This refreshing Italian tomato salad is a simple concoction of cherry tomatoes, red onion, and dried oregano, tossed with a simple red wine dressing. Unlike caprese salad, this recipe doesn't include mozzarella. Instead, a quick marinade highlights the tomatoes' natural sweetness in just 10 minutes.
For more tomato-based and tomato-friendly salads, try my vine-roasted tomatoes, blue cheese salad, or smoked turkey salad.
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Quick Look: Italian Tomato Salad
⏱️ Prep Time: 10 minutes
🍳 Cook Time: No cooking
🕒 Total Time: 10 minutes
👥 Servings: 2-4
📊 Calories: ~98 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
🔥 Cook Method: No-cook recipe
👩🍳 Main Ingredients: Cherry tomatoes, red onion, dried oregano
⭐ Difficulty: Easy: Mix everything in one bowl and serve
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Why You'll Love Italian Tomato Salad
One of the quickest salads you can make: It comes together in 10 minutes and can be made in advance.
Versatile: You can easily adapt it, and it makes a lovely side dish for just about any main protein.
Tastes great the next day: Unlike lettuce-based salads, the firm cherry tomatoes hold up well to the dressing and still taste great the next day!
In Southern Italy, tomato salads are often dressed simply with olive oil and vinegar, allowing peak-season tomatoes to shine.
This Italian tomato salad is one of them, made with cherry tomatoes for their reliable sweetness and firmness, which work beautifully in this ridiculously easy recipe my mom often made when I was growing up.
You don't need to strain any brain cells to toss this one together. It's very forgiving, and you can taste as you go, adjusting the measurements to your liking.
For more quick salad recipes, try my picnic potato salad, dill pickle chicken salad, or cucumber avocado salad.
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Key Ingredients
See the recipe card for full ingredient and quantity information.
- Cherry Tomatoes: These work best for this simple salad because they're naturally sweet, hold their shape, absorb the dressing nicely, and are available year-round.
- Dried Oregano: This is a key ingredient because it gives this salad its distinctive flavor. Do not use fresh oregano.
- Red Wine Vinegar: The acidity and pronounced flavor nicely balance the tomatoes' sweetness.
Variations & Substitutions
➢Use any tomatoes you like or have on hand, but smaller, firmer ones work best for this recipe.
➢Use thinly sliced shallots in place of the red onion.
➢Add some minced fresh parsley for more color and freshness.
➢Add mozzarella for a caprese-styled salad.
➢Serve with burrata for a decadent salad version.
➢Add some sliced cucumbers and olives.
➢Roast the tomatoes first (like with this pasta puttanesca), then chill, for a more pronounced flavor.
➢Garnish with croutons or even toss with cooked orzo before chilling for a more carb-centric dish.
How to Make Italian Tomato Salad
- Add the tomatoes, red onion, oregano, salt, and pepper to a bowl. Pour in the vinegar and toss, then add the olive oil and toss again. Taste/adjust for seasoning.
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 guests and want it to look pretty, use a slotted spoon to transfer the salad to another bowl and discard the leftover liquid.
Italian Tomato Salad FAQs
Firm tomatoes work best for a variety of salads, particularly those with acidic dressings, which can break down certain ingredients upon contact. Cherry and grape tomatoes are good choices because they're firm and can be left whole or (preferably) sliced in half.
Yes! They're easier to eat this way, and the centers of the tomatoes absorb flavors better. I do it with all my salads, including this blue cheese salad.
About 30 minutes is good, but you can let this particular salad marinate for 1-2 hours. It's not a lettuce-based salad, and the cherry tomatoes hold up well here.
I encourage you to. It tastes even better with the chill taken out.
Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Related Recipes
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Italian Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 10 ounces cherry tomatoes sliced in half lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons red onion sliced thinly or diced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Add the tomatoes, red onion, oregano, salt, and pepper to a bowl. Pour in the vinegar and toss, then add the olive oil and do the same. Taste/adjust for seasoning. Enjoy!
Notes
- Add the vinegar before adding the olive oil. The tomatoes will absorb the vinegar more readily, and the olive oil will help seal in the flavor.
- This salad tastes best when made a couple of hours ahead, but it's also good served fresh.
- You can let it reach room temperature for an even better flavor.
Nutrition
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This is a great, quick side salad, and I love the red wine vinegar and dried oregano. It's so simple but tastes amazing!