Great Recipes for Fresh Tomatoes

Photo by Lisa Romerein; written by Amy Machnak

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Pomegranate Drizzle

When summer tomatoes are arriving by the truckload, this is fun twist on the classic Caprese.

Recipe: Heirloom Tomato Salad with Pomegranate Drizzle

Photo by Annabelle Breakey

Seashells with Basil, Tomatoes, and Garlic

Raw tomatoes get juicy as they stand, helping to create a delicious, no-cook sauce.

Recipe: Seashells with Basil, Tomatoes, and Garlic

Tomato and Melon Salad with Scallops and Pink Peppercorns

Using a few colors and different sizes of tomatoes will make this recipe especially beautiful.

Recipe: Tomato and Melon Salad with Scallops and Pink Peppercorns

Photo by Lisa Romerein; written by Elaine Johnson

Caramelized Tomato Bruschetta

In a skillet cooked atop the grill, the tomatoes caramelize while keeping a soft shape. This makes for an easy and impressive summer party appetizer.

Recipe: Caramelized Tomato Bruschetta

Photo by Iain Bagwell; written by Stephanie Dean, Elaine Johnson, and Amy Machnak

Garlic-Basil Grilled Chicken with Caprese Salsa

Why not try scattering your Caprese salad over grilled chicken? It's a great way to utilize summer produce, not to mention super delicious.

Recipe: Garlic-Basil Grilled Chicken with Caprese Salsa

Photo by Maren Caruso

Fresh Tomato Basil Pizza

This simple pizza was inspired by a trip to Italy—and by a bumper tomato crop. Feel free to use your favorite homemade pizza dough recipe or store-bought dough, as we have here.

Recipe: Fresh Tomato Basil Pizza

Photo by Maren Caruso

Easiest Garden Gazpacho

Makes this soup when your summer garden (or, if you don't have an edible garden, tomato season) is at its peak. Chilling melds the flavors.

Recipe: Easiest Garden Gazpacho

Photo by Iain Bagwell

Mango and Tomato Salsa

Juicy tomatoes and mangoes make a brilliant pairing in this perfect chip topper.

Recipe: Mango and Tomato Salsa

Photo by Jennifer Martiné

Cherry Tomato and Asparagus Salad

This colorful salad is the perfect opener to a healthy meal.

Recipe: Cherry Tomato and Asparagus Salad

Photo by Annabelle Breakey

Rosemary Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato Salad

Transform the BLT from a sandwich to a delightful, summery salad.

Recipe: Rosemary Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato Salad

Photo by Annabelle Breakey

Spicy Indian Tomato Shorba

This aromatic soup is traditionally served hot, but we've chilled our version. For a complete meal, pair it with cold rotisserie chicken drizzled with oil and seasoned with salt and ground coriander, and add a few pieces of toasted naan for dipping.

Recipe: Spicy Indian Tomato Shorba

Photo by Leo Gong

Tomato Orecchiette with Brie and Basil

Brie cheese acts as a creamy sauce when melted by the warm pasta. Summer is the time for the most flavorful results, when tomatoes and basil are at the height of their season.

Recipe: Tomato Orecchiette with Brie and Basil

Photo by Annabelle Breakey; written by Amy Machnak

Open-face Caprese Sandwiches

Take all the best flavors of summer and serve them on grilled bread for a fresh and summery open-faced sandwich. Eat a few as a whole meal or make a few smaller ones and serve them as appetizers while the grill heats up for bigger items.

Recipe: Open-face Caprese Sandwiches

Christine Schmidhofer

BBT (Bacon Basil Tomato) Sandwich

Here's a fun twist on the classic BLT: Instead of lettuce, sub in 4 to 6 basil leaves. We recommend Sunset's Red Horizon tomato for this recipe, its meaty, heart-shaped fruit is perfect for sandwiches.

Recipe: BBT (Bacon Basil Tomato) Sandwich

Andrea Gomez

Marinated Heirloom Tomato Salad

Fresh, juicy, and colorful layered tomatoes, drizzled with sweet and tangy balsamic vinegar make for a refreshing salad on a hot summer day.

Recipe: Marinated Heirloom Tomato Salad

Christine Schmidhofer

Green Grape Tomato Appetizer

With bright yellow-green clusters that look like bunches of large Muscat grapes, Green Grape tomatoes have a sweet flavor and bright acidity that call for creamy cheeses and rich fillings. A chef’s favorite.

Recipe: Green Grape Tomato Appetizer

Christine Schmidhofer

Fresh Bloody Mary

The Kellogg's Breakfast Tomato (a 1-pound beefsteak) has lots of juice and few seeds, which makes it perfect for squeezing. Bright and tart, it's a summer brunch delight.

Recipe: Fresh Bloody Mary

Thomas J. Story

Tomato and Herb Salad with Fresh Chive Cheese

This is the salad to make with tomatoes from the farmers' market or your backyard, ideally when they're still warm from the sun. The surprise is the easy homemade cheese.

Recipe: Tomato and Herb Salad with Fresh Chive Cheese

Iain Bagwell

3 fresh salsas

You can create 9 great dishes using 3 favorite salsa recipes: roasted red, yellow, and classic green.

More: Full article and recipes

Thomas J. Story

Canned Heirloom Tomatoes

For this extra-easy recipe, adapted from the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, you just squish raw skinned tomatoes into jars. This cold-pack technique may cause the fruit and liquid to separate a bit during processing, but the results still taste delicious.

It's essential for food safety when working with tomatoes that you acidify them with bottled (not fresh) lemon juice or citric acid, which has a standardized acidity, and that you do not increase the amount of herbs or add any other ingredients.

Recipe: Canned Heirloom Tomatoes

Photo by James Carrier

Caprese Melts

Broil these tomato-basil-cheese sandwiches in the oven for a hot meal in minutes.

Recipe: Caprese Melts

James Carrier

Tiered Tomato Soup

This tomato soup is almost as fun to look at as it is to eat. Avocados provide the bright green layer.

Recipe: Tiered Tomato Soup

Heirloom Tomato and Haricot Vert Salad

It’s nice to use a mix of colors of tomatoes, but make sure they all taste wonderful—flavor is most important.

Recipe: Heirloom Tomato and Haricot Vert Salad

Annabelle Breakey

Tomato Salad with Chile and Lime

This salad pleasantly reminds us of fresh salsa, and wouldn't be out of place on a Mexican-themed buffet or on the table with beef fajitas or pork or shrimp tacos.

Recipe: Tomato Salad with Chile and Lime

James Carrier

Grilled Salmon in Tomato Water

Serve the salmon in tomato water, topped with creamy mayonnaise blended with fresh basil and lemon juice; offer crusty bread alongside.

Recipe: Grilled Salmon in Tomato Water

Annabelle Breakey

Fresh Corn and Avocado Salad

In the height of summer, you won't find a better side dish for ribs than this deceptively simple combination of peak-season produce. Try bringing it to a party too.

Recipe: Fresh Corn and Avocado Salad

James Carrier

Garden Tomato Bread

Ripe, juicy tomatoes, along with parsley, sage, thyme, and garlic, give this artisanal-style bread fresh garden flavor.

Biga, is a yeast-based starter, gives the loaf characteristics of bread made with a sourdough starter.

Recipe: Garden Tomato Bread

Lisa Romerein

Roasted Red Pepper-Tomato Soup

Sip this festive, zesty soup from small cups or glasses.

Pimentón de La Vera is a Spanish paprika that adds a smoky, sweet intensity, but Hungarian or regular paprika work too.  

Recipe: Roasted Red Pepper-Tomato Soup

James Carrier

Indian-spiced Tomato Soup

Tamarind, cilantro, mint, and cucumber flavor this bowl.  

Nigella seeds (also called kalonji) add an oniony flavor. Look for them and for tamarind concentrate at Indian markets and some specialty food stores.

Recipe: Indian-Spiced Tomato Soup

Leigh Beisch

Pasta with Basil, Tomatoes, and Feta

What could be better on a summer night than a simple pasta studded with juicy, fresh garden tomatoes, freshly torn basil, and crumbled feta cheese?

Recipe: Pasta with Basil, Tomatoes, and Feta

Annabelle Breakey

Fresh Tomato Sauce

Whip up a classic sauce of ripe tomatoes, basil leaves, garlic, olive oil and salt.

Make a double (or triple) batch for many easy dinners; this recipe freezes beautifully for up to 6 months.

Recipe: Fresh Tomato Sauce

Chicken, Corn, and Tomato Pasta Salad

For this cool main-dish salad, stir orzo with a ricotta-lemon dressing, cooked chicken, and crisp raw corn.

Recipe: Chicken, Corn, and Tomato Pasta Salad

James Carrier

Rainbow Tomato Bruschetta

Linda Wisner of Portland, Oregon uses a mix of heirloom tomato varieties from her garden for this favorite appetizer.

Recipe: Rainbow Tomato Bruschetta

Lisa Romerein

Fennel-Tomato Tart

A cheese dough becomes a savory crust for caramelized fennel and tangy tomatoes.

Recipe: Fennel-Tomato Tart

James Carrier

Tarragon Crab Salad in Tomato Cups

Serve this easy-to-make, inventive salad with sourdough bread.

Recipe: Tarragon Crab Salad in Tomato Cups

James Carrier

Tomato and Sweet Onion Crumble

Leftover bread, tomatoes from the garden, and Walla Walla sweet onions inspired Megan Wentworth to create this easy, savory side dish.

Recipe: Tomato and Sweet Onion Crumble

James Carrier

Tomato, Fresh Cheese, and Watercress Salad

This salad is also beautiful with multicolored cherry tomatoes. Any fresh chèvre (goat cheese) works well in this salad.

Recipe: Tomato, Fresh Cheese, and Watercress Salad

Lisa Romerein

Tomato and Onion Salad

This simple salad gets a little extra zing from white or red onions and lemon juice.

Recipe: Tomato and Onion Salad

James Carrier

Ham and Manchego Sandwiches with Tomato Jam

These sandwiches are perfect for a summer picnic. Make and wrap sandwiches just before packing your basket.

Recipe: Ham and Manchego Sandwiches with Tomato Jam

James Carrier

Gazpacho Salad

Marsha Stout put together the ingredients for this salad one hot summer day when she wanted something quick and cool.

Recipe: Gazpacho Salad

Annabelle Breakey

Tomatoes in Spicy Yogurt Sauce

The tomatoes are warmed, not fully cooked, in the sauce, leaving their softly solid texture intact. Serve them alongside broiled, grilled, or steamed fish and be sure to have plenty of rice to soak up the sauce.

Recipe: Tomatoes in Spicy Yogurt Sauce

Photo by Coral Von Zumwalt

Tomato, Cucumber, and Basil Salad

This salad is summer in a bowl. You can cut up the vegetables a little ahead of time, but dress them fairly close to serving or they'll get soupy.

Recipe: Tomato, Cucumber, and Basil Salad

42 fresh tomato recipes

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Pomegranate Drizzle

Seashells with Basil, Tomatoes, and Garlic

Tomato and Melon Salad with Scallops and Pink Peppercorns

Caramelized Tomato Bruschetta

Garlic-Basil Grilled Chicken with Caprese Salsa

Fresh Tomato Basil Pizza

Easiest Garden Gazpacho

Mango and Tomato Salsa

Cherry Tomato and Asparagus Salad

Rosemary Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato Salad

Spicy Indian Tomato Shorba

Tomato Orecchiette with Brie and Basil

Open-face Caprese Sandwiches

BBT (Bacon Basil Tomato) Sandwich

Marinated Heirloom Tomato Salad

Green Grape Tomato Appetizer

Fresh Bloody Mary

Tomato and Herb Salad with Fresh Chive Cheese

3 fresh salsas

Canned Heirloom Tomatoes

Caprese Melts

Tiered Tomato Soup

Heirloom Tomato and Haricot Vert Salad

Tomato Salad with Chile and Lime

Grilled Salmon in Tomato Water

Fresh Corn and Avocado Salad

Garden Tomato Bread

Roasted Red Pepper-Tomato Soup

Indian-spiced Tomato Soup

Pasta with Basil, Tomatoes, and Feta

Fresh Tomato Sauce

Chicken, Corn, and Tomato Pasta Salad

Rainbow Tomato Bruschetta

Fennel-Tomato Tart

Tarragon Crab Salad in Tomato Cups

Tomato and Sweet Onion Crumble

Tomato, Fresh Cheese, and Watercress Salad

Tomato and Onion Salad

Ham and Manchego Sandwiches with Tomato Jam

Gazpacho Salad

Tomatoes in Spicy Yogurt Sauce

Tomato, Cucumber, and Basil Salad