Description
A clean, classic Greek salad featuring ripe tomatoes, crisp peeled and deseeded Lebanese cucumber, and finely sliced red onion dressed simply in extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. Ready in 10 minutes, naturally vegan and gluten-free, and endlessly versatile as a side dish or light meal.
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 4 medium or small tomatoes, cut into wedges or chunks
- 2 Lebanese cucumbers, peeled, deseeded, and sliced
- ¼ red onion, finely sliced
For the Dressing:
- 60ml extra virgin olive oil, Greek preferred
- 20ml red wine vinegar, optional
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the cucumbers. Peel, halve lengthwise, and use a small spoon to scoop out the seeds. Slice into half-moons roughly ½ inch thick and set aside.
- Cut the tomatoes into wedges or rough chunks depending on their size. If using small tomatoes, halve or quarter them. Place in a large salad bowl.
- Finely slice the red onion into thin strips and add to the bowl with the tomatoes and cucumber.
- In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar if using, salt, and black pepper until combined.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat all the vegetables evenly.
- Let the salad rest for 5 minutes before serving — the salt draws out the tomato juices which combine with the olive oil into a naturally glossy dressing at the bottom of the bowl. Serve with crusty bread to scoop it up.
Notes
- Use the ripest, most flavorful tomatoes you can find — this salad has nowhere to hide and the tomato quality directly determines how good the finished dish will be.
- Deseeding the cucumber prevents the salad from becoming watery — the seeds hold a significant amount of moisture that dilutes the dressing within minutes of cutting.
- Let the dressed salad rest for 5 minutes before serving — the salt pulls juices from the tomatoes that blend with the olive oil into a beautiful, naturally flavored pooled dressing.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 0 minutes