Cherry Tomato Salad
Posted: 07/20/23
Updated: 05/15/25
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Tomato lovers, this one’s for you! This simple cherry tomato salad recipe combines slightly-sweet tomatoes with a tangy dressing made from olive oil, Italian seasoning, red wine vinegar, and a touch of sweetener, then finishes things off with a garnish of fresh basil. Your tastebuds won’t believe the amount of bright, bold summertime flavors packed into such an easy side dish!
What We Love About This Recipe
- If you want to embrace the bold, bright flavors of summer in an easy dish, this cherry tomato salad is exactly what you need. The slightly-sweet flavor of the tomatoes is highlighted by a simple dressing made with olive oil, Italian seasoning, red wine vinegar, and a touch of sweetener. Pops of fresh basil tie it all together and add a little color to the dish.
- This is a great make-ahead option for cookouts, potlucks, baby showers, and any other get-together you can come up with! The salad needs to chill at least 2 hours after prep, which gives the tomatoes time to soak up the dressing and lets those flavors really develop. You can prepare it up to 24 hours in advance as long as it’s refrigerated in an airtight container. Keep in mind, though, that the earlier you make it, the sooner the tomatoes begin to soften. For the absolute best texture I recommend not making it more than 6 hours in advance.
Cheryl’s Tips
- Cherry tomato salad is really versatile, which I love. You can serve it a number of ways. It’s a perfect side for practically any chicken dish, or you can dice the tomatoes beforehand to turn this salad into a bruschetta with a few slices of toasted bread. Toss the tomatoes into your favorite pasta salad recipe, or make them a topping in your next spinach salad. Whatever way you choose to serve them, this is one summer recipe no one will pass up.
- If you want a dish with a big visual impact on your dinner table, use a variety of tomato colors. Cherry tomatoes are available in classic red, of course, but you can also find them in pink, gold, yellow, purple, green, and black. Purple, green, and black would make a frightfully spooky cherry tomato salad for your next Halloween party!
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Cherry Tomato Salad
Juicy cherry tomatoes tossed with olive oil, basil, and Italian seasoning for a simple, flavorful summer salad.
servings
Ingredients
For the Cherry Tomato Salad
- 4 cups quartered cherry tomatoes
For the Vinaigrette
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar or 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon salt more or less to taste
To Garnish (Optional)
- additional chopped fresh basil to taste
Equipment
- Small mixing bowl
- whisk
- Large bowl with lid, or plastic wrap to cover
- Silicone spatula
Instructions
- Place 4 cups quartered cherry tomatoes in large bowl. Set aside.
- Add 2 cloves garlic, ¼ cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, and ½ teaspoon salt to small mixing bowl.
- Whisk vigorously until ingredients are fully incorporated and sugar is dissolved. When ingredients are combined, pour prepared vinaigrette evenly over cherry tomatoes.
- Gently fold vinaigrette into tomatoes, stirring until tomatoes are completely covered in vinaigrette. When satisfied, cover bowl with lid or plastic wrap and place bowl in refrigerator. Chill tomato salad at least 2 hours.
- Immediately prior to serving, remove bowl from refrigerator and uncover. Sprinkle additional chopped fresh basil over cherry tomato salad to garnish if desired and serve dish chilled with accompaniments of choice.
Notes
- Tomatoes: If you don’t have cherry tomatoes, you can use grape tomatoes, plum tomatoes, campari tomatoes, or even very small regular tomatoes.
- Make it Vegan: Make sure your sugar is 100% vegan (not filtered with bone char) or replace it with maple syrup or agave.
- Make it Added-Sugar Free: Replace the sugar with your favorite sugar alternative, like Swerve, monkfruit, or allulose.
Serving Suggestions
- As a side dish with any protein
- As a side option at a potluck
- Tossed in pasta salad
- As a topping on a mixed greens salad
- On toasted slices of French bread
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 104kcal | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Total Carbs: 5g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Net Carbs: 4g | Vitamin C: 23mg | Sodium: 206mg | Potassium: 232mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Perfect summer salad with fresh tomatoes. Salad was eaten as a side on the deck with grilled chicken.
That sounds perfect! I’m so glad you loved it!