What to Do with Fresh Tomatoes

Put a Tomato Slice On a Burger

The most obvious thing to do with a fresh tomato is to slice it and add it to a sandwich or top a burger.

I love to add fresh arugula or fresh basil leaves and a slice of mozzarella or provolone cheese, but a slice of tomato goes with just about any burger you've got planned.

Make a Classic BLT Sandwich

Classic BLT sandwiches are an essential summer recipe for excellent reason.

When tomatoes are at their peak, I love to slice thick, juicy heirloom tomatoes and layer them with peppered bacon and crispy lettuce on toasted Italian bread.

Fresh tomatoes are featured in several of my easy finger sandwich recipes, too.

Make Caprese Salad

One of the biggest summer treats is a shimmering platter of caprese salad with fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and a balsamic vinegar glaze.

You could serve this as an appetizer, side dish, or even make a whole meal out of it with a few of my serving tricks:

Top a Crostini

Chop up a rainbow assortment of cherry tomatoes and use them to sprinkle over savory crostini appetizers or even make a homemade bruschetta.

You could even top a crostini with my chicken pesto sandwich filling and then sprinkle the tomatoes over the top.

Toss Tomatoes into Pasta

Cherry tomatoes are my favorite vegetable to add to pesto, olive oil, or butter based pasta dishes.

You don't even need to cook the tomatoes to make this fresh tomato pasta toss.

Add Tomatoes to Eggs

If you're making scrambled eggs, stir in some diced tomatoes right before they're finished cooking for added flavor. You could fold them into an omelet, too.

Use thick slices of tomato in my easy eggs benedict with deli ham and scrambled eggs.

I love to add a slice of tomato when I make deviled egg salad sandwiches.

Or for a low-carb, high protein lunch, make a snack tray with fresh cherry tomatoes, sliced hardboiled eggs, and a slice or two of cheese.

Add Fresh Tomatoes to a Salad

Slice cherry tomatoes in half and sprinkle them over your favorite fresh green salads.

They are especially wonderful with my spicy buffalo chicken salad.

Make a Tomato Salad

Or make a salad entirely of tomatoes!

My marinated tomatoes can be made with colorful cherry tomatoes or you could chop a variety of tomatoes into large chunks to toss with the marinade instead.

I serve this as an easy side dish at the table, it is great at room temperature. But you could also sprinkle these marinated tomatoes over grilled chicken or fish.

Dunk Tomatoes in a Dip

Make a snack tray with fresh cherry tomatoes and a cup of one of these yummy dips.

You could add crispy pita crackers or homemade croutons if you want to add crunch.

Add Tomatoes to Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Embrace the southern tradition of making grilled pimento cheese sandwiches with thick slices of fresh tomatoes!

(Or just add fresh tomato to your own favorite grilled cheese sandwich.)

Roast Cherry Tomatoes

Inevitably, when you buy tomatoes as often as I do this time of year, you might discover your cherry tomatoes are starting to become a little overripe.

The perfect solution in this case is to make a pan of roasted cherry tomatoes. We love them so much that I often do this on purpose for adding to pasta dishes, but it is a great way to ensure you don't have a single fresh tomato go to waste!