Tomato Salad made with only in-season tomatoes because only garden fresh will do. Simple yet incredibly delicious – especially with fresh crusty bread or tossed with toasted croutons.
I have to reiterate that this tomato salad should only be made with in-season tomatoes. Any garden fresh tomato – cherry reds, yellow, or orange, Roma, beefsteak, or a combination of whatever you have. Don’t have a garden? Hit a farmer’s market. You’ll get great tomatoes there and also a bunch of other goodies you can use. Get to know the vendors and strike up conversations on suggestions for how to use whatever you’re buying. I love going and I seem to learn something new every time I go.
You may wonder why on earth I’m posting a recipe for such a simple dish. Well, I’m frequently asked how I make it. Just because I grew up with this salad doesn’t mean everyone else has. So here it is folks. I’ll post guidelines for amounts, but they’re only guidelines. You can’t screw this up.
You’ll need fresh chopped tomatoes along with a few cloves of garlic. If you love garlic like we do, you’ll use at least 2 cloves for every pound of tomatoes. Toss in a few torn basil leaves and a few glugs of good extra virgin olive oil. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper and toss it all together. Now, let it sit for a few so the flavors can have a chance to mingle.
Use really good extra virgin olive oil here. When the olive oil is the sauce, you want only the best. This is true when making uncooked sauces like my Peruvian pesto, Italian pesto, or spinach pesto. It’s also true when making dressings like my orange, lemon, or balsamic vinaigrettes.
Try some of my other salads:
- Spinach watermelon feta salad with lime vinaigrette
- Sweet and tangy cucumber salad
- Mexican street corn salad
- Sonoma chicken salad
- Peruvian oil and vinegar potato salad
- Macaroni salad
- Spinach and cheese pasta salad
- Grilled peach and blue cheese salad
This salad also makes a great topping for fish, steaks, chops, or chicken.
Life is too short for mediocre food.
This post contains affiliate links for products I use in my kitchen.
Garden Fresh Tomato Salad
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 2 pounds garden tomatoes preferably heirloom, chopped
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 - 4 garlic cloves finely minced
- A few fresh basil leaves torn
- kosher or sea salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Place all of the tomato salad ingredients into a large bowl and toss together. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes to allow the flavors to marry. Taste and adjust salt as needed. This salad needs salt for it to taste good.
