Our 35 Best Tomato Salad Recipes for Summer

The Ultimate Summer Tomato Salad Recipe

Everything about this stunner of a salad screams summer. Visit your local farmers’ market, favorite roadside produce stand, or get your hands on a CSA to bring this seasonal salad to life with the freshest flavors possible. With a variety of vibrant flavors and textures—all tied together with an addictive Herbed Avocado-Tahini Dressing—this dish puts a standard salad to shame. You’ll be sure to turn heads with this beauty at your next family cook out or weekend block party; of course, it’s totally worth making all for yourself, too… because it’s just that good, and you deserve it. 

 Heirloom Tomato Salad with Chicken and Couscous Recipe

Not only does this vibrant salad taste like summer on a plate, but it’s also a fantastic make-ahead recipe that doesn’t require heating up the kitchen. While this is certainly not a meal that will weigh you down, store-bought rotisserie chicken makes the tomato salad hearty enough to serve as a satisfying entree. Soaking the couscous is a genius trick that yields a perfect fluffy texture—no cooking necessary. Plus, the overnight soaking means your couscous will be chilled and ready to go when you’re ready to assemble the salad. Plan ahead to take advantage of this savvy meal prep move. 

Corn, Tomato, and Basil Salad Recipe

While corn and tomatoes are at their peak later in the summer, you can enjoy this simple salad all season long. White miso--the kind that's lowest in sodium--adds a powerful umami punch to the mix, enhancing the meaty flavor that tomatoes and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese provide. Salting the tomatoes and letting them stand draws out their juices so they'll meld with the dressing when you combine all the components.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken with Tomato-Basil Salad Recipe

This summery riff on saltimbocca is simplicity itself, with big flavor hits provided by prosciutto and heirloom tomatoes. Fragrant shallots, grated to a pulp, serve as a marinade for the chicken, yielding delicious results. Summer tomatoes have a beefiness and richness unlike those harvested any other time of year. They stand up well to robust chicken thighs and salty prosciutto. You can also try this recipe using a standard white fish such as cod or halibut and adjust the cooking time depending on the choice of protein.

Sesame, Tomato, and Cucumber Salad Recipe

Serve a slice of summer with a tomato and cucumber salad. The vinaigrette is made with salty soy sauce, but berfore serving, sprinkle a pinch of flaky sea salt to add texture to the fresh tomatoes.

Tomato Salad with Crispy Potatoes and Creamy Feta Recipe

Jessica Koslow, the chef and owner of LA's Sqirl restaurant, couldn't stand tomatoes as a child. They gave her the creeps. But on her journey of becoming a pioneer of new-wave California cooking, she started to love them. In this recipe, she celebrates good summer tomatoes by pairing them with ultra-crunchy oven-crisped potatoes, an ingenious gluten-free twist on panzanella (bread and tomato salad). Make sure the potatoes get almost as crisp as croutons; if they're moist, let them bake longer.

Our suggested wine pairing: Presqu'ile 2012 Rosé Sparkling Wine (Santa Maria Valley; $65).

Sun Gold Tomato Caprese Salad Recipe

We use young heirloom Cherokee Purple tomatoes to balance the intense sweetness of Sun Golds with a little acid and umami depth, but other red cherry tomatoes will work well also.

Tomato Salad with Herbed Ricotta and Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe

Sliced heirloom tomatoes are wow-worthy on their own--a simple vinaigrette and dollops of basil-flecked ricotta take them over the top. Serve with toasted baguette slices to sop up any tomato juices.

Greek Tomato and Cucumber Salad with Farro Recipe

Whole-grain farro bulks up this hearty Mediterranean salad. If you like the crunch of fresh red onion but not the full pungency, give the slices a 30-second dip in ice water to tame the flavor; drain and toss in the salad.

Farro, Heirloom Tomato, and Peach Salad Recipe

Nutty grains, peak-season produce, and sweet stone fruit make this pretty salad an ideal side for simple roasted chicken, steak, grilled shrimp, or sautéed salmon. Ricotta salata is a pressed, salted, and aged/dried version of ricotta. If you can't find it, substitute feta, however be aware feta will be a bit saltier. If heirloom tomatoes aren't available, use whatever looks best and is in season at the market.

Tomato, Cucumber, and Basil Salad Recipe

Brandon Boudet, chef at Little Dom's, in Los Angeles, serves this salad in late summer and fall. You can cut up the vegetables a little ahead of time, but dress them fairly close to serving or they'll get soupy.

Shrimp-Tomato-Avocado Salad Recipe

Turn tomatoes into a full meal with the addition of succulent shrimp and creamy avocado slices. The salad is adorned with fresh herbs that create a woodsy and fragrant taste that pairs well with the lemony dressing.

Toasted Couscous and Tomato Salad Recipe

The couscous is toasted in oil to create a slightly nutty flavor and golden color. The natural sweetness of the tomatoes is released when they are roasted, while the Parmesan cheese brings in another hint of nuttiness and saltiness.

Heirloom Tomato and Chicken Toss Recipe

Serve this fresh summer salad with plenty of crusty bread to soak up the flavorful tomato juices.

Tomato, Peach, and Corn Salad Recipe

The summer's favorite produce is compiled together to create this vibrant and beautiful salad. The salad is tossed in a sweet and savory honey vinaigrette and topped with feta for a stunning finish.

Tomato and Cucumber Salad Recipe

Sweet peach dressing amps up the summery deliciousness in this simple salad. 

Caprese Tomato Salad Recipe

This Caprese salad includes all the classic ingredients that we love. Be sure to go all the way and to find the best tomatoes that are available to you.

Heirloom Tomato Salad Recipe

This salad brings out the best aspect of buying fresh heirloom tomatoes when they are in season. It is simplistic and only highlights the tomatoes' natural sweetness and acidity.

Spicy Tomato-Cucumber Salad Recipe

This elegantly simple salad is summer in a bowl. Sunshine-yellow and ruby-red wedges of juicy tomato anchor this dish with a hefty dose of lycopene, a heart-helping, cancer-fighting antioxidant. Cucumber and bell pepper bring their crunch to the party, while lemon and chile keep things lively with heat and zing. Remember—summer tomatoes are extra juicy, so plan to serve this salad soon after making it for the most concentrated flavor.

Triple Tomato Salad with Crispy Farro Recipe

Our salad update is a spectacular platter of tomatoes treated in all the ways that make the most of their flavor: pickled, roasted, and left raw. It does involve a few steps, but you can fry the farro and pickle the green tomatoes a few days in advance to get ahead.

Warm Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Eggplant Recipe

Congratulations—You just found your new go-to pasta salad! This veggie-packed beauty is nice and filling, thanks to meaty eggplant. If you can’t find burrata, simply tear 6 ounces of fresh mozzarella into bite-size pieces. Heading to a potluck? Feel free to make this recipe ahead of time; just be sure to let it come to room temperature and toss with an extra drizzle of vinegar and oil before serving. Add a few tablespoons of chopped fresh basil leaves for an extra layer of flavor.

Meatball and Tomato Salad Recipe

Use ground beef or bison here. Available in most grocery stores, bison is eco-friendly and has fewer calories and less sat fat than beef. Try these meatballs with spaghetti, or pile them on a whole-wheat hoagie for a wholesome take on the classic meatball sub.

Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad Recipe

A Caprese salad—tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella cheese—is one of the easiest and most delicious ways to show off peak-season Southern-grown tomatoes. Give this salad a fun new look by using a mix of multicolored cherry tomatoes and small fresh mozzarella balls (also called “bocconcini”) tossed in a simple vinaigrette. The dressing calls for white balsamic vinegar—regular balsamic vinegar will taste fine, but will turn the cheese brown—but you can use white wine vinegar instead. While we love the look of this side dish on a pretty platter, you can also skewer the ingredients to make Caprese kebabs. Either way, Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad is best served at room temperature (not straight from the refrigerator) when the tomatoes are juicy and the cheese is soft.

Summer Peach and Tomato Salad Recipe

Simplicity has never looked so beautiful. A stunning combination of skin-on peaches and heirloom tomatoes of various colors, sizes, and shapes creates a sweet-savory salad that pairs well with grilled pork.

Hot and Hot Tomato Salad Recipe

This recipe is a lightened interpretation of Hastings' summer staple. For his original recipe, check out the Hot and Hot Fish Club Cookbook. Use whatever varieties of colorful tomatoes you find at your local market. Hastings likes to use red beefsteak, yellow globe, and green zebra tomatoes. Cherokee purple tomatoes add unique flavor and color to the plate, if you can find them. Outside of the South, black-eyed peas are a fine sub for lady peas. Okra is a regional delicacy that's optional in this dish. If you omit it from the recipe, the salad is a mere 207 calories with 3.6 grams saturated fat and 323 milligrams sodium.

Marinated Heirloom Tomato Salad Recipe

This marinated heirloom tomato salad is a delicious and colorful summertime side dish. 

Arugula-Tomato Salad Recipe

This simple Arugula-Tomato Salad is tossed with a homemade champagne vinaigrette. We used bagged baby arugula to save time in preparation.

Crab and Heirloom Tomato Salad Recipe

This delicious dish pairs fresh lump crabmeat with the stunning flavors of heirloom tomatoes for a perfect summer salad. Extras like sliced sweet and spicy peppers, shallots, lime, and fresh basil and cilantro add a flavorful kick.

Marinated Watermelon Tomato Salad Recipe

If you’re tired of your usual watermelon salad, give this fantastic new recipe a try. Tomatoes and melon soak up the tangy lime-ginger-mint vinaigrette, making them extra juicy and flavorful. Goat cheese crumbles add a nice creamy note to the salad, but crumbled feta works well too. Serve this salad immediately after it is made so the fresh herbs stay bright and perky.

Tomato Stack Salad with Corn and Avocado Recipe

This tomato side salad is the ultimate summer recipe with a stack of colorful tomato slices and avocado topped wtih fresh herbs, corn, crumbled bacon, and a creamy dressing. This is the star of the meal; keep the entrée simple.

Field Pea-Tomato Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe

This gorgeous summer salad showcases peak-season tomatoes, fresh herbs, and lady peas, which remain creamy white or light green even after they have been cooked. A tangy vinaigrette brings all of these ingredients together to make one tasty dish. This salad is best served at room temperature immediately after it has been made, but you can cook the field peas in advance and store them in the refrigerator.

Beefsteak Tomato Salad with Fried Tomato Skins Recipe

Ample beefsteak tomatoes are the ones you want to eat uncooked. They are fleshy, big, juicy, and so delicious. Saving the skins and frying them is a genius touch, creating a beautiful garnish that's reminiscent of bacon bits.

Bloody Mary Tomato Salad with Quick Pickled Shrimp Recipe

Mix and match colorful assorted tomatoes, such as 'Beefsteak,' 'Brandywine,' and 'Cherokee Purple.' Their rich, meaty flavor counters the dressing's tang and zip. Don't overlook the tender inside leaves of the celery bunch--they're quite delicious, and they add an herbal note to the dish.

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Pomegranate Drizzle Recipe

This colorful tomato salad gets its unique flavor from a homemade dressing made from extra-virgin olive oil and pomegranate molasses (found at well-stocked grocery stores and gourmet shops). The salad is also good with grilled halloumi cheese tucked between the tomato slices.

Stuffed Zucchini Boats with Tomato Salad Recipe

Pair a simple salad made from cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, and mozzarella cheese with stuffed zucchini boats for a meal that showcases the very best of summer's bounty.