This gorgeous MEDITERRANEAN TOMATO SALAD is great for BBQs, backyard gatherings, and potlucks. Keep the dressing on the side and people can help themselves!
The wonderful flavors of the Mediterranean shine through on this salad. The entire salad is very easy to prepare and a lovely side dish that goes with almost any BBQ’d entree. This recipe is nutritious and refreshing too, perfect for a hot summer or early fall day. Close your eyes while you are enjoying this salad and it will whisk you away to the Mediterranean seas!
Fresh tomatoes in the summer are so fantastic along with crispy cucumber. These two are easy finds at your local farmers market too. Adding in a few chopped really good quality dried black olives and some wonderful feta gives this salad the needed salty flavors to tie it all together. Fresh dill accents it perfectly, giving the salad a wonderful freshness. Bright colors, bright flavors are what this salad is all about. The dressing is so simple to make and delicious. Using any jar is easy to make the dressing up in but I have a little shaker I like to use.
Most of all, I like to use the feta that comes in brine and when I opened up the tub this time, I was surprised to see that it was cut into discs. Wow, that is so much easier to handle than the huge large chunk. The feta in the brine is all we purchase. The olives came stored in a tub also and the ones we used for this recipe were a Moroccan dried olive but any really good quality will do. Most grocery stores now have an olive section for purchasing as many as you need. This is very convenient so that you don’t have to over-purchase.
Ingredients
Dressing
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp. fresh dill finely chopped
- 1 tsp. fresh oregano finely chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 ½ tsp. granulated sugar
Tomato Salad
- 21 oz. grape tomatoes cut in half
- ½ large English cucumber diced
- 12 good quality dried olives chopped
- ½ cup brined feta crumbled
- 2 Tbsp. fresh dill chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Mix together the dressing ingredients in a jar or shaker. Shake rapidly and then set aside.
- Gently toss the salad ingredients together. Serve the dressing on the side or toss the salad gently with the dressing and serve immediately.
Here is another great summer salad to try. The chive flowers might be out of season now, but this salad can still be so enjoyed with great veggies from your local market. This dish is a nice change from the heavy mayonnaise laden ones that you may be used to.
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