If you're seeking your signature cucumber salad of the season, look no further. A guaranteed crowd pleaser, this colorful fresh salad may be the easiest big batch side dish you'll ever tote to your next potluck, family reunion, or backyard barbecue. Despite its generous yield (12 cups!) the salad takes minutes to prepare and requires only six ingredients.
Ingredients for Cucumber-Tomato Mint Salad
- Cucumbers: Of course you can use the common garden variety of cucumbers in this recipe. Three medium (about 10 oz. each) cucumbers once sliced should yield about 7 1/2 cups. If you aren't a fan of regular seed-filled cukes, look for seedless cucumbers (aka English or European) for this salad. In addition to fewer seeds, their skin is thinner making them easier to peel and slice. Smaller Persian cucumbers also make a good substitute for the seedless cucumbers. Follow these tips when selecting and storing fresh cucumbers.
- Lemon Juice: Choose fresh lemon juice over bottled lemon juice to dress this salad. Purchase two to three medium lemons to yield 1/4 cup juice.
- Mint: If you like, swap out the mint for fresh basil, oregano, or Italian parsley. Start with 2 tablespoons and add more if needed for flavor. If you haven't cooked with fresh herbs and need a little more guidance, follow these tips for prep and storage.
- Tomatoes: One dry pint of cherry tomatoes is the same as 1 pint basket. It should measure 2 cups of tomatoes. There are approximately 25 to 30 cherry tomatoes in 1 dry pint. To vary the color and flavor of this salad, look for heirloom cherry tomatoes at the farmers' market or in larger grocery stores.
- Bonus Stir-Ins: If you like, stir in 6 to 8 oz. of feta cheese or ricotta salata cheese, Kalamata olives, and/or chopped red onion.
How to Make the Cucumber Salad Ahead
Slice the cucumbers and tomatoes up to 24 hours ahead. Toss the vegetables with the dressing then let the salad marinate for 30 minutes and up to 4 hours before serving.
Ingredients
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3 medium cucumbers
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6 tablespoon olive oil
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¼ cup lemon juice
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2 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
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½ teaspoon salt
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4 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
Directions
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Peel cucumbers; cut in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Slice 1/2 inch thick.
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In an extra-large bowl combine oil, lemon juice, mint, and salt. Add cucumbers and tomatoes; toss to coat.
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Cover and marinate at room temperature 30 minutes to 4 hours before serving.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| 141 | Calories |
| 11g | Fat |
| 12g | Carbs |
| 2g | Protein |
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings Per Recipe 8 | |
| Calories 141 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 11g | 14% |
| Saturated Fat 1g | 5% |
| Sodium 157mg | 7% |
| Total Carbohydrate 12g | 4% |
| Total Sugars 7g | |
| Protein 2g | 4% |
| Vitamin C 31mg | 34% |
| Calcium 40mg | 3% |
| Iron 1mg | 6% |
| Potassium 607mg | 13% |
| Folate, total 37.9mcg | |
| Vitamin B-6 0.2mg | |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
