When it’s warm outside, I turn to cooling salads like watermelon salad, creamy cucumber salad, and this refreshing tomato salad. This simple tomato salad recipe makes the perfect side dish or light main course for entertaining.
Tomato Salad Ingredients
To make this tomato salad you will need fresh tomatoes, basil leaves, red onions and mozzarella balls. The salad dressing is consists of red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, salt, sugar, garlic, black pepper and oregano. This tomato salad showcases the finest that summer has to offer. It’s a bright and refreshing salad that pairs perfectly with dishes such as air fryer salmon, chicken milanese or Cajun shrimp.
How Do You Make Tomato Salad?
This tomato salad recipe starts with the ripest tomatoes you can find. Cut your tomatoes into bite sized pieces and place them in a large bowl with fresh mozzarella balls, thinly sliced red onion and whole basil leaves. In a separate small bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, dried oregano, minced garlic, kosher salt and black pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad, then gently toss everything to combine.
Tips For The Perfect Dish
I use bocconcini mozzarella balls for this salad. These little cheese bites come packed in water in tubs in the deli area. You can also use diced fresh mozzarella if you prefer. I like to keep my basil leaves whole so that they don’t turn black in the salad. If you’d like to chop your basil that’s fine too, just be aware that cut basil leaves will discolor as they sit in the salad. Look for ripe tomatoes for this salad. If you can grow your own tomatoes they’ll have the best flavor, but a farmer’s market can have delicious tomatoes. You can serve your salad immediately, or let the tomatoes marinate in the dressing in the fridge for up to 2 hours. Your tomatoes can get mealy if they sit longer than 2 hours. I use a mandoline to shave my red onion into the thinnest possible slices.
Tomato Salad Variations
You can add so many different ingredients to this salad to make it your own and customize the flavors.
Vegetables: You can try adding bell peppers, sliced kalamata olives, marinated artichokes, corn or avocado. Protein: Make this a main course by adding garlic butter shrimp, grilled chicken tenders, bacon, white beans or chickpeas. Fresh Herbs: Swap out the basil for green onions, dill or parsley. Cheese: Use cubed provolone cheese, feta cheese or shaved parmesan in lieu of mozzarella. Seasoning: You can add extra flavor to the dressing by adding 2 teaspoons of my homemade Italian seasoning or Greek seasoning.
I make this salad multiple times a week when tomatoes are in season. It takes just minutes to put together, and the flavors are a classic combination that can’t be beat.
Tomato Salad Video
