Fresh Tomato Salads
Tomato season is too short around here. I can never get enough of what my mom called “real tomatoes”. The first few tomatoes never made it in the house. Warm from the sun, they were too tempting. We would pick them right off the plant and eat them. Deer have made it pretty impossible for me to grow tomatoes right now. Luckily, local farm markets have many beautiful tomatoes.
I am enjoying eating fresh tomatoes right now. Later in the season, I will purchase enough tomatoes to can and dehydrate to enjoy once the season is over.
I thought I would share a few of my favorite tomato salad recipes with you.
They are pretty simple. I think that is how it should be. When you have something as close to perfection as a ripe tomato, little more is needed.
Marinated Tomato Salad
3 large tomatoes, cut in wedges, or 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
1 T. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2-3 basil leaves, cut into thin strips
2 T. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Combine ingredients and serve at room temperature. Serves 4-6.
Tomato and Feta Salad
3 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
12 cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil -I used a lemon infused olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
In a bowl, mix the feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, onion, olive oil, and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Serves 2.
Warm Pasta Salad
1 lb. Plum tomatoes, chopped
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
4 oz. Fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ c. fresh parsley, chopped
1 T. dried basil or 1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
1 T. capers, optional
1 t. dried oregano
½ c. olive oil
¼ c. red wine vinegar
3 T. balsamic vinegar
Dash of hot red pepper flakes
Salt to taste
1 lb. Uncooked pasta
Combine all ingredients, except pasta and chill overnight. Cook pasta, drain and toss with tomato mixture. Mixture should be served right away . Serves 6.
BLT Salad
6-8 slices bacon
2 slices rye bread
2 slices Swiss cheese
5 c. torn up lettuce or mixed greens
3 T. olive oil
2 T. apple cider vinegar
1 T. balsamic vinegar
Salt and fresh ground pepper
2-3 tomatoes, diced
Cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan, drain and crumble. Remove most of the bacon grease from the pan. Make a sandwich with the rye bread and the Swiss cheese. Toast in the skillet over medium heat until golden brown and cheese is melted. Set aside. Place lettuce in bowl and toss with the oil to coat the leaves. Toss with the vinegars and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the tomatoes and the bacon and toss. Cut the sandwich into cubes and place on the top of the salad. Serves 2.
Note: you can make two sandwiches if you want more bread and cheese in the salad.
Tomato Feta Salad
Warm Pasta Salad
Tomato Pasta Salad
I have been enjoying plenty of fresh, local tomatoes and I am always looking for new ways to enjoy them. This salad really celebrates the tomato.
I used tomatoes three different ways in this one salad. I started with a homemade tomato pasta, added fresh diced tomatoes and finished it with a tomato salad dressing.
The salad has fresh mozzarella cheese added to it, along with some hard cooked eggs. You could easily add cooked chicken or shrimp, if you prefer.
Here is the recipe for the salad and the dressing. I posted the recipe for the homemade tomato pasta at the bottom of this post. You can, of course, use store-bought pasta, if you prefer.
Tomato Pasta Salad
8 oz. tomato pasta or tri-color pasta, I used homemade
12 oz. diced tomatoes
2 sweet peppers, seeded and chopped
½ c. sliced green onions
4 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed or shredded
3-4 hard cooked eggs
Tomato herb dressing- recipe follows- or use the vinaigrette of your choice.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Combine with remaining ingredients and toss. Serve immediately or chill. Serves 4.
Tomato and Herb Dressing
1 c. tomatoes, peeled and seeded, fresh or canned
½ c. chopped parsley
2 green onions, chopped
2 T. fresh celery or lovage leaves
2 T. fresh basil leaves or 2 t. dried
½ t. each salt and garlic powder
½ c. olive oil
Dash hot pepper sauce
Combine all ingredients in blender until smooth. Makes 1½ cups.
Fresh Tomato Pasta
2 c. flour
1 t. salt
½ -2/3 c. tomato juice- I just pureed a fresh tomato in the blender, seeds, skin and all. You might need a little more.
Fresh minced herbs, like chives, basil, parsley, rosemary, optional
Place flour and salt in bowl and stir to blend. Start adding the tomato juice, stirring to form a firm dough. Knead until smooth and cover dough, allowing to rest at least 20 minutes. I like to mix the dough in a food processor. Just mixes faster. You can also mix in a stand mixer using the dough hook. Once dough is rested, roll out to desired thickness and cut into noodles or use as the base for ravioli. Fresh pasta cooks in just a couple of minutes. Watch carefully. Serves 3-4.
Tomato Pasta Salad
I have been enjoying plenty of fresh, local tomatoes and I am always looking for new ways to enjoy them. This salad really celebrates the tomato.
I used tomatoes three different ways in this one salad. I started with a homemade tomato pasta, added fresh diced tomatoes and finished it with a tomato salad dressing.
The salad has fresh mozzarella cheese added to it, along with some hard cooked eggs. You could easily add cooked chicken or shrimp, if you prefer.
Here is the recipe for the salad and the dressing. I posted the recipe for the homemade tomato pasta at the bottom of this post. You can, of course, use store-bought pasta, if you prefer.
Tomato Pasta Salad
8 oz. tomato pasta or tri-color pasta, I used homemade
12 oz. diced tomatoes
2 sweet peppers, seeded and chopped
½ c. sliced green onions
4 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed or shredded
3-4 hard cooked eggs
Tomato herb dressing- recipe follows- or use the vinaigrette of your choice.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Combine with remaining ingredients and toss. Serve immediately or chill. Serves 4.
Tomato and Herb Dressing
1 c. tomatoes, peeled and seeded, fresh or canned
½ c. chopped parsley
2 green onions, chopped
2 T. fresh celery or lovage leaves
2 T. fresh basil leaves or 2 t. dried
½ t. each salt and garlic powder
½ c. olive oil
Dash hot pepper sauce
Combine all ingredients in blender until smooth. Makes 1½ cups.
Fresh Tomato Pasta
2 c. flour
1 t. salt
½ -2/3 c. tomato juice- I just pureed a fresh tomato in the blender, seeds, skin and all. You might need a little more.
Fresh minced herbs, like chives, basil, parsley, rosemary, optional
Place flour and salt in bowl and stir to blend. Start adding the tomato juice, stirring to form a firm dough. Knead until smooth and cover dough, allowing to rest at least 20 minutes. I like to mix the dough in a food processor. Just mixes faster. You can also mix in a stand mixer using the dough hook. Once dough is rested, roll out to desired thickness and cut into noodles or use as the base for ravioli. Fresh pasta cooks in just a couple of minutes. Watch carefully. Serves 3-4.
Fresh Tomato Salads
Tomato season is too short around here. I can never get enough of what my mom called “real tomatoes”. The first few tomatoes never made it in the house. Warm from the sun, they were too tempting. We would pick them right off the plant and eat them. Deer have made it pretty impossible for me to grow tomatoes right now. Luckily, local farm markets have many beautiful tomatoes.
I am enjoying eating fresh tomatoes right now. Later in the season, I will purchase enough tomatoes to can and dehydrate to enjoy once the season is over.
I thought I would share a few of my favorite tomato salad recipes with you.
They are pretty simple. I think that is how it should be. When you have something as close to perfection as a ripe tomato, little more is needed.
Marinated Tomato Salad
3 large tomatoes, cut in wedges, or 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
1 T. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2-3 basil leaves, cut into thin strips
2 T. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Combine ingredients and serve at room temperature. Serves 4-6.
Tomato and Feta Salad
3 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
12 cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil -I used a lemon infused olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
In a bowl, mix the feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, onion, olive oil, and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Serves 2.
Warm Pasta Salad
1 lb. Plum tomatoes, chopped
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
4 oz. Fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ c. fresh parsley, chopped
1 T. dried basil or 1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
1 T. capers, optional
1 t. dried oregano
½ c. olive oil
¼ c. red wine vinegar
3 T. balsamic vinegar
Dash of hot red pepper flakes
Salt to taste
1 lb. Uncooked pasta
Combine all ingredients, except pasta and chill overnight. Cook pasta, drain and toss with tomato mixture. Mixture should be served right away . Serves 6.
BLT Salad
6-8 slices bacon
2 slices rye bread
2 slices Swiss cheese
5 c. torn up lettuce or mixed greens
3 T. olive oil
2 T. apple cider vinegar
1 T. balsamic vinegar
Salt and fresh ground pepper
2-3 tomatoes, diced
Cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan, drain and crumble. Remove most of the bacon grease from the pan. Make a sandwich with the rye bread and the Swiss cheese. Toast in the skillet over medium heat until golden brown and cheese is melted. Set aside. Place lettuce in bowl and toss with the oil to coat the leaves. Toss with the vinegars and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the tomatoes and the bacon and toss. Cut the sandwich into cubes and place on the top of the salad. Serves 2.
Note: you can make two sandwiches if you want more bread and cheese in the salad.
Tomato Feta Salad
Warm Pasta Salad
BLT Salad
Tomato Lover’s Pasta Salad
Tomato Lover’s Pasta Salad
I have been enjoying plenty of fresh, local tomatoes and I am always looking for new ways to enjoy them. This salad really celebrates the tomato.
I used tomatoes three different ways in this one salad. I started with a homemade tomato pasta, added fresh diced tomatoes and finished it with a tomato salad dressing.
The salad has fresh mozzarella cheese added to it, along with some hard cooked eggs. You could easily add cooked chicken or shrimp, if you prefer.
Here is the recipe for the salad and the dressing. I posted the recipe for the homemade tomato pasta before. The link for the pasta recipe is at the bottom of this post. You can, of course, use store bought pasta, if you prefer.
Tomato Lover’s Pasta Salad
8 oz. tomato pasta or tri-color pasta, I used homemade
12 oz. diced tomatoes
2 sweet peppers, seeded and chopped
½ c. sliced green onions
4 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed or shredded
3-4 hard cooked eggs
Tomato herb dressing- recipe follows- or use the vinaigrette of your choice.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Combine with remaining ingredients and toss. Serve immediately or chill. Serves 4.
Tomato and Herb Dressing
1 c. tomatoes, peeled and seeded, fresh or canned
½ c. chopped parsley
2 green onions, chopped
2 T. fresh celery or lovage leaves
2 T. fresh basil leaves or 2 t. dried
½ t. each salt and garlic powder
½ c. olive oil
Dash hot pepper sauce
Combine all ingredients in blender until smooth. Makes 1 ½ c.
