I love a good twofer recipe leftover makeover and this watermelon feta salad turned watermelon gazpacho is one of my Summer favorites!
On the list of Summer salads I can’t live without, Watermelon Feta Salad has a top spot. A classic Summer staple recipe that is so clean, healthy, and refreshingly delicious with sweet juicy chunks of watermelon, bright contrasting acidity of vinegar and fresh lemon, fragrant fresh mint or basil, and salty pops of feta cheese, it deserves a starring role on any Summer grilling menu. You can even use vegan feta to keep it non-dairy and you don’t even miss the real thing!
Not only is this salad delicious, super clean and healthy for a variety of food allergies and eating styles, and incredibly easy to make, but it’s a showstopper any way you serve it, and can easily be dressed up for the occasion: casually tossed in a bowl, artfully cubed and arranged on a platter, or festively threaded onto skewers!
And one of the best secret tricks this salad has up its sleeve is that it can easily be transformed into a quick and delicious Watermelon Gazpacho-one of my favorite Summer soups and another show stopping Summer dish that’s make ahead and dresses up great for parties served in shot glasses for soup shooters! Plus, it’s a great way to spruce up the look and texture of the those yummy salad juices that start to get runny as they sit!
Any way you dice it, or serve it, this is one versatile salad that’ll be on your list of Summer faves if it’s not already!
Watermelon Feta Salad
Servings: 4-6
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 cups cubed fresh watermelon
- 1 half fresh squeezed lemon or 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 English cucumber, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh mint or basil, thinly sliced into ribbons, plus more for garnish
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese- Can substitute vegan feta
- 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper, or to taste
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion or chopped green onions, optional
- 1 or 2 tablespoons of balsamic glaze, just eyeball it, to drizzle over top
Instructions:
Toss chopped watermelon, chopped cucumber, fresh mint, and red onion if using. Add 1/4 cup olive oil and the juice of 1/2 lemon or red wine vinegar; season with salt and pepper, toss. Top with fresh crumbled feta, drizzle with balsamic glaze and serve!
You could also cube pieces of feta equal size to watermelon cubes and alternate on skewers along with sprigs of whole fresh mint or basil to serve party style. Whisk up the olive oil, lemon/vinegar, salt and pepper separately and drizzle on skewers along with the red or green onions, if using. Sprinkle more salt and pepper on top of the skewers, drizzle with balsamic glaze, and sprinkle more thinly sliced mint or basil on top, if desired.
Get even more mileage out of this delish summery salad by turning leftovers into this delicious Watermelon Feta Gazpacho. Get the recipe here!
Watermelon Gazpacho
Made using my leftover watermelon feta salad this sneaky and delicious cheat gazpacho will be your new favorite Summer soup!
No need to recycle it from the watermelon feta salad, of course, just make it from scratch and it’s still quick and easy-but if you happen to have some leftover watermelon feta salad on hand and are looking to bring some new life and texture to all those runny salad juices, why not let it do the work for you?
This beautiful and delish summer soup is a refreshing and healthy make ahead dish that dresses up great parties and is such a crowd pleaser. I love to serve it in shot glasses to make show-stopping Watermelon Soup Shooters!
Serving Size: 4 small bowls or approximately 8 4-ounce soup shooters
Active Prep Time: 15 minutes or less
Ingredients:
- 2 cups cubed fresh watermelon or leftover watermelon feta salad, plus more diced watermelon for garnish
- 1 cup fresh yellow orange or red cherry tomatoes (you can substitute half 14 ounce can of fire roasted tomatoes if needed)
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons minced red onion
- 1/2 jalapeno or serrano chile
- 1 clove peeled raw garlic
- 1/2 English cucumber, chopped, plus more for garnish (if using leftover watermelon feta salad you can omit extra cucumber and red onion if you already used these ingredients in the salad)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint or basil, plus more for garnish
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (Can substitute vegan feta), plus more for garnish
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender (except for those set aside for garnish and pulse to combine until desired texture is reached. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Chill then ladle into bowls or shot glasses and garnish with extra pieces of watermelon, cucumber, feta and mint or basil. Serve and enjoy!
