Mediterranean Salad
An all-star Mediterranean salad recipe that is quick and refreshing featuring three simple key ingredients: cucumbers, tomatoes, and parsley in a light lemony dressing.
This humble salad is truly more than the sum of its parts.
Ingredients
- 6 Roma tomatoes, diced (about 3 cups diced tomatoes)
- 1 Large English cucumber, or hot-house cucumber, diced
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
- kosher salt, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground Sumac
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Directions
- In a large mixing bowl, place the diced tomatoes, cucumbers, and parsley.
- Season with kosher salt and toss. Set aside for 5 minutes or so.
- Add the sumac, olive oil, and lemon juice. Give the salad a gentle toss. Enjoy!
Make it a Meal
This basic Mediterranean salad has several variations throughout the Mediterranean and the Middle East, and you can change it up to your liking. Here are a few ideas:
- Add chopped onions such as red onions, shallots, or green onions.
- Add chickpeas or another bean of choice such as white beans or kidney beans. The beans will add some good plant-based proteins to turn this salad into a small meal without effort. Here is how to cook chickpeas from scratch, but you can also use canned beans, just be sure to rinse and drain them well before adding to your salad.
- Use more fresh herbs! In addition to parsley, you can add some chopped fresh mint leaves or dill.
- Toss in some feta cheese
- Make one cup of cooked couscous and toss it in this salad for a simple lunch. You’ll want to adjust seasoning and olive oil.
