What to Do with Fresh Tomatoes
Learn what to do with fresh tomatoes for easy, healthy, delicious meals the whole family will love. You can use cherry tomatoes or big slices of fresh tomato to make any meal even more tasty.
We are heading into my favorite time of year -- fresh tomato season!
I've already spotted big, gorgeous piles of heirloom tomatoes and pints of cherry tomatoes on the farmer's market tables near our home.
For the next several months, I'll be adding fresh tomato to almost every meal. Often they are used fresh and raw but sometimes I will cook them for tossing with pasta and other stir fry dishes.
No matter how you prep them, tomatoes are a nutritious part of family dinner that make everything taste better!
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:
Make Tomato Bruschetta
One of the first things I think of when I see fresh tomatoes and fresh basil at the farmer's market is my favorite Italian bruschetta al pomodoro.
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.
Top a Tomato Pizza
Make a homemade bruschetta pizza with mozzarella cheese and a brush of olive oil.
Or chop up fresh tomatoes and sprinkle them on this crescent roll veggie pizza appetizer.
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.
This easy baked Boursin and tomato pasta starts with fresh cherry tomatoes in a baking dish with a wheel of Boursin cheese.
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.
If you want to include other raw veggies with your tomatoes, you'll love my raw veggie salad with homemade croutons:
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.)
Make a Tomato Pie
Layer fresh slices of tomato, pimento cheese, and crumbled bacon in this classic southern recipe for tomato pie:
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!
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