tzatziki cucumber sauce in a blue bowl

Tzatziki

This is one of the best ways to use cucumber in my opinion. Slice cucumbers thinly, then put into a sauce with yogurt, garlic, and dill. Some people prefer to use chopped mint – it depends on what you have on hand.

Good with gyros, lamb meatballs, salads, as a dip for pita bread or veggies.

 

tzatziki cucumber sauce in a blue bowl

Tzatziki

Course: Appetizer, Sauce
Cuisine: Greek
Keyword: cucumber, summer, yogurt
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Servings: 1.5 cups
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1-2 cucumbers
  • 1 tsp coarse salt
  • 1 c unflavored Greek yogurt **
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced fine
  • 1 tbsp fresh dill, minced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil (optional)

Instructions

  • Prep the cucumbers: peel them, halve them lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Slice them very thinly, mix with the salt, and let them stand in a strainer 10-15 minutes. This pulls out liquid and bitterness from the cukes.
  • Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, and dill. Stir in the oil in a thin stream, and incorporate it well.
  • After 15 min, rinse the cucumber slices in cold water, then spread them out on a clean kitchen towel, and roll in the towel to dry. Now add them to the bowl with the yogurt mixture, and serve.
  • Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, if you like.

Notes

About the yogurt: if you only have regular yogurt, drain it to make it thicker: let it stand 15-20 min in a cheesecloth-lined strainer, then use as in this recipe.