Tomato Salad

Nothing screams summertime like biting into a juicy, fresh tomato. Our Tomato Salad Recipe packs all the fresh and earthy flavors into a delicious side dish. We promise you’ll want a steady supply of fresh tomatoes to serve this cool and juicy salad all season! Along with our other summer favorites: Heirloom Tomato, Peach, and Burrata Plates and our Heirloom Tomato Tart.

This Tomato Salad features juicy heirloom tomatoes, briny olives, red onion, and creamy burrata dressed in a lemon herb vinaigrette. In just 15 minutes, you’ll have a fresh and juicy tomato salad ready to serve. Serve it up with lunch or dinner or even take it along to your next BBQ or cookout. If you love Caprese Salad, you will love this loaded variation.

How to Make Our Tomato Salad

Vinaigrette Ingredients

Vinaigrette Process

1. Place all vinaigrette ingredients in a jar and lightly season with salt and pepper.
2. Close lid and vigorously shake until well mixed. Adjust salt and pepper as needed, close lid and again. Set aside.

Salad Ingredients

Salad Assembly Process

3. On a large plate or platter, spread tomato wedges in a single layer.
4. Drizzle with some vinaigrette. Allow tomatoes and vinaigrette to sit for 10 minutes.

5. Top with thinly sliced red onion, olives and burrata pieces.
6. Drizzle more vinaigrette over salad. Top with fresh herbs and serve.

Best Tomatoes to Use

The variety of tomatoes you use is less important than the ripeness and sweetness of the tomatoes. It truly makes the biggest impact on this salad.

Heirloom tomatoes are our favorite choice since they tend to be the most vibrant in color and rich in flavor. You can also use cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, or even Roma tomatoes. These varieties tend to be meatier and less watery than other varieties. Mix it up for a unique look and flavor profile, using some red, purple, yellow, and orange tomatoes!

Variations

• Vegetables. The original recipe uses tomatoes (which can’t be swapped), red onions, and olives. Try diced cucumber, bell peppers, or even chunks of avocado.

• Cheese. You can’t beat the creaminess and flavor of burrata, but try swapping with fresh mozzarella, feta, or goat cheese for a different flavor profile, or if you can’t find burrata.

• Herbs. Try different combinations of fresh herbs for the vinaigrette and to garnish your tomato salad — thyme, oregano, parsley, and cilantro are all potential contenders for this recipe.

• Protein. If you want this salad to be a bit heartier, add a protein source like chickpeas, diced grilled chicken, or shrimp.

Prep Ahead Instructions

This salad is best when eaten fresh on the same day, but you can make the different components ahead of time to save time and effort when you’re ready to enjoy it.

Vinaigrette

You can mix the vinaigrette ingredients together and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 48 hours ahead of time. Because of the fresh herbs, the vinaigrette may not stay fresh past that point. Before mixing with the tomatoes, give the bottle a good shake to re-emulsify the ingredients, as they may settle after sitting.

Salad Components

You can dice the salad ingredients, including the tomatoes, olives, and red onion up to 48 hours ahead of time and store them in the refrigerator in a covered container. While you can combine them and store them covered if your tomatoes are watery or juicy, they may lead your onions to become soggy, so storing them separately is recommended.

When you’re ready to serve, just combine the tomatoes, dressing, and other ingredients as directed.

What to Serve with Our Tomato Salad?

This tomato salad is perfect for a summer lunch, dinner, or potluck party. Serve alongside a loaf of crusty bread and any of these recipes:

Serve with Grilled Proteins

• Grilled Peel and Eat Shrimp
• Grilled Shrimp and Steak Surf n Turf
• Grilled Tri-Tip Sandwiches

Green Summer Salads

• Greek Salad
• BBQ Chicken Salad
• Loaded Summer Salmon Salad
• Caesar Salad

Fresh Appetizers

• Proscuitto Topped Cucumber Crostini
• Summer Appetizer Plate
• Whipped Goat Cheese
• Simple Charcuterie Flatbreads

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