Like I mentioned last week in my post for my Tuna Salad Stuffed Cucumber Boats, I’ve had to get creative to use up all of my garden cucumbers. It’s just not as easy to throw them into stir fries or bread, like zucchini.
So a couple of weeks ago when our neighborhood had a potluck for National Night Out, I immediately started brainstorming what I could bring with cucumbers.
At first I considered the good ‘ol cucumber salad with the vinegar/sugar dressing that is super simple and super delicious. But then I eyed the log of mozzarella in my fridge and remembered a bunch of tomatoes I had that needed to be used too. Add in the basil from my garden, and this Cucumber Caprese Salad was born!
The great thing is that this salad is basically just as simple as the old fashioned cucumber salad. It involves chopping up some veggies, and stirring together the dressing. This salad also lasts one or two days, making delicious leftovers! After much longer, the tomatoes tend to get soggy, so I’d eat it up as soon as possible.
This was a great light and fresh dish to bring to the potluck, and would also be wonderful as a summer BBQ side dish. And while it would be great alongside some burgers or grilled chicken, I think it would also make for a wonderful light summer meal with a side of fresh bread… I want to soak up these summer nights and the summer meals as long as I can!
Ingredients
- 2 cucumbers peeled and diced (I did the zebra peel for mine - leaving little stripes of the peel)
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes halved
- 16 ounce log of fresh mozzarella cut into small pieces (or the mozzarella balls would work well too)
- 3 tablespoons fresh basil chopped (about 12 leaves)
For the dressing:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- dash of pepper
Instructions
- Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl.
- Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
- Pour dressing over salad and toss to combine.
- Serve and enjoy!
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