Asparagus Cucumber Tomato Salad
This asparagus cucumber tomato salad with sautéed tender crisp asparagus and an oil and vinegar dressing has been gracing dinner and picnic tables for as long as I can remember.
The perfect side dish for summer when your garden is overflowing with cucumbers and tomatoes.
When you’re looking to use those up, it’s super quick to chop them and quickly combine in a bowl.
Not to mention, garden vegetables have the most incredible flavor that just cannot be compared to store bought.
Especially garden ripe tomatoes. They are in a league of their own and I look forward to our garden tomatoes each year.
You can also make this salad with only cucumber and tomato, without asparagus. It’s super easy, takes a minute or two and is just perfect as is.
But, we like to take it a step further and sauté some fresh asparagus in a little oil (can also add some fresh minced garlic) until tender crisp and add the asparagus to the salad.
As far as simple salads go, this one is flavorful and lovely in presentation.
Content in this Post
Ingredients in Asparagus Cucumber Tomato Salad
- Cucumber — preferably garden fresh cucumbers. Cut them lengthwise first, then slice across for half moon shape.
- Tomatoes — preferably garden fresh ripe tomatoes, otherwise any tomatoes you have. Cut lengthwise, then slice across for the half moon shape.
- Asparagus — tough bottom ends (bottom inch or so) of each stalk removed. Cut them into roughly 1 or 2 inch pieces.
- Olive Oil — cold pressed extra virgin olive oil is our choice for salads.
- Vinegar — you can use your favorite. We like rice vinegar, but have also used balsamic, wine vinegar and regular.
- Salt — Himalayan salt, ground
- Pepper — Black pepper, freshly ground
Optional Variations
My Nonna’s basic recipe usually consisted of tomato and cucumber, oil and vinegar, salt and pepper. She would add in some extra ingredients (listed below) now and then.
You can add in any of the following, depending on what you have:
- finely sliced endive
- finely sliced white or red onion
- finely sliced red bell pepper
- one clove of minced garlic
- halved cherry tomatoes
- sprinkle of parsley
The sauteed asparagus is something I added to the recipe when looking for a quick way to use asparagus. It’s so easy to toss it into our daily salad!
Since I love cucumber tomato salad so much, and prepare cucumber tomato salad so often, asparagus is a natural and easy addition to this salad.
I sometimes like to add avocado slices or diced, if I have one ready! It adds a nice creaminess to the sauce.
What to Serve With Asparagus Cucumber Tomato Salad
Cucumber tomato salad is perfect to take along to picnics, potlucks or any BBQ style meal. You might want to double the recipe as it tends to disappear rather quick.
This salad is an excellent side dish for most main dishes, including vegetarian, fish, chicken, BBQ ribs and steak.
We like to serve it along with our kebab chicken breast and some extra kebab sauce on the side!
If you aren’t minding your carbs too much, the absolute best thing to do is to dip bread into the oil and vinegar sauce at the bottom of the salad bowl or on your plate.
The bread soaks up the sauce and it tastes fantastic – if you’re into strong flavors.
You’ll find this salad is nice to have with any of our Pita Pizzas.
Of course, you can also serve Swedish pizza salad with any pizza. It is made of thinly shredded cabbage, with a similar oil and vinegar dressing. It is light and fresh, and is always a welcomed side dish!
Another favorite salad is quinoa parsley taboulleh, that you will find goes so well with everything. You will love to have a large batch of this.
Pizzasallad and tabouli can be served along with asparagus cucumber tomato salad at your picnic or barbecue.
Preparation and Storage Tips
The tough bottom ends of each asparagus stalk (about an inch) need to be removed and discarded. You can feel around the bottom by bending and you will find the natural snapping point, to break off the end.
Tomato cucumber salad, once prepared can be kept in the fridge and tastes best when consumed within two days. This salad rarely makes it to the fridge at our house!
More Easy Salad Recipes
You can enjoy any of these super easy salads anytime.
- Horiatiki Greek Village Salad
- Greek Orzo Salad With Feta
- Doner Kebab Salad (Kebabsallad)
- Smoked Salmon Gravlax Salad IKEA Style
- Creamy Pickled Beet Salad (Rödbetssallad)
You’ll Also Love
A perfect appetizer for your homemade seafood dinner, lobster artichoke dip is rich, creamy and super satisfying. Enjoy with a side of Pico de Gallo and some tortilla chips.
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Asparagus Cucumber Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 Tomatoes, sliced
- 1 Cucumber, sliced
- 8 Asparagus, chopped in 1 inch pieces
- ⅛ Cup Olive Oil , cold pressed extra virgin
- ⅛ Cup Vinegar , balsamic, red wine or rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Salt , Himalayan
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper, freshly ground
Instructions
- Wash and drain asparagus. Remove and discard the tough bottom piece of each stalk. Chop asparagus into 1 inch pieces.
- Slice cucumber and tomatoes into half moon shaped slices (cut cucumber in half lengthwise and then slice, similarly cut tomato in half lengthwise and slice).
- Saute asparagus pieces in a pan with a tablespoon of cooking oil, avocado oil is a good choice. Stir them frequently for about five minutes, until they are tender crisp. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Place asparagus, cucumber and tomato into a medium bowl.
- Pour in olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix well to combine.
Nutrition
Note
The above nutritional values are estimates and should only be used as a guide. If you are following a specific diet or have dietary restrictions, please use your preferred nutritional calculator. If you have a food allergy please ensure that none of the listed ingredients are part of your restrictions. As well, always use a food thermometer to ensure safe cooking temperature of the food items.
