Tomato and Onion Salad is the perfect salad for any dinner table. This refreshing summer salad is made with juicy fresh tomatoes, sweet onion, simple seasoning, and balsamic vinegar dressing.
Just 5 ingredients + salt and black pepper!
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Tomato and Onion Salad
Tomato onion salad is a great side dish to garlic chicken pasta, baked ziti, over scrambled eggs, over baked fish, or on top of crusty gluten free bread similar to tomato bruschetta.
Table of Contents
Ingredients For Tomato Salad
- Tomatoes - use large ripe tomatoes that are each cut into 6 thinner wedges. Or use small tomato varieties: grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, or heirloom tomatoes, cut into quarters.
- Onion - sweet onion is best for this salad. Cut the raw onions in half-moons. You can also use red onion for a more intense flavor. To make their flavor less strong you can soak the slices in cold water for 15-30 minutes.
- Olive oil - always highest quality, this will make a huge difference salad flavor. If you don't have olive oil, you can also use vegetable oil, canola oil or avocado oil.
- Balsamic vinegar - or red wine vinegar, simple vinaigrette, or tangy vinaigrette dressing.
- Salt - a teaspoon of kosher salt to taste is all you need. Kosher salt or table salt will do.
- Oregano - use ½ teaspoon or 1 teaspoon for more flavor. Fresh herbs such as fresh basil or fresh dill would also be great additions to the refreshing side dish. My go-to dried herbs are usually oregano, basil, thyme, or a blend of different Italian seasonings.
Step by step photos can be found below the recipe card.
Tips
- Since I've used large tomatoes, I prefer to slice them into thin wedges but you can cut them in half or in quarters, especially when using smaller tomatoes such as Cherry or Grape tomatoes.
- Using the best quality olive oil will really add to the flavor of this salad. Something like Italian Nocellara extra virgin olive oil is great although you can use whatever quality brand that you enjoy the most.
- To intensify the flavors in this simple salad, allow it to sit for 10-15 minutes.
- Leftover tomato onion salad can be added to a blender together with other tasty ingredients to make a salsa or you can toss them into a leafy green salad so that nothing goes to waste!id as time goes on.
Storing Leftovers
- To Store. This tomato salad is best when served right away. You can refrigerate it for up to 2 days, however, the flavor is not the freshest on the second day.
- Make ahead. Dressing can be made in advance for 1-2 days but for best results, other ingredients should be cut and combined right before serving.
Before You Head Out
If you gave this recipe a try, I'd be so thankful if you could leave a ★★★★★ rating and review below. It helps other readers, supports my work, and means the world to me. Thank you for being part of The Yummy Bowl family. Happy cooking! ❤️
Recipe Card
Tomato and Onion Salad (10 Minutes!)
Ingredients
Method
- Slice the onions and tomatoes into a large bowl.
- In a small bowl combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and season with oregano (or a mix of 2-3 dried Italian herbs), and generously with salt and pepper to taste.
- Toss tomatoes and onion generously in the dressing.
- Sprinkle sea salt flakes on top before serving. Serve right away.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on the products used.
Full Nutrition Disclaimer can be found here.
How To Make Tomato Salad
- Slice the onions and tomatoes into a large bowl.
- In a small bowl combine olive oil, and balsamic vinegar (or red wine vinegar), and season with oregano (or a mix of 2-3 dried Italian herbs), and generously with salt and pepper to taste. Toss tomatoes and onion generously in the dressing.
- I like to sprinkle some sea salt flakes on top right before serving. Serve right away.
FAQ
Adding raw onions to your summer salad can boost your health thanks to their nutrient-rich profile and unique compounds.
You don't need to salt tomatoes for this salad, the juices add a lot of flavor to the salad. However if you want a more ''clean'' flavor, sprinkle tomatoes with salt and let them drain in a strainer or colander for 15 or 20 minutes. This will enhance the dressing flavor even more!
You can skip soaking onions unless you prefer a milder flavor. If you do, soak raw onions in cold water for 5 to 10 minutes (but no longer) to achieve the best results. This will help reduce their strong flavor.
Yes, wash the onion to remove any dirt and bacteria. Removing the skin and rinsing the outside of the onion helps prevent transferring any contaminants onto your knife and cutting board.
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Donna Shultz
This recipe is timely. Just harvested a bunch of tomatoes from my garden and was looking for salad ideas. Will give it a try.
Ricky M.
I experimented with a few different varieties of tomatoes for the salad, and heirlooms definitely have the best flavor and texture. Anyone else try mixing tomato types?
Teddy B
Great, now even salads are making me feel guilty about my eating habits. Thanks a lot, guys.
Alexis R
Hey, don't feel bad! Taking tiny steps towards healthier eating is always a win. This salad is an easy start!
Julia
enjoy Alexis, thank you!
Julia
Teddy you'll love this with some grilled chicken!
Sam J.
I love how simple yet nutritious this tomato salad recipe is! Great addition to my meal prep for the gym. Keep the healthy recipes coming!
Julia
enjoy Sam!
Liz Harmon
hey julia, was wondering if there's a quick way to chop tomatoes for the salad? got two toddlers and barely enough time to prep meals. thanks!
Robin
I also ad a drizzle of honey to make it sweet and tart
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
sounds delicious!
Pat
The overall post is too wordy and long. While the recipe is good, I was discouraged by the length of the post.
Although it may solely be my opinion, all the chat part of the blog could be reduced considerably and it would improve the overall post.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Pat, I don't get what part of the post you call ''chat''. All the info is relevant to the recipe with useful tips and FAQs which helps a reader to make this recipe a success from the first try. In addition, I always provide a skip to recipe button in the beginning of the each post.