Do you LOVE the Tomato + Cucumber Salad from Noodles & Co? This one is EVEN better! Perfect for lunches or summer sides.
In an effort to balance out my crazy unhealthy pregnancy cravings (ice cream, cookies, cookie dough dip…), I’ve been making salads for lunch daily. I realize the salads don’t veto the chocolate–but can we just pretend it’s helping?
Side note: we find out THURSDAY the sex of the baby. I’ve had some concerns about having twins again, but the doctor still wanted me to wait until I am 20 weeks. Yes, she got a major side eye. Everyone is rooting for a boy, but honestly I wouldn’t even know where to start with a boy!
Okay, back to this delish salad. If you’ve ever visited Noodles + Company, their Tomato Cucumber salad is to die for. The longer the veggies marinade in the dressing, the better it gets. I like to add the veggies on top of spinach and toss with grilled chicken. Or you can add the salad inside of a wrap. Obviously, it’s great on it’s own too. In the heat of the summer, this is the perfect salad to bring to a BBQ. It’s mayo free and is a huge crowd pleaser!
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes , sliced and seeded
- 2 cups English cucumber , sliced
- 1/2 cup red pepper , cut into bite sized pieces
- 1/2 cup red onion , thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup Rice wine vinegar (or Apple Cider)
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger , grated
- 1/4 teaspoon Aleppo Chili Powder (or Chili Powder)
- Salt & Pepper , to taste
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In small mason jar, add EVOO, vinegar, sesame oil, sesame seeds, ginger and honey. Put lid on and shake. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, add cucumber, tomato and red pepper. Toss to combine. Add red onion. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Toss with dressing in mason jar. Sprinkle with Chili Powder.
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Let marinade in refrigerator for about an hour.
To bulk up the salad, serve on top of mixed greens or spinach. It's great with grilled chicken, beef or shrimp!
Every Sunday, I like to grill up 2-3 chicken breasts for the week. I keep the seasoning neutral (Montreal Chicken or 21 Seasoning Salute) so it can be used for a variety of lunches. For a filling salad, I toss mixed greens with some of the dressing at the bottom of the marinated veggies and then add chilled chicken on top. SO GOOD.
If you’re not a fan of heat, you can leave out the chili powder, but I promise it just adds a little kick of flavor.
Other uses:
- With grilled shrimp, prepare rice pilaf, then spoon Tomato + Cucumber salad on top. Sprinkle with feta cheese. YUM!
- Prepare dressing as is, but spiralize veggies instead of chopping, adding zucchini in the mix. Toss for a new twist on this salad
If you’ve been pregnant, what did you crave? Have you tried this salad at Noodles before?
We don’t have any Noodles + Co around here, so I am wicked excited to try this!! It sounds divine.
That sounds so good. Cucumbers are my favorite vegetable. I love the way its crisp coolness pairs with just about everything.
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Oh that looks delicious!!! Perfect for a bbq or maybe even with some fresh fish!
I love the idea to pair it with fish! YUM!
My husband love salads like this. A lot of times he likes to do cucumber and onion salad but I bet you throwing in those tomatoes and other things that you mention here that he would love it!
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I’ve never heard of Noodles and Co. This salad looks absolutely delicious.
Now this recipe looks delicious. I love that you added honey. It is the perfect addition. This is one of my favorite salads. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, I love honey in dressings! I didn’t realize they don’t have this salad on their menu any more…so sad!
Oh how I love fresh salads like this! They perfect as a side or really even a main dish. Thanks so much for the recipe!
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I love salads. They are so quick and easy to throw together. This one looks delicious.
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Your tomato cucumber salad looks amazing. It’s so simple to make too.
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This salad looks so delicious and easy to make. I love to find copy cat recipes to make.
I have been looking for a good recipe to try this weekend. I will have to get the ingredients I need to make some.
This looks so good. I need to make this soon. I could go for a great salad like this one.
This looks like a flavorful salad! I love all the veggies in there! Will try this soon!
I love cucumbers, especially on a hot day. I will have to give this a try. It looks delicious.
Thank you 🙂
I’ve never tried their salad but this looks delicious! Perfect for picnics and grilling get together this summer!
Yes! It’s nice and light…plus it can handle any heat.
Mmm, that salad looks incredible. 🙂 Just like the one from the restaurant.
Sounds so good, the mix of refreshing veggies and the spice!
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This salad is so bright and beautiful!
This looks so, so good!
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This is one of my favorites and I’ll never have to buy it again, thanks to this! 🙂
I’m happy to have found your blog this morning! I do have a question about the one ingredient in this recipe. Do you mean plain sesame oil, or the chinese-style toasted sesame oil? This looks so delicious, I can hardly wait to try it. Thank you.
Morning Pat! I’m so happy you found my site, too! 🙂 Either will work, but I really like the added flavor from toasted sesame oil. I really love the one available at Trader Joe’s! But either one will work.
It’s pretty annoying you have the word “copycat” in the title when this is radically different from the Noodles version. You could’ve called it a “variation” instead. This salad may be good, but it’s not what I was looking for and it sucks it’s the #1 Google result.
I’m sorry you feel this way. For me, it’s a representation of what the salad tasted like. I’ve had quite a few people agree with me, as well.
Quite good