More often than not during the summer months, I have a cucumber rolling around in the crisper drawer. I buy a couple every week to use with our simple dinner salads and occasionally for quick pickles. More often than I like to admit, I wait until the last minute to use them and that’s when salads like this cucumber salad happen. I love tossing whatever grains and herbs I have around and that makes quick work of a salad like this. I prefer to use burpless cucumbers (like Persian cucumbers) but really any type of cucumber will work.
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An easy and delicious grain-based salad with fresh cucumbers and herbs. Perfect for lunches or picnics!
Ingredients
Salad:
- 2 cups sliced cucumber (1 medium cucumber)
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 small shallot, chopped
- Zest from 1 lemon
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup cooked farro
Dressing:
- 1 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons sweetener, like honey or sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Cut the cucumber into half moons and place in a bowl. On a cutting board, roughly chop the herbs. Add the shallot, zest, and salt. Continue chopping until everything is in a fine mince (like you would have if you were making gremolata). Place the herb mixture and farro in the bowl with the cucumbers.
- In a small jar, combine the ingredients for the dressing and shake well. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until everything is well combined.
- Serve the salad immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 24 hours.
Notes
Tips & Tricks: Make a big batch of farro and use for multiple meals- since it takes some time to cook, I like to make it worth it!
Stock up: get the pantry ingredients you will need: farro, cucumber, herbs
Nutrition: see the information.
Nutrition
- Calories: 172
- Sugar: 4.9
- Sodium: 161.6
- Fat: 1.2
- Saturated Fat: .1
- Carbohydrates: 37.8
- Fiber: 6.3
- Protein: 7.5
- Cholesterol: 0
Cucumber Salad
variations
I like keeping salads simple since the majority of version serve as a side for dinner. I also find it’s easy to think of adding items once you have a solid base. A few options for this cucumber salad:
Legumes: Add a handful of cooked chickpeas, white beans, or lentils to the salad. The legumes pair well with the herbs and add a boost of protein.
Grains: Swap the farro for your favorite grain. I prefer the grains that have a bit chewy texture (like sorghum, oat groats, or spelt) but if you’re short on time, try millet or quinoa.
Cheese: I love adding a sprinkle of crumbled feta or goat cheese to the salad.
Explore Cucumbers
I love the refreshing flavor of fresh, summer cucumbers in salads. It’s the perfect ingredient for the hot days that last well in to August and provide ample crunch. As mentioned above, I like the English Cucumber for this particular salad but I’m not always picky. A few other cucumber recipes to try:
Spiced Chickpea Cucumber Salad
Cucumber Satay Crunch
Bread and Butter Pickles
Joseph Gallagher says
Ummm delicious!! I love cucumbers cooked in any way.
I had never tried a form like this, thank you very much for the recipe.
Lynn says
gonna make this right now, but will use barley,,what a nice lunch it will be, thx