Healthy Recipes Salad Vegetable Salad Tomato Salad Cucumber, Tomato & Feta Salad with Balsamic Dressing 5.0 (5) 4 Reviews This Greek-inspired tomato salad is packed with fresh veggies and flavor-boosting ingredients, like balsamic vinegar, Kalamata olives and crumbled feta cheese. This delicious salad takes just 15 minutes to make, and while you could eat it right away, it tastes even better the longer it sits, so plan to leave at least an hour of marinating time before serving. By Andrea Mathis, M.A., RDN, LD Andrea Mathis, M.A., RDN, LD Andrea is an Alabama-based registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of the healthy food blogs, Beautiful Eats & Things, and Little Eats & Things and author of The Complete Book of Smoothies. Andrea has worked in several healthcare settings including clinical, public health and long-term care. Andrea believes in achieving optimal health by incorporating healthier eating habits into your lifestyle and making healthy eating fun! When she's not running after her two boys, she enjoys creating content to encourage self-love and promote body positivity. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Updated on January 16, 2025 Reviewed by Dietitian Christa Brown, M.S., RDN, LD Reviewed by Dietitian Christa Brown, M.S., RDN, LD Christa Brown is a registered dietitian and business owner with a practice focus on diabetes management and content development for brands and fitness influencers. She is a licensed dietitian with a Master of Science in Nutrition Education and a certification in gut health by the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Save Rate PRINT Share Close Credit: Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco Active Time: 15 mins Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Servings: 4 Nutrition Profile: No Added Sugar Gut Healthy Sesame-Free Low-Carb Weight Loss Diabetes-Friendly Nut-Free Soy-Free Heart-Healthy Healthy Cholesterol Vegetarian Egg-Free Gluten-Free Jump to Nutrition Facts Jump to recipe A symphony of flavors collide in this fresh, vibrant Cucumber, Tomato & Feta Salad with Balsamic Dressing. The cucumber is clean and crisp and complements the fresh, juicy tomato. The onion’s bite mellows the longer this salad is allowed to sit. Fresh herby notes are brought into this ensemble with the basil (or parsley), and the briny olives and feta finish off this masterpiece along with the tangy balsamic vinegar. This is the perfect accompaniment to fish, chicken or steak. Keep reading for tips to make this salad your own and how to substitute some of the ingredients. Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too! You can make this recipe 3 days in advance and store leftovers for the same amount of time. If making this salad ahead, we’d wait to cut the cucumber and tomatoes right before serving, and we’d separate all ingredients, storing everything in airtight containers in the fridge. For any leftovers, we would store the onion separately and drain off any residual dressing to prevent strong onion flavors and soggy ingredients.Use ripe tomatoes. You can swap slicing tomatoes (cut into bite-size pieces) or cherry tomatoes for the grape tomatoes.Any variety of cucumber will work, but they’re not all the same: American cucumbers need to be peeled and tend to have the most seeds, whereas English cucumbers and crunchy Persian cucumbers don’t need to be peeled and have fewer seeds than the American variety. Nutrition Notes Besides adding a hydrating crunch to this salad, cucumber also brings health-inducing plant compounds. The silica in cucumber supports healthy skin, and the cucurbitacin may help reduce cancer risk. Keep the skin on for the most health benefits. The antioxidants and other nutrients in grape tomatoes make these small, vibrant globes healthy and nutritious—and may help prevent heart disease. Tomatoes offer fiber, vitamins A and C and antioxidants to keep your skin glowing and immune system in tip-top shape. What balsamic vinegar lacks in nutrients, it makes up for in antioxidants. Because of this, balsamic vinegar may contribute to a healthy heart and improve your skin’s complexion. A little bit of balsamic vinegar might also help improve your digestion and prevent spikes in blood sugar. Because feta is one of the saltier cheeses, a little bit of it goes a long way. In this salad, it’s really more of a garnish. If you don’t like the taste of feta or you’re concerned about how the sodium might affect your blood pressure, feel free to substitute it with a lower-sodium cheese. Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar ¼ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon ground pepper 4 cups grape tomatoes, halved ½ cup thinly sliced white onion ⅓ cup chopped fresh basil or parsley 1½ cups halved and sliced cucumber ¼ cup halved pitted Kalamata olives ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese Directions Whisk ¼ cup oil, 2 tablespoons vinegar and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Add 4 cups tomatoes, ½ cup onion and ⅓ cup basil (or parsley); stir to combine. Refrigerate, stirring once or twice, for at least 1 hour. Add 1½ cups cucumber, ¼ cup olives and ¼ cup feta; toss to coat. Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco Recipe Updates Based on earlier review and comments of this recipe, we’ve retested and made the following adjustments (and updated the nutritional analysis accordingly):Swapped the ratio of olive oil to vinegar (to balance the flavor)Updated January 2025 Frequently Asked Questions Can I substitute the feta with another cheese? Absolutely. You can use goat cheese or fresh mozzarella pearls. The salad won’t taste exactly the same, but it will be delicious. Is there a way to lessen the sharpness of onion in a salad? Yes. There are a few tricks, but this is the easiest. Add peeled, sliced onions to a bowl of cold water for about 10 minutes. For extra assurance, add a little vinegar, salt, lime or lemon juice to the water. Swish the onions around a few times, drain and pat dry with paper towels. Then, add the onions to the salad. How can I use up a jar of Kalamata olives? There are so many things you can do with Kalamata olives. They’re excellent on pizza and sandwiches and for making tapenade for appetizers. They’re an excellent addition to our Crock-Pot Lemon Chicken with Tomatoes & Kalamata Olives. EatingWell.com, July 2021 Save Rate Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 210 Calories 17g Fat 13g Carbs 3g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 4 Serving Size about 1 cup Calories 210 % Daily Value * Total Carbohydrate 13g 5% Dietary Fiber 3g 10% Total Sugars 7g Protein 3g 6% Total Fat 17g 22% Saturated Fat 3g 16% Cholesterol 6mg 2% Vitamin A 96µg Vitamin C 30mg 33% Vitamin D 0µg Vitamin E 3mg 21% Folate 39µg Vitamin K 109µg Sodium 209mg 9% Calcium 78mg 6% Iron 1mg 7% Magnesium 30mg 7% Potassium 500mg 11% Zinc 1mg 6% Vitamin B12 0µg Omega 3 0g Nutrition information is calculated by a registered dietitian using an ingredient database but should be considered an estimate. * Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day. Percent Daily Value (%DV) found on nutrition labels tells you how much a serving of a particular food or recipe contributes to each of those total recommended amounts. Per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the daily value is based on a standard 2,000 calorie diet. Depending on your calorie needs or if you have a health condition, you may need more or less of particular nutrients. (For example, it’s recommended that people following a heart-healthy diet eat less sodium on a daily basis compared to those following a standard diet.) (-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a special diet for medical reasons, be sure to consult with your primary care provider or a registered dietitian to better understand your personal nutrition needs. Additional reporting by Carrie Myers, M.S. Carrie Myers, M.S. Carrie Myers is a portfolio entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience in the health and wellness space. As a writer and editor, Carrie has worked for both consumer and trade print and online publications. She's been quoted in several articles as a health and fitness expert. Carrie is also a certified life and wellness coach and exercise physiologist, and the founder of CarrieMichele Co., a lifestyle company that helps women create lives they love where they can be authentic. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines and Linda Frahm Linda Frahm Linda Frahm has been a copy editor and fact checker working with food and nutrition content for the past 30-plus years for consumer print and online publications. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines