5-Ingredient Marinated Tomatoes! The best summer staple. Fresh tomatoes, punchy lemon juice, grated garlic, a little bit of olive oil, and herbs and salt to make it sing. YES.
5-Ingredient Marinated Tomatoes
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So simple…so yummy! I used basil and it was like caprese minus the cheese! This will be a regular recipe for me!
Kathi
Where are you at with summer cooking? Because I’m at level: marinated tomatoes. Which is conveniently low maintenance AND extremely juicy and delicious and I probably won’t stop anytime soon.
I don’t mean like I’m making marinated tomatoes and having it as a side dish (although you go right ahead – if you’re fancy enough to have side dishes right now, don’t let me stop you).
I mean like, for the day to day, the extent of my entire “cooking” is a bowl of tomatoes that hang out for a little soak time in some garlic, salt, olive oil, lemon juice, and some fresh herbs.
What you get is a tomato salad of sorts – one that is swimming in tomato juices and olive oil and infused with garlic and herbs.
And oh, did we already establish that it takes about five seconds to make? Great.
It is my gold medal summer recipe right now.
Here are some ways you can use marinated tomatoes to make yourself feel as though you’ve cooked something really wonderful, when in fact, you’ve been sitting around enjoying the nice weather instead, like the good summer person you are:
- Spooned over grilled chicken or shrimp.
- Scooped onto your avocado toast.
- Sopped up with a slice of golden toasted, crusty bread thick with butter and salt. Because the bread with THE GARLICKY TOMATO JUICES. Wahhh. So good.
- Tossed with some raw corn cut straight off the cob in this Corn and Avocado Quinoa Salad.
- Assembled over a pre-made bag mix salad. Kinda like this.
- Eaten straight, in a bowl, alongside salt and pepper ruffle chips. It’s summer, let me live.
Marinated tomatoes. Tonight. Make it happen.
Check Out Our Video For How To Make Marinated Tomatoes:
5-Ingredient Marinated Tomatoes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2–3 cups 1x
Description
5-Ingredient Marinated Tomatoes! The best summer staple. Fresh tomatoes, punchy lemon juice, grated garlic, a little bit of olive oil, and herbs and salt to make it sing. YES.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 pound cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
- 1 clove garlic, finely grated
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon freshly minced herbs (I like parsley)
- salt to taste (I use about 1/2 – 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt)
Instructions
- Toss tomatoes, grated garlic, olive oil, vinegar, herbs, and salt together in a small bowl. You’re done.
- Now just let the marinated tomatoes get real yummy. Give them 2-3 hours minimum to just rest in the fridge, but you can also let them soak in all that goodness for up to 24 hours, especially if your tomatoes were sturdy to begin with, and/or if you’ll be mixing them into other things like a salad. Bring them back to room temperature for ideal serving conditions!
Equipment
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Notes
Tomato Options: You can also use whole beefsteak tomatoes and just cut them into slices.
Acid Options: I have used white vinegar, red wine vinegar, and lemon juice all with very delicious results.
Timing: For longer marinating times, sometimes the oil will congeal a bit in the fridge. This should be resolved by just bringing it back to room temperature.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Chop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: marinated tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, summer recipe, summer tomato recipe, tomato season, basil
Filed Under: 5 Ingredients All Recipes Dairy-Free Healthy Quick and Easy Recipes Salads Sugar-Free Summer Tomato Vegan Vegetarian
June 29, 2020
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
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Oh, how I love tomatoes esp in summer! I am not a huge fan of vinegar though, so its olive oil and sea salt for me!
Oh, how I love tomatoes esp in summer! I am not a huge fan of vinegar though, so its olive oil and sea salt for me!
If I could give this recipe 20 stars it would not be enough!!! Amazing as written. No need to adjust, simply perfection. Thank you for sharing, this combo is definitely a pinch of yum 🙂
So glad to hear it, Jenn!
Loooove this! Sounds awesome over some grilled chicken 😀
So here’s my question? What sort of implement do you use to finely grate a single clove of garlic? I’m always seeing recipes use “grated” garlic and have tried using my microplane grater but it just ends up with scraped fingers and negligible garlic.
Hi Katherine! Two ways to grate garlic that works for me is one, to use a spice grater. Those tend to have a small grate on them. You can Google, try Amazon, a kitchen store, or even QVC or HSN. Or, if you think that might be too small to your liking you can dice the garlic fine on a cutting board. Either works fine for me. Good luck!
I’m with you on that one, Katherine! I’ve been cooking a while (67 yr old) and Lindsay/others may have other suggestions, but here are mine:
> BedBathBeyond – search: Fante’s Garlic Slicer Grater (Link: https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/fante-rsquo-s-garlic-slicer-grater/1010512484?skuId=10512484&enginename=google&mcid=PS_googlepla_nonbrand_kitchenfoodprep_local&product_id=10512484&adtype=pla&product_channel=local&adpos=&creative=356249224553&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&utm_campaignid=71700000053968480&utm_adgroupid=58700005145007536&targetid=92700045203741048&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIk8jgxLCn6gIVCB6tBh37nwmsEAQYAyABEgJ9hPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds)
> With a broad blade knife, garlic clove on a cutting board, smash the clove hard with the side of the knife, remove the paper, then go back over the smashed garlic with the side of the knife, by pressing down hard while running the knife up the cutting board to essentially pulverize the garlic to the texture you want. Tip: to remove the smell of garlic from your fingers, carefully run your fingers over the side of the stainless steel blade WHILE it’s under a stream of cold water from the tap. Works every time.
> I’ve done so much garlic, that whenever I can, I just plop a frozen piece of DOROT minced garlic (frozen, in dollops of ~1 tsp = 1 clove each. Also in ginger, too: dorotgardens.com) and call it done.
A lot is to be said about fresh garlic pieces vs. frozen crushed, and you’ll be the best judge based on your tastes, but I’ve found these pretty easy, with minimal cleanup.
I love this recipe because it really shows how you don’t need fancy ingredients to make something so delicious!! Simplicity at it’s finest.
Next level: spoon it on top of super thick whipped ricotta on toasted and garlic-rubbed French bread slices. Too good!
Winner right here 👆
Your tomato recipe is my exact go-to recipe for our Friday night Sabbath dinner, served with the fish/salad course. I either use parsley or basil, depending on what I have. And always freshly squeezed lemon juice which is such a bright flavor. Of course it really depends on how good the tomatoes are.
I made some focaccia to go with this tonight with a little shaved pecorino romano cheese on top and it is the savory shortcake OF MY DREAMS.
Sounds like the perfect combo, Jen!
Can these be cannef?
I made this for supper tonight with the last of the cherry tomatoes from my garden. I used balsamic vinegar, basil for the herb and add some diced soft mozzarella cheese – it was a big hit!
Yummy! Love the addition of mozzarella cheese. 🙂
Yum. I was gifted some nice olive oil and balsamic vinegar. This was the perfect way to showcase their flavors.
I used a garlic press as an alternative to grating the garlic. Worked great.
Glad you enjoyed these! 🙂
I love all your recipes!
Would you add any cheese to this tomato salad? If so, what kind would you recommend?
You can if you’d like! We’d recommend little mozzarella pearls. 🙂
do you have any recommendations for adding this to some hot pasta? Is there enough liquid or should I add more?
We haven’t tried this yet to know, but you might need a smidge more oil. Let us know how it turns out!
Broil the tomatoes (garlic, oil and all) in the oven, for 10 -15 minutes ( or less, keep an eye on them), they will ‘pop’ and maybe blister a bit, but OMG so so good on pasta, french bread, eggs, so so delicious! This would also give you a bit more sauce! You can sprinkle parmesan on pasta just before serving. So delicious!!
So simple…so yummy! I used basil and it was like caprese minus the cheese! This will be a regular recipe for me!
Glad you enjoyed these, Kathi!
I love this! Tomatoes are definitely a summertime staple for me. This is a great way to switch things up and give them so much more flavor!
https://alexagmarsh.blogspot.com/
I’m loving the recipe because of its simplicity, looks yummy. Can we use Roma tomatoes?
Sure!
Yum! Fresh bright summer in your mouth!
Glad you enjoyed these marinated tomatoes, Dottie!
Long time follower – first time commenter. Do you think this gem of a recipe would work with the lemon herb pasta with marinated chickpeas or is that too many different flavors? I love both recipes, but I don’t want to ruin a batch of both by putting them together, THANKS!
Hi, Evan! 👋 We haven’t tried that combo yet, but it sounds delish! We’re guessing those flavors would work together just fine. Let us know how this goes for you – we’d love to hear!
I have a similar recipe that I have used for years but it has the mixture marinate at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours and then toss with pasta and garnish with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese. I will try yours but not refrigerate it. I feel the cold affects the tomatoes taste.
This is a summer staple in my house. I use champagne vinegar and my wife loves it!
This was so freaking delicious. So versatile too. Really adds flavour to a salad and tonight I’ll use for pizza. I even used some on toast!
So simple, easy and delicious!
This is so good! It really makes a difference. I didn’t even have fresh herbs and I still did it and I could taste the difference it made in the dish. Highly recommend.
Love all your recipes to death ! However, a bit confused…… how long can one keep the 5 ingredient marinated tomatoes for, please ? Thank you and thank you again for the delightful recipes 💚💚
They should last for a few days in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
Delicious and simple! I add a litt more vinegar and salt, and it’s such a refreshing summer veggie side.
These are wonderful! (Well, ALL of your recipes are.) Light, refreshing, and great eaten plain or even in a BLT.