Easy Israeli Salad Recipe with Cucumbers and Tomato (2024)

This Easy Israeli Salad with Cucumber and Tomato (sometimes called a Persian Salad) is the perfect compliment to almost any main dish. Use fresh cucumbers and tomatoes to make a tasty side for dishes like Chicken Marsala Without Cream or our No-Boil Baked Ziti. As with most salads, the fresher the ingredients, the better the salad. This recipe is kosher for Passover, pareve, vegan, and gluten free.

Ingredients used in Israeli Cucumber Tomato Salad

There are a lot of different styles of Israeli Tomato Cucumber Salad, this recipe is just for the basic salad. Here is what you need to make a quick and easy authentic Israeli salad using vegetables found in Israel:

• Fresh tomatoes - the best tomatoes for salads are Roma or vine ripened.
• Cucumbers - Persian or English
• Extra virgin olive oil - as a base for the dressing. Using Israeli oil is preferable but not necessary
• Lemon juice - the flavoring for the dressing
• Salt - for flavor
• Fresh ground black pepper - to taste
• Red onion - just like in our recipe for Salata Orientala (Romanian Potato Salad), adds tons of flavor and just a little bite

National salad of Israel

If you have ever been to Israel (or if you live in Israel) then you are no stranger to pita and Israeli salad. It is a minced salad served in every Middle Eastern Israeli restaurant from high class dining to the shawarma stand on the street corner. It seems like you can't order a plain hamburger in Israel without a scoop of that heavenly Mediterranean Salad made of tomato and cucumber showing up somewhere on your plate. This recipe brings those flavors all the way from Israel to your plate at home.

We Love This Recipe Because it is...

• Quick to prepare - cut your veggies, toss them in the dressing. You should be able to do this in under 10 minutes.
• Easy to make - this salad is super simple because it uses ingredients that most of us are familiar with. No cooking time also makes it really hard to get this one wrong.
• Made with easily sourced ingredients - Most grocery stores in the United States, Canada, and Israel will have cucumbers, tomatoes, and lemons year round. That means that whether it is Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, Hanukkah, or Passover, you can enjoy this salad.

Instructions on how to make Israeli Tomato Cucumber Salad step by step

Step 1 - Cut and salt the tomatoes.

Cut the tomatoes into cubes about ⅓ inch thick. If you are using cherry tomatoes, slice them in half and use 2 cups. Salt the tomatoes and let them sit for about 5 minutes. The salt draws a lot of liquid out of the tomatoes and you want to dump that out before mixing them into the other ingredients.

Step 2 - Cut the cucumbers.

Cut the cucumbers into cubes about ⅓ inch thick.

Step 3 - Mix in the parsley and onions

Mix the parsley and onions into the cucumbers.

Step 4 - Stir together the ingredients

In a large bowl, stir in the tomatoes, lemon juice, and olive oil (the Middle Eastern dressing).

Top recipe tips

• Always use fresh ingredients for an Israeli Mediterranean Salad. A lot of the appeal of this salad is the vibrant flavor of fresh veggies when eaten together. Canned tomatoes just don't have the same flavor.
• If you don't like the tase of olive oil you can substitute avocado oil which does not have any taste to it.

Recipe FAQ

Variations and Serving Suggestions For Israeli Salad

Israeli Salad is low carb and full of flavor. This is the kind of salad that has something in it that everybody likes. In case you are looking for something different, here are some of our favorite additions:

• avocado
• fresh herbs like mint or cilantro instead of parsley
• feta cheese
• chickpeas
• chopped jalapeno
• red bell pepper

Health Benefits of Chopped Cucumber Salad

According to Healthline.com, cucumbers are healthy because they are:

• Low in calories
• High in antioxidants
• Full of Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Magnesium, and Potassium

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