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With just six main ingredients, these Italian Marinated Tomatoes are summer in a bowl–ripe tomatoes, red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, herbs and just enough time for everything to come together. Whether made with heirloom tomatoes, plum tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes or a colorful mixture of varieties, this Italian tomato salad is fresh, juicy, simple and best served with plenty of rustic bread for soaking up every last drop of the tomato juices and dressing.
Keep In Mind Before You Start . . .
- Use the best ripe tomatoes you can find. A variety is perfect!
- Red wine vinegar is the right choice here–not balsamic!
- Use your best extra virgin olive oil in this recipe.
- Let the tomatoes sit long enough to release their juices which become part of the dressing.
- Serve at room temperature!
- Do not throw away the juices at the bottom of the bowl!
- Customize it! This is more of a technique than a strict recipe.
Inspired by the Smell of Tomato Vines
There’s nothing quite like the smell of tomato plants.
It’s actually one of my earliest food memories.
When I was just a little girl, I remember helping my Abruzzese grandmom in her backyard garden I don’t have a lot of detailed memories from those days, but I distinctly remember the smell of the tomato vines.
Fast forward many years to when I started gardening myself, and that same beautiful smell came right back to me the moment I touched my first tomato plant.
This salad is inspired by that memory and by the way tomatoes were always treated in my family–simply, respectfully and with plenty of good olive oil, vinegar and bread nearby.
One of my favorite things about this salad is that it welcomes all kinds of tomatoes. In fact, I often make it with a mixture of heirloom, vine-ripened, beefsteak-style, plum, and cherry tomatoes cut up differently. The variety of colors, textures and flavors makes the salad even more beautiful…and even more delicious!
But if you ask me, that’s only half the story.
As much as I love the tomatoes themselves, I may love the juices left at the bottom of the bowl even more.
I grew up watching the men in my family–my dad, cousins and my bold Uncle Dominic–scoop up that tomato salad “dressing” at the end of dinner and drink it like a cup of coffee. Every. Last. Drop.
And, yep–I admit to doing the same thing myself when no one is watching.
Otherwise, a good fare la scarpetta with a hunk of crusty Italian bread always does the trick.
Why This Recipe Works
This salad works because the tomatoes create part of the dressing themselves.
- As they sit with salt, vinegar, olive oil, garlic and herbs, they release their juices and create a deeply flavorful dressing that is tangy, savory, sweet and absolutely made for bread.
- This same simple technique–letting salt draw out the tomatoes’ natural juices to become part of the dressing–is also what makes my Bowtie Pasta Salad, Pasta alla Checca and Tomato Bruschetta so flavorful.
- Using a variety of tomatoes also creates an interesting balance of sweetness, acidity and texture as every tomato contributes something a little different to the finished salad. Not to mention the unbelievable beauty of it all!
- The red wine vinegar gives the salad the right acidity without overwhelming the tomatoes. Balsamic vinegar is delicious in many places, but here it can be too sweet and heavy and is not recommended.
- This is a simple recipe, so the quality of the ingredients matters.
- Use ripe tomatoes, great extra-virgin olive oil and a red wine vinegar that you actually enjoy the taste of.
Ingredients
A few simple ingredients create all the flavor in this marinated tomato salad:
- A variety of ripe tomatoes (heirloom, vine-ripened, cherry, grape, pear and/or plum)
- Red wine vinegar
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Garlic
- Fresh herbs (basil or your favorite herb)
- Red onion
- Salt (Call me fancy, but I actually use a combo of fine sea salt and coarse salt flakes!)
- Freshly ground black pepper
See the recipe card below for exact quantities.
How To Make Marinated Tomatoes
- MIX. REST. BASTA!
That’s really all there is to it.
After a simple whisked dressing, the tomatoes do most of the work as they slowly release their juices into one of the easiest–and most delicious–dressings you’ll ever make.
Make It Your Own
This recipe is more of a technique than a strict set of instructions.
- Use whatever amount of tomatoes you have on hand;
- Include or omit the onions;
- Use more less garlic to your liking;
- As long as the herbs are fresh, feel free to use your favorite.
- I do suggest keeping to the same basic proportion of oil to vinegar to salt and then adjusting the flavor at the end after the tomatoes have marinated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course you can enjoy this salad immediately after it’s mixed, and I have done this many, many times. In fact, this is how I recommend serving my easy cucumber tomato salad.
But, it won’t be a marinated tomato salad. After resting for a couple hours, the flavors change, concentrate, intensify and just overall get so much better. It’s a different experience entirely than eating the salad right away.
Just try it. Trust me.
Though many recipes say that the tomatoes can be marinated overnight, I respectfully disagree. They will begin to soften too much and lose their firmness if you do so.
You can definitely enjoy the leftovers that have been refrigerated overnight but accept that they are leftovers and not the same as the day the dish was made. Leftover marinated tomatoes are really only good for about 1 to 2 days depending on how ripe the tomatoes were to start.
– The tomatoes will soften quite a bit overnight and may also begin to get unappetizingly mushy.
– The extra virgin olive oil will likely solidify in the refrigerator but will quickly liquify at room temperature.
– Bring salad to room temperature before serving.
This is an inclusive tomato recipe-ALL THE TOMATOES are invited! Whether they’re beefsteak, slicing, sauce, vine-ripened, heirloom or cherry tomatoes, they all have a place in this salad.
In fact, a variety of cuts and types (and colors!) of tomatoes actually makes this salad more beautiful! I intentionally use a mix of the best tomatoes I can find or have on hand from my garden.
The most important thing about the tomatoes is that they are ripe and flavorful, without being soft and/or mushy. You want the tomatoes to be able to stand up to the marinating times.
Ideally, prep and marinate the tomatoes a couple hours before serving, leaving them at room temperature the entire time. Then serve and enjoy shortly after marinating.
Always serve marinated tomatoes at room temperature. Refrigeration dulls the dish’s flavors.
Choose tomatoes with an intense color and firm texture which yields just a bit when gently pressed. Dull and/or pale tomatoes will generally lack flavor. And tomatoes that are too soft are probably overripe and may become mushy during marinating.
The tomatoes should also be free of blemishes and bruises.
Always store tomatoes at room temperature. However, if the tomatoes are becoming overripe and a bit soft, I’ll refrigerate them. But, I wouldn’t use these type of tomatoes in this salad. They’d be best for sandwiches and salads that are eaten right away. (FYI, all fresh tomatoes should be brought to room temperature before consuming for the best tomato-eating experience.)
More Italian Recipes with Tomatoes
Recipe Variations
Acid: Red Wine Vinegar is recommended, but white wine vinegar or lemon juice can be used. (See Recipe Notes below.)
Fresh Herbs: Use your favorite! Basil is the obvious choice, but I often mix it with mint, dill or flat-leaf parsley.
Garlic: Both (mashed) roasted garlic and garlic confit cloves would be perfect in this dish and complement the other flavors nicely.
Mix-Ins: Cucumber, capers, olives, chickpeas and even tuna would all work well mixed into this salad after marinating and just before serving.
Pasta: Need a last minute pasta salad? Fold the just marinated tomatoes into warm, just-cooked pasta. You will love it! In fact, this technique is similar to that in my Bowtie Pasta Salad with arugula and olive.
What to Serve with Marinated Tomatoes
This should really be called: “What Not To Serve With Marinated Tomatoes” and the list would be empty as this dish basically goes with anything and everything!
- Baked chicken cutlets
- Corn, Roasted Veggies
- Grilled steak, chicken, fish or seafood
- Italian sausage
- Barbecue ribs
- Spicy garlic shrimp
- Zucchini sausage pasta
- Spaghetti alla Nerano (Fried Zucchini Pasta)
It’s an especially great addition to summer cookouts, potlucks and holiday spreads.
Why the Tomato Juices Are the Best Part
A good tomato salad is never just about the tomatoes.
It’s about what happens after they sit.
The salt pulls out their juices, the vinegar sharpens everything, the olive oil softens it all, and suddenly the bottom of the bowl becomes the best part of the whole dish.
That little pool of tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, garlic and herbs is exactly why bread is non-negotiable here.
The salad is fresh and simple, yes.
But the juices?
That’s where the memory lives.
Mangia bene!
Marinated Tomatoes (Italian Tomato Salad with Red Wine Vinegar)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ripe tomatoes, (See Notes.)
- 1 medium red onion, julienned
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1-2 cloves minced or grated garlic, (See Notes.)
- 1½ tsp salt
- ground black pepper
- Pinch crushed red pepper, (optional)
- 1 large handful fresh basil leaves or other herbs, hand-torn or lightly chopped, divided (See Notes.)
Instructions
- Slice or wedge the tomatoes. Prep the onions and garlic and gather all the other ingredients. (See Notes below for more on this.)(Please see the section above in the blog post for Step-By-Step instructions with photos.)2 pounds ripe tomatoes, 1 medium red onion, 1-2 cloves minced or grated garlic
- Whisk the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper (if including) and about 1/3 the fresh herbs together in a bowl until well-combined. Set aside.⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil, ¼ cup red wine vinegar, 1-2 cloves minced or grated garlic, 1½ tsp salt, ground black pepper, Pinch crushed red pepper
- Next, place the prepped tomatoes and onions in a large bowl and pour the dressing over them. Gently turn the mixture once or twice to coat the tomatoes in the dressing.NOTE: Try to use a wide-bottomed bowl so that many of the tomato pieces will sit in the dressing.1 medium red onion, 2 pounds ripe tomatoes
- Cover the bowl with a clean towel and set it aside. Set the timer for 1 hour.
- After one hour, give the tomato mixture a gentle, but thorough stir from bottom to top a couple times. Then, set the timer for one more hour and stir the tomatoes again after the second hour.
- You can serve the tomatoes after two hours, but I prefer to let them continue to marinate for another 30-45 minutes. In my opinion, 2½ hours is the sweet spot for marinating but this depends largely on how ripe and firm the tomatoes were at the start.
- Gently stir again after finished marinating, folding in the remaining fresh herbs. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
- Serve at room temperature with all of the delicious juices. Don’t forget the crusty bread. Buon Appetito!
Notes
- The cuts will vary based on the type of tomato.
- For small tomatoes, like cherry, pear or grape, cut them in half but not any smaller.
- For all the other larger tomatoes, I generally cut them into assorted wedges but don’t really follow any rules.
- I like to quarter plum, Roma and San Marzano lengthwise.
- Depending on the size of larger beefsteak and heirloom tomatoes, I’ll cut them into 4, 6 or 8 wedges.
- Technically you can also just thick-slice beefsteak-style or other large tomatoes (and lots of recipes call for this), but I actually don’t recommend it. I just don’t think slices are the best way to enjoy this salad.
- A variety of cuts and types (and colors!) of tomatoes actually makes this salad more beautiful! In fact, I intentionally use a mix of the best tomatoes I can find or have on hand from my garden.
- The most important thing about the tomatoes is that they are ripe and flavorful, without being soft and/or mushy.
- You want the tomatoes to be able to stand up to the marinating times.
- While I love the taste of cooked garlic, a lot of raw garlic can quickly overwhelm a dish.
- The salt and vinegar in the marinade temper the sharp taste of the raw garlic quite a bit.
- Still, I kept the amount to only 1-2 cloves in this recipe, but feel free to adjust it to your personal taste.
- Be sure to either grate or finely mince the garlic to avoid large pieces in the salad.
- And finally, both (mashed) roasted garlic and garlic confit cloves would be perfect in this dish and complement the other flavors nicely. I left them out of the recipe for simplicity purposes but would absolutely add them to the salad if I had some on hand.
- Use your favorite herbs! Dill, mint and fresh leaf parsley are all great options.
- Lemon juice can be used but I would start with less (about 3 Tablespoons) and add more at the end to taste.
- Do not use a sweet vinegar like balsamic vinegar here. The dish will taste completely different.
- Yellow, Spanish and green onions would all work here. Chives are also a great addition!
- The tomatoes will soften quite a bit overnight and may also begin to get unappetizingly mushy.
- The extra virgin olive oil will likely solidify in the refrigerator but will quickly liquify at room temperature.
- Bring salad to room temperature before serving.
- Ideally, prep and marinate the tomatoes a couple hours before serving, leaving them at room temperature the entire time. Then serve and enjoy.
- Use whatever amount of tomatoes you have on hand;
- Include or omit the onions;
- Use more less garlic to your liking;
- As long as the herbs are fresh, feel free to use your favorite.
- I do suggest keeping to the same basic proportion of oil to vinegar to salt and then adjusting the flavor at the end after the tomatoes have marinated.
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