An easy to make and refreshing Watermelon Cucumber Feta Salad recipe flavored with homemade Honey-Lime vinaigrette.Ready in less than 20 minutes, it is great to serve a crowd or to treat yourself for a quick lunch.
I don’t know about you, but during this time of the year when all kinds of fresh fruit is in abundance, I tend to incorporate them in all my meals. They mostly make an appearance in salads, especially if I am putting together a quick lunch.
I know a lot of people have their go-to watermelon salad recipe. I am no different. For a long time, mine was this Watermelon, Avocado, and Mint Salad with Feta Cheese , but this year I thought I could switch things up a little bit and try something new. And I am glad I did, because this Watermelon Cucumber Feta Salad has been on repeat for the last few weeks and I love it. That is why, I thought I can quickly share the recipe in case you need some inspiration to use up all the fresh watermelon that is currently in abundance.
How To Make Watermelon Cucumber Salad Recipe
Before I continue to talk about how it is made, I want you to know that this recipe (from start to finish) takes less than 20 minutes to make. You can make it in advance and take it to lunch on the next day. It would also be great for entertaining a large crowd.
The recipe has 4 folds:
- Cook the bulgur on the countertop – More on that later..
- Make the vinaigrette – Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper
- Prep the watermelon, feta, cucumber, and mint
- Mix it all up.
That is it.
Most watermelon cucumber salad recipes that you find online is made with watermelon and cucumber and mixed in with a simple vinaigrette. Mine, on the other hand, is a little different. Since I usually serve this for lunch and wanted to make it meal-worthy, I added some cooked bulgur into the mixture.
I used fine bulgur as it takes just a few minutes to cook. To cook it, I used my mother’s technique: simply pour boiling water over bulgur (and a pinch of salt) and let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.
With this being said, if you want you can substitute bulgur with cooked quinoa or brown rice. Or don’t use any at all.
While bulgur is cooking on the counter, make the vinaigrette. If you have never mixed lime juice with watermelon, I have to tell you, you are missing a lot in life. A little bit of freshly lime juice mixed in with some honey and olive oil does wonders to the watermelon and cucumber combination.
Once your bulgur is cooked, all you have to do is to mix it all up. To do so, place watermelon, fresh mint, cucumbers and bulgur in a large bowl and drizzle it with the dressing. I treated myself with a handful of feta cheese, because I personally cannot imagine a watermelon salad without feta. But it is totally optional.
A Few Notes on the Recipe:
- I used a melon baller to make the watermelon look pretty, but sliced or cubed watermelon would certainly work as well. However, if you are serving this for a party, people love the visual of cute watermelon balls nested in bulgur and cucumber slices with gorgeous green colored fresh mint. The recipe below serves 4 people, but feel free to double or even triple the recipe, if you are serving this for a crowd.
- In this past I have also made this salad with basil instead of mint. It was just as good. If you don’t have mint on hand, you can use basil instead.
Either way, this refreshing cucumber watermelon salad is an easy and quick way to please a crowd for any party or just to treat yourself for a luxurious lunch.
If you liked this easy watermelon salad, you might also like:
Watermelon Avocado Salad – Foolproof Living ~ Watermelon Jicama Salad with Cotija – Bojon Gourmet ~ Watermelon Mint Coolers – Kitchen Confidante
Minted Watermelon Salad with Bulgur
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- Zest of a lime
- 1/4 cup of lime juice freshly squeezed (from 4-5 small limes)
- 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For the watermelon salad:
- 1/2 cup fine bulgur
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 1/2 cups of seedless watermelon scooped using a melon baller or cut into cubes
- 1/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
- 2 medium size cucumbers peeled and sliced
- 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled
- Flaky salt for finishing
Instructions
- To make the dressing: Place lime zest, juice, olive oil, honey, and salt and pepper in a jar. Put the lid on and shake until they are all combined. Place it in the fridge while you are prepping the salad ingredients.
- To make the salad: Place bulgur and salt in a heatproof bowl. Pour the boiling water over bulgur. Let is sit on the counter until all of the water is absorbed by bulgur. This should take no more than 10 minutes.
- Place the watermelon balls (or cubes), chopped mint, sliced cucumbers and feta cheese in a large salad bowl. Add in the now-cooked bulgur and give it a gentle stir. Drizzle it with the dressing.
- When ready to serve, finish each portion with a pinch of flaky salt (like Maldon salt).
Pogoda
Unusual combination of flavors but it looks beautiful and very healthly.
Aysegul Sanford
Thank you Pogoda.
Beeta @ Mon Petit Four
This salad looks so fresh! I love that you scooped out the watermelon into balls – they make the salad look so beautiful and elegant.
Aysegul Sanford
I know, right? Such a small detail, but I think they look so much cuter this way.
:))
Aimee
Looks so wonderful! And those flavours sound so refreshing, perfect for summer lunches 🙂
Aysegul Sanford
Aww thank you my dear friend. XOXO