Make the most of tomato season with this super easy side dish that only takes 10 minutes of prep! This Herbed Tomato Salad is simple yet packed with flavor.
Have lots of garden fresh tomatoes? Try this Avocado and Tomato Salad as well – it’s a well loved recipe at our house!
A Simple Side Dish
I’ve mentioned it time and time again, but I really struggle when it comes to the whole side dish game. It’s usually just a green salad.
But let’s be honest – the reason I don’t usually go all out for side dishes is that all of my energy and time is going into the main dish. I don’t have another 30 minutes to spend on a side dish.
Enter the 10 minute, super simple Tomato and Herb Salad. First of all, you should be loading up on tomatoes right now because you can get them fresh and local, and second, this only takes 10 minutes. Even I can muster up the energy to throw this simple side dish together.
Ingredients and Substitutions
This recipe is so easy that it doesn’t really even need a recipe. And the best part is that you really can easily change it up depending on what you have on hand.
- Olive Oil – I like to use Extra Virgin Olive Oil here. You want an olive oil that you like, since the flavor will be prominent. If you want something a lot more mild, you can sub in a neutral oil like vegetable oil.
- Vinegar – I used red wine vinegar, but there are so many great flavored vinegars that you could sub in. Balsamic, apple cider vinegar – I even have a honey wine vinegar that would be great in this salad.
- Salt and Sugar – Seasoning is always super important! You don’t want to skip the sugar – it helps to cut the acidity of the tomatoes. And instead of regular table salt try a good kosher or sea salt. Or this would be a great time to try a specialty seasoned salt.
- Herbs – I love this salad because it’s a great way to use the herbs I grow in my backyard. In this salad, I used a mix of basil, thyme and oregano, but you can use whatever mix you like. I even think parsley would work really well, and I almost always have parsley in my fridge.
- Tomatoes – the star of the show! This is perfect for grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes. But I’d even guess that you could cut up any garden fresh tomatoes and it would be delicious!
Tips and Tricks
I would definitely recommend fresh herbs, but if you are wanting to use dried, you would use 2 teaspoons of dried herbs instead of 2 tablespoons of fresh.
This tomato salad is best if you make it a little bit ahead of time so the flavors have time to mingle together. So you can make this a few hours before dinner, then you don’t even have to worry about the side when dinner time rolls around – it’s already done!! Win-win!
Store any leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator. I wouldn’t suggest letting it sit for more than a day or two, though, as it will start to get soggy.
More Easy Side Dishes
Zucchini and Tomato Salad Recipe
Tomato and Basil Bake
Grilled Corn Salad
Raspberry Spinach Salad
Sweet Potato Hash
Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
Herbed Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped herbs*
- 1 quart cherry or grape tomatoes halved
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, salt and sugar. Stir in the herbs. Add the tomatoes and toss to coat.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Jennifer Maday says
We had this tonight with burrata, very tasty!
Deborah says
Oooh, sounds wonderful with burrata!
Culina Sophia says
I’m currently in Italy with a garden overflowing with tomatoes so this is absolutely perfect! It’s also a perfect salad to bring a dinner table to life – such gorgeous colours!
Joanne Bruno says
I am terrible with side dishes also, but this tomato salad is a summer must-have!
Becky Hardin | The Cookie Rookie says
One of my VERY FAVORITE side dishes. It just doesn’t get better than this. Your pics are gorgeous as always 🙂
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
Simplicity at its BEST! I could eat the whole bowl.