Easy Tomato Salad
Easy tomato salad with capers, herbs and a simple lemon olive oil dressing is the perfect way to use juicy, ripe tomatoes.
Table of Contents
Ingredients needed
- Fresh tomatoes. Use any variety of ripe tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes, Grape tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, beefsteak, etc. are all good options.
- Capers.
- Red onion.
- Fresh herbs: Parsley, basil, dill and oregano all work well with tomatoes.
- Olive oil.
- Fresh lemon juice.
- Salt and pepper.
- Optional extras: Feel free to add cheeses like Feta cheese, Parmesan or Pecorino Romano.
Tips for making the best tomato salad
- Make sure you use seasonal, ripe tomatoes. If the tomatoes you have aren’t bright red or ripe yet, leave them out on the counter for a few days. The riper your tomatoes, the juicier and more flavorful they’ll be.
- Even though tomatoes are acidic they love a bit of vinegar or fresh lemon juice. You could use red wine vinegar or Balsamic vinegar in this recipe. I like the freshness the lemon adds though so I always add a squeeze along with vinegar to the vinaigrette.
- Tomatoes love fresh herbs so I use both fresh basil leaves and parsley in this summer salad. You could use oregano, marjoram or thyme too.
- Don’t be shy with salt. Tomatoes can handle way more salt than you think.
- Dress the fresh tomato salad 5-10 minutes before serving. The salt will draw a lot of juice from the tomatoes and will mingle with the dressing to make the most amazing saucy dressing. Don’t waste a drop of it, it’s super delicious!
How to cut tomatoes for salad
If using large tomatoes, slice them in half. Slice each halve into 6-8 pieces, depending on how chunky you want your salad. If using cherry tomatoes, simply halve them and if they’re very small, you can keep them whole.
Can I make tomato salad in advance?
You could assemble the salad in a large salad bowl up to an hour in advance, cover and keep at room temperature. Add the dressing 5-10 minutes before you are planning to serve.
Serving suggestions
- Serve as a side dish to any grilled chicken or meat.
- With Focaccia and shavings of Parmesan cheese.
- Tear in a ball of fresh mozzarella for an easy twist on Caprese salad.
Easy salad recipes
- Marinated zucchini salad
- Tomato avocado salad
- Easy side salad with lemon dressing
- Corn and grilled zucchini salad
Tomato recipes
- Roasted Caprese tomatoes
- Easy tomato soup with grilled cheese
- Grilled tomato caprese salad
- Cucumber, tomato and red onion salad
Easy tomato salad
Easy tomato salad with capers, herbs and a simple lemon olive oil dressing is the perfect way to use juicy, ripe tomatoes.
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Calories: 85kcal
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 6 ripe tomatoes
- 1 red onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup capers
- ¼ cup freshparsley
- ¼ cup fresh basil
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp lemon juice / red wine vinegar
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Slice the tomatoes into chunks or wedges, to your own preference and place in a bowl.
- Add the capers and red onion.
- Roughly chop the herbs and add to the bowl.
- Whisk together all the dressing ingredients then pour over the salad. Allow to stand for 5-10 minutes then serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 85kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1200mg | Potassium: 510mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1962IU | Vitamin C: 38mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg