Last Friday night I did something I haven’t done in a while…I actually picked up a magazine (in this case Martha Stewart Living) and read it cover to cover. And I’ve decided I should do that more often because I was inspired to make a fabulous dinner on Sunday night. Of course, by the end of preparing all the food my sciatic nerve was literally screaming at me and I hobbled around the rest of the night (yes, I’m officially a hobbling pregnant woman…no more heels for me, boo-hoo!), but our dinner was worth the pain.
One of Sunday night’s creations was a Watermelon Salad with Tomato and Cucumber. There was a recipe for this salad featured in the magazine that involved making a fancy basil oil. I’m sure it’s wonderful, but I simplified things a bit in my preparation. I loved the salad – super easy to prepare and the oh-so-summery flavors all blended so nicely together. I wasn’t entirely sure what the girls would think. They love watermelon, and this savory twist on a favorite fruit seemed a bit risky. But I’ll tell you what…every person in the family happily gobbled down the salad! It was a great success! Will definitely be adding this salad to the rotation, at least during the summer when all of these lovely ingredients are fresh and in season!
- Half a watermelon, cubed (I know, so exact”¦my watermelon was medium in size)
- 2-3 handfuls of small tomatoes, or 2-3 larger tomatoes sliced into wedges (I used a bunch of baby tomatoes we have growing on the back porch)
- One cucumber, chopped into bite sized pieces
- Olive oil (about 1-2 tablespoons)
- Salt and Pepper
- Fresh Basil, about 5-10 leaves chopped
- Original recipe calls for 4 oz crumbled goat cheese – I left this out because we were having another cheese-based side dish, but also I just wanted straight up produce in the salad. Commenter Jennifer below mentioned using Ricotta Salata instead of goat cheese and that is what I'm going to use from now on!
- Combine the watermelon, tomatoes and cucumber in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, just enough to cover the fruit and veggies. Sprinkle with the chopped basil, about ½ tsp salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat evenly and serve!
Hi! My name is Jane Maynard and you've landed yourself on my blog, This Week for Dinner™. Every Sunday I share a weekly menu...and count on you to share yours! You'll also find other deliciousness that I hope you'll enjoy!
looks wonderful! I may just have to go out tonight and buy a watermelon!
Oh man, that looks delish! It will definitely be in my “must try” list for next year when I am definitely doing a veggie garden. Too busy this year to have one but I’m already making plans for next summer!
I can’t wait to make this. I HAVE to have watermelon everyday. It is a must! Hope you are feeling ok! I am having sciatic nerve issues too. Fun times:) Only a few months left!
Oh, that looks great! I haven’t made a watermelon salad yet this year, thanks for the inspiration!
I am so hot right now! I wish you were here to serve me that salad. Looks just perfect. Will be trying it this weekend.
Jane – that looks amazing!! The fiance doesn’t like tomatoes (I know, I don’t get it, either), but he may just have to “suffer” through this salad for me!
Nowadays, series of children experience heat stroke… I believe taking too much liquid could prevent that from happening. Why not making this kind of delicious dish.. I know watermelon is a lycopene-rich fruit, so it will be a big help. Thank you very much for sharing this delish-blog.
I make a version of this with reduced balsamic vinegar (equal amounts balsamic and brown sugar reduced until syrupy) and mozzarella that is one of my favorite summer dishes.
I just had this salad for lunch and it was great! Added some feta chees, and mint, which I loved.
This was excellent!! I have made this twice for BBQs and it was a hit both times!! Thanks!!
yay! so glad you loved it!
This was super delish and easy!!! I made this one night very quickly after a long day at work. It was light but perfectly filling for a summer’s night meal. Thanks for the modifications from the original recipe. I also used Ricotta Salata instead of Goat Cheese.
Oh… I forgot to add that my husband and 21-month old son cleaned their plates and had seconds with this salad. It’s a new family fav!
so glad you love the recipe – and I LOVE the ricotta salata substitution, I’m doing that next time!!! thank you!