Name: Easy Tomato Salad - Printable Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: English
Ingredients: 2 x Small Bowls; Sharp Knife; Chopping Board; Large Mixing Bowl; 1/4 Red Onion, diced; 350g (12.3 oz) Ripe Tomatoes *; Handful of Freshly Torn Basil; 1 tbsp Wholegrain Mustard; 1 tbsp Cider Vinegar; 1 tbsp Olive Oil; 1 tbsp Runny Honey; 1/4 tsp Salt; Black Pepper, to taste; A few Mozzarella Pearls, optional

Jump to Printable Recipe

Jump to Picture Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Where I make a small commission on purchased items, at no extra cost to you. See my disclosure for details.

Have tons of tomatoes in your garden? No idea what to do with them? Look no further than this stunning tomato salad! Ripe, seasonal tomatoes are perfect for this recipe. It’s simple to make and guaranteed to impress! Want to know how to make it for yourself? Read on for my easy tomato salad recipe and lots of helpful tips.

Tomato salad with mozzarella pearls in a blue bowl

Seasonal tomato salad

I had a go at growing Italian cherry tomatoes this year. I’m not the greatest gardener by any means, but I enjoyed trying all the same! The flavour of these Italian tomatoes was absolutely beautiful. They worked perfectly in fresh tomato spaghetti and feta tomato pasta! A far cry away from the tomatoes you get in supermarkets nowadays.

In this tomato salad, it’s imperative that you use the best tomatoes you can get your hands on. Whether that’s home grown, from a farmers market or otherwise, just make sure they’re the best.

If your tomatoes don’t taste great, neither will your tomato salad!

Here in Britain, you’ll find the most delicious tomatoes when they’re in season. Between June and October.

Someone pouring a dressing over a bowl of tomato salad

What is the best salad tomato?

The ripe seasonal kind!

There are literally hundreds of varieties of tomatoes. Each look and taste slightly different to the others. In this healthy tomato salad, the best ones to use are those that are in season and perfectly ripe.

The variety doesn’t really matter as such. The only one I would perhaps avoid in a salad is a beef tomato. As their cores can be quite large and hard.

Other than that, just go for it! A mixture of varieties works incredibly well in this tomato salad recipe. Experiment with different ones and see which is your favourite!

Yes, that’s my cat Noodle. I wasn’t looking and he snook into the shot to have a sniff of the tomato salad! Cheeky thing.

What dressing to use on tomatoes?

Just like varieties in tomatoes, there are hundreds of dressings we can use too.

Choosing which one to use depends entirely on what ingredients you’re putting into your tomato salad. The tomatoes themselves will be quite sweet. If you’re adding onion this will be very acidic. And if you’re adding mozzarella, it’s creaminess will tone it all down.

We want to bring out the best in all our ingredients as a whole. This is why I chose a sweet mustard vinaigrette to enhance our healthy tomato salad.

It combines sharp acidity from cider vinegar, extra sweetness from honey and a balanced warmth from wholegrain mustard. Team these up with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and you have yourself the perfect dressing for a tomato salad!

Someone adding red onion into a bowl of diced tomatoes

How do you cut a tomato for a salad?

In short? Any way you want to! If you like your tomato salad chunky, chop them chunky. Prefer them smaller? Chop them smaller!

For cherry sized tomatoes It’s nice to combine both halved and quartered for visual and textural variety.

If you’re using larger tomatoes, just make sure to cut out the hard white/green core near the top. Then you can cut the rest however you like. It’s all about personal preference!

Chopped tomatoes on a white chopping board with a knife

What can I do with lots of tomatoes?

There are TONS of things you can do with lots of tomatoes! Not to mention this gorgeous tomato salad obviously hehe.

Bruschetta is a great way to celebrate seasonal tomatoes. As is a classic Caprese salad.

They don’t have to be eaten raw though. You can enjoy them as part of a delicious breakfast in this egg bake recipe. Or turn them into a beautiful roasted red pepper and tomato soup. Ideal for stocking up your freezer ready for those colder nights.

For more tips on how to deal with excess toms, see how to store tomatoes.

Someone spooning a bowl of tomato salad with mozzarella balls

Ingredients and substitutions

Confused about what ingredients to buy? Not sure about a substitution? Here’s all that you need to know…

Onion – Red onion works great in this recipe, but regular white onion would work well too. Mellow that harshness by soaking in ice cold water for 10 minutes. You can thank me later 🙂
Tomatoes – Use the best you can get. Preferably seasonal but definitely ripe! The variety doesn’t matter. You can use one type or a mixture. Think cherry tomatoes, baby plum tomatoes, salad tomatoes, yellow tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes… there are so many to choose from!
Basil – Only fresh basil will do here! It has a unique flavour profile that works perfectly with tomatoes. Don’t spoil it with dried basil, it’s just not the same.
Mustard – Wholegrain mustard is preferred as it’s less hot and more flavourful that other varieties. Dijon would work ok, but only use 2 tsp instead of 1 tbsp.
Vinegar – Cider vinegar or white wine vinegar is great here. Balsamic might be a little too strong, but you could drizzle some over at the end instead if you wish.
Oil – A good quality olive oil works best. It gives a lovely overall flavour to the dish. Please don’t substitute this for other oils such as sunflower or vegetable oil, as it will negatively impact the flavour.
Honey – Any runny honey will do! We are only using it to add a little sweetness. No need for expensive Manuka honey or anything fancy.
Salt & Pepper – In a raw fresh salad like this, the salt and pepper you use matters. Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper give the best flavour in my opinion. So use these if you can. But any salt and pepper is better than none!

Someone pouring oil into a bowl of salad dressing

Recipe tips and troubleshooting

Here are tips you’ll find helpful when making this recipe.

Use the best tomatoes you can find! Seasonal ripe tomatoes of all varieties give this salad the most wonderful flavour. If your tomatoes don’t taste good, your salad won’t either.
Soak your diced onion in ice cold water for 10 mins before adding to the salad. This will help mellow out that harsh after taste that no one really wants! (I found this great tip over on The Kitchn)
Add mozzarella (pearls) right before serving. Otherwise they dry out and lose their creaminess.
This healthy tomato salad is best eaten straight away. Although you can store it covered in the fridge and it will be good for around 2 days or so.

Tomato salad in a blue bowl with a spoon

Time management

Have limited time? Struggle with recipe timings? Or juggling around other things? Here’s some time managing info to make your life easier.

This recipe takes around 15 minutes to prepare. And is best eaten immediately after. Once all mixed together, the tomatoes begin to leak their water. This results in a large amount of liquid pooling in the bottom over time.
If you need to make this ahead of time, prepare and mix together the onion and tomato. Make the dressing too, but keep them separate. Don’t add the dressing or freshly torn basil until just before serving for best results.

Someone spooning sliced tomatoes in a mixing bowl

If you like this recipe…

…you might also like these sides:

Tomato Salad – Step by Step Picture Recipe

(For a printer friendly version, see the recipe card at the end of this post)

Ingredients

Here is what you will need to serve 2. Easily doubled!

1/4 Red Onion, diced
350g (12.3 oz) Ripe Tomatoes *
Handful of Freshly Torn Basil
1 tbsp Wholegrain Mustard
1 tbsp Cider Vinegar
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Runny Honey
1/4 tsp Salt
Black Pepper, to taste
A few Mozzarella Pearls, optional

*This salad is best made with ripe seasonal tomatoes. You can use whatever varieties you like.

Essential equipment

2 x Small Bowls
Sharp Knife
Chopping Board
Large Mixing Bowl

Tomato salad instructions

Firstly, pop your diced red onion (1/4) into a small bowl. Add an ice cube or two and fill with cold water. Leave to one side while we prepare the tomatoes.

This is optional but I highly recommend it. It tones down that harsh onion after taste and mellows the flavour. It’s so worth the extra step!

While the onion is soaking, slice your tomatoes (350g | 2.3 oz). There’s no right or wrong here, it’s all down to personal preference!

I like a good mixture of tomatoes and sizes. So I sliced a few cherry/plum tomatoes into halves and some into quarters. If using larger tomatoes, simply remove the hard white/green core top and cut into chunks.

Various varieties of tomatoes in a glass mixing bowl

To make the dressing, mix together the wholegrain mustard (1 tbsp), cider vinegar (1 tbsp), olive oil (1 tbsp), honey (1 tbsp), salt (1/4 tsp) and some freshly cracked black pepper to taste.

Tomato salad dressing ingredients in a small white bowl

Tomato salad dressing in a small white bowl

Then drain the onion and add this into the tomatoes along with the dressing.

Diced onion, tomatoes and dressing in a mixing bowl

Finally, all that’s left to do, is tear up some fresh basil leaves and mix them through.

Tomato salad in a glass mixing bowl with a spoon

Serve immediately for the best results. If you like, add a few mozzarella pearls. See, I told you it was a super easy tomato salad recipe!

Close up of a tomato mozzarella salad in a blue bowl

How to store tomato salad

This tomato salad is best eaten straight away. However, it will keep for around 2 more days when covered and refrigerated.

Someone tearing fresh basil into a bowl of tomato salad

Loved this tomato salad recipe? Pin it!

Easy Tomato Salad - Printable Recipe

Yield: 2

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Have tons of tomatoes in your garden? No idea what to do with them? Look no further than this stunning tomato salad! It’s simple to make and guaranteed to impress!