Summer Cherry Tomato Salad

Cherry tomato salad

You don’t need a ton of ingredients and a fancy dressing for a great salad. It can be as simple as this cherry tomato salad, yet can taste delicious. Made with fresh seasonal cherry tomatoes, red onion, fresh basil, and a simple olive oil dressing, this salad can be a summer staple.

Salads are one of the best ways to put fresh seasonal produce to use. Keep the list of ingredients short and let the veggies shine through just like in this corn salad or Cucumber strawberry salad. And off- course you can add you are favorite add-ons to make the salad more filling and interesting.

Ingredients for Cherry Tomato Salad

Cherry tomatoes- fresh ripe cherry tomatoes. Using assorted colorful cherry tomatoes or even grape tomatoes will do.

Red onions- Just half a red onion for a good punch. If you would like to mellow down the onions, soak sliced onions in a bowl of ice-cold water for about 15 minutes.

Basil – Italian basil and tomatoes just go together well. Alternatively, you can use parsley.

For the dressing – Dressing is a simple vinaigrette made with olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, dry herb seasoning, salt, pepper, and sugar. The fruity flavor of red wine vinegar goes well with tomatoes. Sugar is to balance the tartness of the tomatoes.

Making Cherry Tomato Salad

The process involves just chopping and tossing.

Clean and cut cherry tomatoes in half. You can keep half of them full if you wish.

Cut basil leaves and keep sliced red onion ready.

In a mixing bowl or small bottle, add olive oil, red wine vinegar, dry herbs, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and sugar. Shake it well until creamy.

Drizzle dressing over chopped tomatoes, onion, and basil. Mix well.

Making ahead & storage instruction

Unlike pasta salads or potato salads, this salad is not ideal to make ahead, or at least i don’t like to make it ahead of time. Because the tomatoes lose its crispiness and leave a lot of water in the salad.

One way to make it ahead is to cut the tomatoes, onions, and basil. In a separate jar keep the dressing ready. 10-15 minutes before serving, drizzle the dressing all over the tomatoes and mix.

How to serve cherry tomato salad

Cherry tomato salad is an excellent side dish with grilled chicken, steak, or other meat main dishes. During summer when you are looking for a light and refreshing side dish, this salad would be a perfect pairing.

Top this cherry tomato salad on toasted baguette to make bruschetta. Add some mozzarella and serve with toasted bread for a light brunch.