Marinated Tomato Salad

Name: Marinated Tomato Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 10 ounces cherry tomatoes (sliced in half lengthwise); 2 tablespoons red onion (sliced thinly); 1 teaspoon dried oregano; ½ teaspoon kosher salt; Ground black pepper; 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar; 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

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This refreshing marinated tomato salad is the perfect accompaniment to any poultry, beef, or fish. It’s also easily portable for a picnic or barbecue and tastes best when made ahead of time!

Recipe Mood: Zesty Side Salad
Indulgence Level: Low
Effort Level: Easy

A white platter of marinated tomato salad with sliced red onion.

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If you’re looking for more quick salads, try this picnic potato salad.

This marinated tomato salad is delicious year-round, but it’s especially wonderful in the warmer months. Made with juicy cherry tomatoes, tangy red wine vinegar, and lemony oregano, this salad is refreshing and can be made quickly, thanks to its limited ingredients.

This salad often appeared during the summer when I was a kid, and I think I love it as much for the nostalgia as for the taste. My mother whipped it up quickly as my dad stood outside—hovering over the barbecue and under the blazing sun—grilling up chicken thighs, flank steaks, and burgers.

For years, this was one of those “recipes” I always eyeballed when making because it was never really a recipe until I decided to include it on this blog. I had to figure out exact measurements to publish it, but I didn’t need to strain too many brain cells because the few ingredients made it a cinch to put together. It will be a cinch for you, too.

Red onion, olive oil, and a dash of salt and pepper round out this simple marinated tomato salad. It’s very forgiving, and you can taste as you go, adjusting the measurements to your liking.

Why You’ll Love This Marinated Tomato Salad

One of the quickest salads you can make: It comes together in 15 minutes or less.
Versatile: You can easily adapt it, and it makes a nice side dish for just about any main protein.
Tastes good leftover: Unlike lettuce-based salads, the tomatoes hold up well to the dressing.

Key Ingredients

Cherry Tomatoes: These firm yet sweet tomatoes are best, but you can also use grape tomatoes.
Dried Oregano: This is a key ingredient because it gives this salad its distinctive flavor. Do not use fresh oregano.
Red Wine Vinegar: This is an essential ingredient here and is preferable to other vinegars.

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See the recipe card below for more information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Make This Recipe

Mix the salad: Place tomatoes and seasonings in a bowl. Pour in the vinegar and olive oil, and stir together well. Adjust for seasoning if needed.

Pro Tips

Add the vinegar before the olive oil: This will allow the vinegar to penetrate the tomatoes, whereas adding the oil first could create an “oil slick” and make it harder for the vinegar to cling to anything.
Make the salad ahead of time: Although you can eat this cherry tomato salad right after assembling it, marinating it first will enhance the flavors and pickle the red onions, making them sweeter. It only needs to sit in the fridge for one to two hours.
Transfer the salad to another bowl before serving: As the salad marinates, juices drain from the tomatoes and create more liquid at the bottom of the bowl. If you’re serving this to company and want it to look pretty, use a slotted spoon to transfer the salad to another bowl and discard the leftover liquid.

Variations & Substitutions

-You can use thinly sliced shallots in place of the red onion.
-Add some minced fresh parsley for more color and freshness.

Recipe FAQs

What are the best tomatoes for salad?

Firmer tomatoes work best for a variety of salads, particularly those with acidic dressings, which tend to break down certain ingredients upon contact. Cherry and grape tomatoes are good choices because they’re firm and can be left whole or (preferably) just sliced in half.

Storage

Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

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