Five Ways to Eat Cucumber This Summer
What do you do with cucumbers in summer besides salad? These five recipes — from crispy cucumber boats to a silky chilled cream — show exactly how far this vegetable goes.
Cool, Crisp, Ready in Minutes
Cucumber is one of those vegetables that barely needs cooking — a knife, some olive oil, and good ingredients are enough. These five recipes show the range: a yogurt-dressed salad, cucumber boats with a Tuscan-style filling, stuffed pickled cucumbers, tramezzini, and a chilled cream soup.
Cucumber Salad
Cucumber Salad leans on cool cucumbers and a creamy yogurt dressing for a light, summery side. The mix of yellow and datterino tomatoes, red spring onions, and spinach adds color, crunch, and a little sweetness to every bite. It’s a great option for weeknight dinners or easy cookouts when you want something fresh that comes together quickly.
Pro tip: add croutons or walnut kernels for extra crunch, or crumble in a little ricotta salata for a saltier, more Italian note.
Cucumber Boats
Cucumber Boats turn crisp cucumbers into edible "boats" loaded with a bright, savory filling. Cherry tomatoes, red onions, Taggiasca olives, stale bread, and extra-virgin olive oil come together like a chopped Italian-style salad with great texture. They’re ideal for entertaining as a light appetizer, especially for backyard dinners and summer aperitivo hours.
Pro tip: you can toss the bread with a spoonful of white wine vinegar before filling the cucumbers to give each bite a gentle, tangy kick.
Stuffed pickled cucumbers
Stuffed pickled cucumbers offer a fresh vegetarian appetizer with an unexpected twist. The cucumbers are paired with red peppers, fresh ginger, chives, and a cherry tomato and peanut sauce for layers of bright, savory flavor. They’re a smart choice when you want something light yet memorable to open a summer meal.
Pro tip: you can add small cubes of watermelon to the filling if you’d like a sweet, juicy contrast that also lets you prep the dish ahead without fuss.
Cucumber and cream cheese tramezzini
Cucumber and cream cheese tramezzini are soft Italian sandwiches filled with a tangy cream cheese mixture and fresh, crisp cucumber. Onions and mint in the filling give a gentle bite and cool herbiness, while the Benedictine-style cucumber mix is designed to hold well. They’re ideal for a summer meal, especially picnics, light lunches, or make-ahead platters for guests.
Pro tip: you can chill the assembled tramezzini, well covered, so the Benedictine cucumber mix stays crisp and the flavors meld nicely by the next day.
Cucumber and Yogurt Cream
Cucumber and Yogurt Cream is a summer first course that’s silky, light, and cooling. Cucumber, plain yogurt, vegetable broth, and shallot blend with dill, lemon peel, and extra-virgin olive oil for a bright, savory cream. It’s easy to pull together and works well for warm evenings when you want something refreshing served at room temperature or cold.
Pro tip: you can chill the cream covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes if you’d like to serve it cold instead of warm.
No Heat Required
The salad, boats, and tramezzini are the fastest — all under 30 minutes and no heat required. The cream soup takes 30 minutes but improves with an hour in the fridge. Make the tramezzini the night before if you're serving guests.
