Italian Tomato Cucumber Salad (Insalata di Pomodoro)

This Italian tomato cucumber salad, known as insalata di pomodoro e cetrioli, is dressed simply with olive oil and red wine vinegar. A 5-minute family recipe, perfect for dunking crusty bread in the leftover vinaigrette.

Italian tomato cucumber salad, known in Italian as insalata di pomodoro e cetrioli, is one of the simplest dishes in the entire Italian kitchen, and one nearly every Italian family makes a slightly different way.

Ours uses just tomatoes, cucumber, fresh basil and oregano, and a vinaigrette of good olive oil and my dad’s homemade red wine vinegar.

Five minutes of prep, no cooking, and a bowl of something that tastes like an Italian summer.

The real secret is what happens after the salad is gone: you take a piece of crusty pagnotta bread and dunk it straight into the tomato-oregano vinaigrette left at the bottom of the bowl. That last step is the part everyone in my family fights over.

Growing up, my family always grew tomatoes in the backyard, a small way my grandparents and parents kept their connection to life in Italy alive.

This salad, made with whatever was ripest that day, was on our table constantly through the summer.

Jump to:

• Quick Overview
• What You’ll Need
• How to Make Italian Tomato Cucumber Salad
• Tips
• Variations
• FAQ
• Tomato Salad Recipes we Love
• Recipe Inspiration
• Recipe

Quick Overview

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes (plus 5 minutes resting time)
Yield: 4 servings
Special Touch: A simple vinaigrette of olive oil and red wine vinegar, traditionally made with homemade vinegar in Italian households, is poured over and left to rest for 5 minutes so the tomato and oregano flavors infuse the dressing completely.
Dietary Note: Vegan and gluten-free as written.
Serving Suggestions: Serve with rustic Italian bread (essential for dunking in the leftover vinaigrette), alongside grilled meats or fish, or as part of an antipasto spread with a Tomato Basil Mozzarella Salad.

What You’ll Need

• Ripe tomatoes. The single most important ingredient in a recipe this simple. Choose tomatoes that are ripe but still firm, heavy for their size, and free of blemishes. During peak summer, vine-ripened local tomatoes make all the difference. Outside of tomato season, cherry or vine tomatoes hold their quality far better than out-of-season beefsteak varieties.
• Cucumber. No need to peel. The skin adds color, texture, and nutrients. If the cucumber is large, taste a slice near the seeds first; larger seeds can sometimes taste bitter, and scraping them out with a spoon solves this easily.
• Fresh basil. Adds a sweet, aromatic note that is essential to the Italian character of this salad. Always fresh, never dried, for this recipe.
• Fresh oregano. Pairs beautifully with the tomatoes and infuses the vinaigrette while the salad rests. Fresh oregano has a brighter, more delicate flavor than dried.
• Fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley (optional). A small addition that brightens the overall flavor. Entirely optional, but a nice touch if you have some on hand.
• Extra virgin olive oil. The base of the vinaigrette. Since there is no cooking involved, the quality of the oil comes through directly, so use your best bottle.
• Red wine vinegar. The traditional choice in Italian households. My dad always made his own, and it gave this salad a flavor that store-bought vinegar never quite replicates. A good-quality red wine vinegar from the store works very well, too.
• Salt and black pepper. Season at the end, after the vegetables have released some of their juices, and adjust to taste.

How to Make Italian Tomato Cucumber Salad

Let’s begin by rinsing the cucumber, tomatoes, fresh basil leaves and oregano. The addition of fresh parsley is optional. Then use a clean tea towel to dry the excess water from the vegetables and a salad spinner to remove excess moisture from the fresh herbs. You can also use paper towels.

If you have a medium to large cucumber, cut into quarters (lengthwise) and slice into ¼-inch slices. For small to medium, cut in half (lengthwise) and slice into ¼-inch half-moons-place in a large mixing bowl. There is no need to peel the cucumber.

Remove the core from 2 medium tomatoes and cut them into wedges. If they are large, cut them into chunks-place them in the large bowl with the chopped cucumber.

Next, let’s chop up the herbs. Next, you need 2 teaspoons of fresh oregano and 2 tablespoons of fresh basil. Then, add to the bowl and combine gently together. As an option, you can also add one teaspoon of fresh chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley. 

To make the salad dressing, whisk together 3 tablespoons of olive oil with 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar in a separate small bowl. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Drizzle over the salad in the bowl, toss gently together and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Set aside for 5 minutes to let the flavors blend, then serve. 

Tips

• The best time of the year to make this salad is during the peak of summer when local tomatoes are in season and available. These tomatoes usually ripen on the vine and not with chemicals.
• Choose tomatoes that are ripe but still firm to the touch, heavy and blemish-free.
• Store your tomatoes on the counter, away from sunlight. Never refrigerate tomatoes as they become mealy and lose their flavor. 
• Heirloom tomatoes are known to be juicy and flavorful.
• Do not remove the juices extracted from the tomato as there is so much flavor. Instead, taste your salad and adjust the seasonings. 

Variations

There are endless possibilities with this tomato salad. Feel free to include thinly sliced sweet red onions or grated garlic; different proportions and types of herbs; varieties of cucumbers and tomatoes; or even the addition of olives. Or enjoy it simply as a marinated tomato salad. Add protein-rich legumes to transform this easy salad recipe into a main meal. Have fun and experiment! 

FAQ

Tomato Salad Recipes we Love

If you love this tomato cucumber salad, here are a few more ways to enjoy fresh summer tomatoes:

Recipe Inspiration

Growing up Italian meant being exposed to growing tomatoes in the backyard, and today, I am lucky enough to have one myself.

I truly believe this backyard garden was a way for my grandparents and parents to preserve their identity and connection to their rural life in Italy. I realize now that growing your fruits and vegetables provides great well-being.

So, if you’re familiar with my blog, you probably know that many of my “traditional” Italian recipes were inspired by my mom.

Every family and I mean every family, I know has some variation of this tomato salad.

My mom liked to keep things simple, so the ingredients list was short for this insalata di pomodori (tomato salad).

Remember, when you've finished eating the cucumbers and the tomatoes, you have to be quick to dunk a nice slice of pagnotta (rustic Italian bread) in the tomato-oregano-infused vinaigrette left at the bottom of the bowl.

My dad’s homemade red wine vinegar made this recipe taste extra special just like this marinated cucumber recipe.

Whether making this Italian tomato salad from the vegetables you’ve grown in your garden, from your local farmer, or bought at your favorite grocery store, there's no better time than summer to enjoy this wonderful salad.

★★★★★ If you have made this Italian tomato-cucumber salad, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!

Recipe

This post was originally published on August 23, 2015, and republished on September 11, 2019, June 17, 2021, and again on June 18, 2026, with updated content. Thanks for sharing.