Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad
A big Greek-style chopped salad of cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, kalamata olives, and feta in lemon olive oil.
Prep: 15 min · Cook: 0 min · Total: 15 min · Serves: 6 · Difficulty: Easy · Rating: 4.8/5 (504 reviews)
INSPIRED BY
This is the chopped salad that lives somewhere between a Greek village salad and whatever your aunt brings to the family cookout in a giant Tupperware. No lettuce to wilt, just vegetables and feta that actually get better sitting in their own juices.
Story
This salad shows up at every cookout we host, usually because it's the one thing I can make the night before and not stress about. Memorial Day weekend I made a double batch in my biggest bowl, the one I only use for this and for popcorn on movie nights, and it disappeared faster than the burgers. My sister-in-law asked for the recipe, which in my family is the highest compliment available. The lesson I learned the hard way is about the cucumbers. I used to use regular grocery store cucumbers with the thick waxy skin and the big watery seeds, and the salad turned into soup by hour two. Now I use English cucumbers, which have thin skin and barely any seeds, so they stay crunchy and don't flood the bowl. If all I have is regular cucumbers, I scoop the seeds out with a spoon first. That one change fixed the watery problem entirely. The red onion soak is the other thing I won't skip anymore. Raw red onion can take over a whole bowl, and I had one cookout where someone politely said it was "a lot of onion." Now I slice it thin and let it sit in cold water for five minutes. It stays crisp but loses that sharp burn. Drain it well so you don't water down the dressing. I keep the feta in big crumbles instead of those tiny pre-crumbled bits, because the little ones dissolve into the dressing and you lose the creamy bite. I buy a block and break it up with my hands. And I dress it ahead on purpose; this salad is one of the rare ones that's better after sitting, when the tomato juice and lemon and oregano have had time to mingle at the bottom. My kids pick out the olives. Their loss. More for me.
By Casey
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs English cucumbers
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 0.5 red onion, thinly sliced
- 0.5 cup kalamata olives, pitted
- 6 oz feta, in large crumbles
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 0.5 tsp kosher salt
- 0.25 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Cut the cucumbers into bite-size half-moons or chunks and add to a big bowl. Halve the cherry tomatoes and add them in.
- Soak the thinly sliced red onion in cold water for 5 minutes to mellow the bite, then drain and add.
- Add the kalamata olives. Crumble the feta in big chunks over the top.
- Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
- Pour the dressing over and toss gently so the feta stays in chunks. Taste and adjust salt.
- Let it sit 10 minutes before serving so the flavors come together.
Chef Tips
- Soaking the sliced red onion in cold water for five minutes pulls out the harsh raw bite without losing the crunch. It's the step that keeps one person's leftovers from tasting like onion the next morning.
Cook's Notes
- **Cucumber substitute:** Regular cucumbers work; peel and scoop out the watery seeds first so the salad doesn't turn soupy.
- **Make-ahead:** Best made up to a few hours ahead so flavors meld; add feta just before serving if making a full day ahead.
- **Storage:** Keeps 2 to 3 days refrigerated, though the cucumbers soften over time and release water.
- **Equipment:** No special gear; a sharp knife and a big bowl are all you need.
- **Common mistake:** Using watery cucumbers and pre-crumbled feta makes a soupy, washed-out salad; use English cucumbers and a block of feta.
- **Onion cue:** Soak sliced red onion in cold water 5 minutes to keep the crunch but lose the harsh bite.
- **Feta tip:** Break a block into big chunks by hand so it stays creamy instead of dissolving into the dressing.