Easy Tomato Salad

To make use of the extra tomatoes, I devised this simple tomato salad dish. I simply sliced ripe tomatoes into bite-sized pieces, then I added some crisp red onion, lots of fresh basil, and drizzled it all with olive oil and good balsamic vinegar.

The end result is so delicious! The raw, peak-season tomatoes truly shine in this salad. The recipe is also quite versatile, so you’ll never tire of it. Cucumber, mozzarella, avocado, arugula, or even peaches are all good additions.

INGREDIENTS

Tomato Salad

• ½ cup chopped red onion (about ½ small red onion)
• 1 pint (12 ounces or 2 cups) cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 pound additional tomatoes (about 1 large, 2 medium or 3 small), cut into bite-sized wedges
• ¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil and/or small basil leaves (or substitute parsley, dill and/or chives)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons thick balsamic vinegar* or balsamic glaze
• ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt or kosher salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Optional Additions

• ½ English cucumber or 1 Persian cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1 torn mozzarella ball or around 1 cup mini mozzarella balls or cubed part-skim mozzarella
• 1 ripe avocado, sliced or diced
• A handful of baby arugula