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Tomato Cucumber Lettuce Salad is super easy to make - takes only 15 minutes! Tossed with homemade blue cheese dressing and chopped bacon, it's one of the best lettuce salads you can make! Perfect for sharing at picnics, potlucks, and bbq parties. It makes a great side dish to any main course, especially grilled and pan-roasted meats (steak, chicken, pork, lamb). Customize this flexible recipe with your favorite healthy ingredients!
The best lettuce salad
Tomato Cucumber Lettuce Salad with Bacon and homemade Blue Cheese Dressing is an excellent addition to any menu! My family cannot get enough of it. It's constantly requested, and I have to make it on repeat. Why? Because it goes with so many main dishes. Make it for pasta night or a pizza party. Pair it with grilled steak, pan-seared chicken, or pork chops. Try this simple lettuce salad for yourself, and it might become your family favorite, too! I used butter lettuce and made blue cheese dressing from scratch using high-quality ingredients, such as Greek yogurt, lemon, juice, and quite a bit of blue cheese! Of course, feel free to use your favorite store-bought blue cheese dressing (or any other dressing for that matter), but the homemade stuff is so much better and takes just a few minutes to whip up.
Why you'll love it
- Simplicity. Tomato cucumber lettuce salad is easy enough to make on weekdays - fancy enough to share with family and friends for a special occasion!
- Perfect side dish. Serve it as a simple side salad with your favorite main dishes, such as grilled meats, cooked chicken, pasta, and pizza.
- Elevate it. Add your favorite protein to turn this into a complete meal. This includes rotisserie chicken, pan-seared shrimp, baked salmon, or your favorite grilled meats.
- If you love this tomato cucumber lettuce salad, you might also enjoy my Greek salad or this mixed greens salad with apples and blue cheese.
Salad ingredients and substitutions
- Lettuce. I used butter lettuce. You can use regular lettuce, or your favorite greens: spinach, arugula, or kale.
- Cherry tomatoes. I used red and yellow cherry tomatoes sliced in half. You can also use regular tomatoes.
- Cucumber tastes delicious with the creamy dressing. Other options are zucchini or radish.
- Red onion adds so much flavor. You can also use chopped green onions.
- Cooked bacon. A good substitute for bacon is prosciutto. I would quickly crispy up the prosciutto in the preheated oven at 350 F for about 10 minutes.
- Blue cheese and gorgonzola cheese are the 2 best options for this salad.
How to make creamy blue cheese dressing
Tomato cucumber lettuce salad pairs really well with a simple homemade creamy dressing.
- The ingredients include Greek yogurt (or sour cream), freshly squeezed lemon juice, crumbled blue cheese, half-and-half, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
- Combine all these ingredients together in a mason jar and whisk well with the fork, until very creamy.
- How to thin it out. If the dressing gets too thick, gradually add half-and-half to thin it out to desired consistency.
- Tip for success: the key to making the best creamy blue cheese dressing is to season it generously with salt. If your dressing tastes bland, gradually add more salt, mix, and taste, until it's seasoned just right!
How to make the best lettuce salad
- In a large bowl, combine torn (or chopped) lettuce, sliced yellow and red cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber, sliced red onions, and chopped cooked bacon.
- Toss with the creamy blue cheese dressing.
- Top with extra blue cheese (crumbled). Season with freshly ground black pepper. Serve.
How to store it
- Store leftover lettuce salad in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, but no longer.
- Tip: If you plan on refrigerating the salad for a day or two, don't add creamy dressing. Add it right before serving.
What goes well with lettuce salad?
Salads made with lettuce go well with so many dishes, especially cooked chicken, rotisserie chicken, and red meats, such as steak, pork, and lamb. I recommend these recipes:
- Creamy Mushroom Pork Chops
- Lamb Chops with Creamy Mustard Sauce
- Bacon, Cream Cheese, Cheddar Chicken Bake
- Bacon and Mushroom Pork Chops
- Hasselback Chicken with Spinach, Bacon, and Cheese
Other simple salads you might like
- Green Salad with Apples and Blue Cheese
- Avocado Corn Tomato Salad with Creamy Cilantro-Lime Dressing
- Strawberry Spinach Salad with Blueberries, Feta, and Pecans
- Arugula Salad with Pears, Apples, Cashews
- Avocado Mango Salad with Arugula and Pine Nuts
Tomato Cucumber Lettuce Salad
Ingredients
Creamy blue cheese dressing
- ½ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ cup crumbled blue cheese
- ¼ cup half-and-half or more
- salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Lettuce salad
- 6 oz lettuce
- 4 oz red and yellow cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- 1 large cucumber sliced
- ⅓ cup red onion sliced
- 5 strips bacon cooked, chopped
- ⅓ cup Blue cheese crumbled
Instructions
Make salad dressing
- Add Greek yogurt (or sour cream), lemon juice, crumbled blue cheese, and half-and-half to a mason jar. Whisk with the fork until creamy. If the dressing gets too thick, add more half-and-half to thin it out.
- Season generously with salt but use your taste as a guide. Season with freshly ground black pepper.
Assemble lettuce salad
- Combine all the salad ingredients (except half the bacon and the crumbled blue cheese) in a large serving bowl.
- Add the dressing (you don't have to use the whole amount, add to taste). Toss to combine.
- When serving, top the lettuce salad with the remaining half of the chopped cooked bacon and the crumbled blue cheese.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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