the leftovers throughout the week and wasn't mad about it. So when you're serving to guests, throw it together right before the gathering. Then rejoice if there are leftovers because you get to feast!

Mediterranean Watermelon Salad

📖 Recipe

Mediterranean Watermelon Salad

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Author: Chelsea at Do You Even Paleo
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 6 hefty servings 1x
Category: Side dish
Method: chopped
Cuisine: Mediterranean

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Ingredients

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2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lime juice (about ½ a lime)
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
8 cups cubed watermelon (½ a medium watermelon)
4 cups thinly sliced cucumber (about 2 large cucumbers)
¼ cup chopped kalamata olives
¼ packed cup chopped fresh mint
½ cup cubed feta cheese (optional)

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Instructions

Whisk together olive oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
Combine the cubed watermelon, cucumber, kalamata olives and mint in a large bowl. Pour the olive oil mixture over the salad and toss to combine. Add the feta cubes, if desired, and stir. Serve immediately.
This salad is best if served right after putting everything together. If you want to cut down on prep time before serving, cube/chop the ingredients in advance and store them separately until you're ready to make the salad.