Confessions Summer Salads: Watermelon, Feta, Basil

This fresh Watermelon Salad in a honey lime vinaigrette is a simple, refreshing summer side dish that is just the thing to serve with, or for, dinner on a hot August day.

We eat a LOT of watermelon at our house during the summer.  It’s right up there next to peaches and cantaloupe for being a favorite summer fruit for our family and my babe could easily manage a half a watermelon on his own in just one sitting. I am truly concerned for the teenage years.

Backstory:

I wanted to do something a little different than just plain old wedges of watermelon with dinner the other week, so I threw together this easy watermelon salad that is an amazing thirst-quencher.  The cucumber adds crunch and crispness to the sweet, cold watermelon, and the red onion and feta balance everything well with a savory element.  And the fresh basil ties it all together with it’s bright, wonderful flavor. P L U S you don’t have to “cook” anything…. #win

This salad would be perfect with grilled shrimp, chicken, or burgers.  Just be sure to serve it the same day you make it because it doesn’t keep very well at all, which is a definite downside.  But the upside is that it is so easy to throw together that if you keep the ingredients separate, it’s easy to toss together for a potluck or other group gathering where you need to take a salad during the summer.

Let’s Jump Right In

What You Need:

4 cups watermelon, cubed	1/4 small red onion, sliced
1 English cucumber, cut in half lengthwise and sliced into half-circles	1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, sliced into thin strips
1/2 cup feta cheese	2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons lime juice	2 tablespoons olive oil
Pinch of salt	Pinch of pepper

What You Do:

1. Combine the watermelon, red onion, and cucumber in a large bowl.   
2. In a small separate bowl, whisk together the honey, lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, then drizzle over the watermelon salad ingredients and toss to combine. 
3. Sprinkle the salad with the feta cheese and fresh basil, then toss again gently and serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.

Easy, right? As always, let me know how it works out for you!

XO

C