This Italian Tomato Salad is a simple yet refined side dish or appetizer that features sliced in-season tomatoes dressed with red onion, garlic, basil, and a 2-ingredient dressing. It only takes 10 minutes to assemble and adds elegant, refreshing flavors to your Italian-inspired meals. I always turn to this recipe when I’m craving a stripped-down and summery salad.
Summer is salad season in our house. I’ll usually eat a salad for lunch every day, but with the hot weather in full swing, I’ve been loading them up with as many refreshing, cooling ingredients as I can get my hands on. This Caprese Salad is one of my favorites, while this Easy Italian Salad is so colorful and crisp.
Italian Tomato Salad Recipe
Italian tomato salad, or insalata di pomodori, is a simple, rustic side dish or appetizer that highlights the natural flavor of ripe, garden-fresh tomatoes. Tossed with olive oil, vinegar, onion, garlic, fresh herbs, and a pinch of salt, this dish is proof that when the ingredients are high quality, you don’t need much else (especially in the summer).
My tomato and onion salad is as easy, vibrant, and quick as the kind you’d find in Italy. I layered juicy tomato slices with thinly sliced red onion, a touch of garlic, and ribbons of fresh basil, then drizzled olive oil and red wine vinegar over top. It’s fresh and flavorful with just the right balance of sweetness, umami, and tang.
In other words, it’s one of those perfect no-cook side dish recipes that celebrate fresh seasonal ingredients.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Tomatoes – Tomatoes are the clear star of this salad, so I always go with the best ones available to me. I’ll typically seek out garden- or farmer-fresh heirloom, beefsteak, or Roma tomatoes. For smaller, bite-sized tomatoes, use halved cherry or grape tomatoes instead.
- Aromatics – I top the tomatoes with a thinly sliced red onion and grated garlic cloves for a sharp, crunchy, and savory bite. Shallots work well as a substitute for red onion here.
- Dressing – Instead of using a formal salad dressing, I kept it simple and dressed the tomatoes and aromatics with a splash of red wine vinegar and olive oil. If you can, splurge on quality vinegar and oil for the best results.
- Herbs – Just fresh basil. I chiffonade the leaves to distribute the fresh flavors and keep the presentation elegant.
- Seasonings – A pinch of salt, pepper, and dried oregano round out the flavors.
How to Make an Italian Tomato Salad
Arrange the tomatoes: First, I fan out the tomato slices on a large plate or platter. I make sure the slices are overlapping slightly but not stacked.
Top with aromatics: Then, I scatter the thinly sliced onions and some finely grated garlic over the top.
Dress: I drizzle red wine vinegar and olive oil over the entire salad. Then, I sprinkle fresh basil leaves over the top, followed by a pinch of dried oregano.
Season and serve: Finally, I season the salad with flaky salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
Chef Tip + Notes
The better the quality of the tomatoes, the better the salad—simple as that. You want them to be firm but ripe and bursting with flavor. Soft or mealy tomatoes won’t do this salad justice. If your tomatoes are underripe, let them sit out at room temperature for a day or two to give them time to ripen and develop flavor.
- Tame the onion’s bite: If raw onion is too sharp for your taste, soak the slices in a bowl of ice water for 10 minutes. Drain and pat the slices dry before adding them to the salad. This keeps the crunch while toning down the strong flavor.
- Chiffonade fresh herbs: Chiffonade is a fancy culinary term for slicing herbs into delicate ribbons. To chiffonade the basil, stack the leaves, roll them up like a cigar, and slice them crosswise into thin strips. It makes the basil look beautiful and distributes its flavors more evenly over the salad.
- Marinate the salad: While the fresh tomato salad is delicious when served immediately, letting it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes gives the flavors a chance to mingle. The salt will also start pulling the juices from the tomatoes, creating a light, flavorful tomato dressing right on the plate.
- Add-in ideas: Customize your salad by topping it with crumbled feta, fresh mozzarella balls, sliced cucumbers, roasted red peppers, pine nuts, olives, or a drizzle of balsamic reduction.
Serving Suggestions
This easy summer salad always makes an appearance at our family BBQs and laid-back dinners on the patio. It’s fantastic alongside Italian mains, like grilled Italian sausages and Italian marinated chicken. And when we’re craving seafood, there’s nothing like grilled salmon with a side of tomato salad.
You can’t go wrong serving this alongside pasta, too. I particularly love it with a light and fresh pasta recipe, like pasta al limone or pesto pasta.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: You can make this salad 10 to 15 minutes ahead of serving. This gives the tomatoes time to marinate and soften slightly.
How to Store: If you end up with leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge and eat them within 1 day. I don’t recommend freezing this salad, since the tomatoes and basil won’t hold up well after thawing.
More Tomato Recipes
Italian Tomato Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 pounds fresh ripe tomatoes
- ¼ peeled thinly sliced red onion
- 1 thinly sliced garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 chiffonade fresh basil leaves
- 1 tablespoon dry oregano leaves
- coarse salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Fan out the tomatoes across a plate or platter.
- Next, evenly spread out the onions and garlic over the top of the tomatoes.
- Drizzle on the vinegar and oil, and then evenly sprinkle the basil and oregano all over the top.
- Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Italian Tomato Salad Recipe