Tomato Cucumber Salad With Dill

What’s best healthy side dish ever? To me, it’s a simple cucumber tomato salad with dill or any other herbs. It is tasty, easy to make, refreshing and has a really simple dressing.

Ready in about 5 minutes and you will want to eat this vegetable side every single day during summer and probably beyond. But it is best during summer, when tomatoes and cucumbers are in season and taste their best.

You’ll Love This Tomato Cucumber Salad

At least for me, this tomato cucumber salad with dill is one of the best Mediterranean sides, because it goes with pretty much everything and comes together incredibly fast with very little effort. The salad is:

• refreshing
• flavorful
• super healthy
• quick and easy to make
• made with simple ingredients
• vegan, paleo and low carb

Ingredients For Tomato Cucumber Salad

Tomatoes. You want fresh, ripe, sweet tomatoes. Tomatoes are best during summer, since that’s when they grow naturally. You can also use cherry or grape tomatoes, since they’re sweeter. I originally made this salad in May, so a bit out of season, but thanks to the sweet cherry tomatoes from Spain – it tasted like summer!

Cucumbers. I am super picky about cucumbers! You want them firm, not too thick and preferably also during summer.

Onion. I used red onion for the color, but really any variety that tastes like onion would be a tasty addition to this salad. You can go with green onions, yellow onions, shallots or sweet onions – whatever you like or have at home.

Sweet peppers. I added this flavorful vegetable for some extra vitamin C and because personally, I love peppers. You can use any color and variety of peppers you like, you can even add some heat by using jalapeno or other spicy varieties.

Dill. I loved the dill in this salad. I usually go for parsley or mint when it comes to this salad, but I only had dill at home, and it must have been meant to be, because the recipe turned out amazing.

Olive oil, salt and pepper. That’s all the dressing you need for this salad! For me, the tomatoes provide enough acidity, so I did not add any vinegar or lemon. But if you need something extra, feel free to add a little bit of vinegar or lemon juice.

How To Make A Healthy Tomato Cucumber Salad

The preparation process is so simple, it’s actually underwhelming. All the cooking you have to do is:

• Chop vegetables
• Place everything into a large bowl
• Add salt, pepper and olive oil
• Toss

That is it! Your delicious tomato cucumber salad with dill is ready for you to enjoy!

Do You Need To Peel Cucumbers?

The short answer is: you do not. In fact, as with many other fruits and vegetables, most of the nutrients found in cucumbers are actually contained in the peel. The peel is a good source of beta carotene, magnesium, potassium, B vitamins as well as the vitamins C and K, which is essential for bone clotting and bone metabolism.

However, the skin of the cucumber can also often be contaminated with chemicals that aren’t beneficial for your health and can actually harm you. If you’re not using organic cucumbers, it’s best to wash the peel very well and peeling can be a good choice too. I made the salad in May, so I decided to peel the cucumbers, just to be on the safe side. That would be different in July when we actually grow our own cucumbers.

How To Enjoy This Salad

This fresh vegetable salad with tomatoes and cucumbers is pretty versatile! You can enjoy it as a side dish or even main dish when you’re looking to eat something lighter. Here are some delicious ways to serve it:

• Have it as a side with grilled meat, fish or chicken and some bread or rice.
• Build your own power bowls with this salad, hummus, falafel, olives, beans, lentils or chickpeas.
• Use it to build healthy wraps like these chickpea wraps or these Mediterranean chicken wraps.
• Turn it into the main dish and enjoy with some olives, feta cheese and crusty bread…Seriously, I remember one summer this was my main meal for several weeks, it somehow never got old and I still love it!

This Salad Is Good For You

This refreshing tomato cucumber salad is made with super healthy ingredients packed with antioxidants and essential vitamins and minerals that your body needs. For example:

Tomatoes are rich in a carotenoid called lycopene. It is a pigment that gives tomatoes, pink grapefruit and watermelon their bright red color. But lycopene is more than just a pigment, it is also a super powerful antioxidant that has been shown to prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Onions, much like garlic have multiple health benefits like improving gut health, reducing inflammation, inducing and supporting liver detox enzymes…They’re a food you do not want to skip!

Dill. Despite what my beloved brother in law calls it, which is “a vile weed”, dill is actually an amazing plant. It has been studied due to its potential anti-diabetic and antioxidant properties and research suggests it actually can improve insulin resistance and serum LDL levels.

A Great Healthy Salad For Weight Loss

Yes! Tomato cucumber salad is actually a great addition to your weight loss diet plan. It’s rich in essential micronutrients and fiber and it’s low in calories which makes it a great choice when it comes to weight loss. 

For best results enjoy with fish, legumes or lean meats. You can also add some tzatziki or hummus – this combination will fill you up, it is really satisfying and will prevent you from going for foods that are high in calories and poor in nutrients (aka the foods that make us gain weight).

I hope you enjoy this salad at lunch or dinner today! 

More Healthy Salad Recipes

I hope you enjoy this delicious tomato cucumber salad with dill! Make sure to also check out these other healthy salads:

• Super Healthy Cobb Salad With Chicken
• Healthy Quinoa, Feta and Roasted Veg Salad
• Best Mediterranean Chickpea Salad