Italian Tomato Salad with Fresh Basil

This Italian Tomato Salad is an easy and refreshing. Perfect for picnics, light summer dinners, or anytime you crave the taste of sweet tomatoes and fresh basil.

There’s something about fresh basil that perks all my senses. The bright green leaves are beautiful, the smell is sweet, and it has a slightly peppery taste. It pairs so well with other fresh produce, but tomatoes are really basil’s best friend!

When summer hits my kids and I start a little box garden on our deck. I wish I could say that I’m an avid gardener that grows all my own produce, but I’m a terrible gardener!

I never tried to grow anything until my oldest began having an interest in planting. We’ve had some success with growing herbs and cherry tomatoes, using this raised garden bed that’s self-watering. We have two. I keep them on the deck and fill them with water once a week. We grow bright cherry tomatoes, basil, mint, and other herbs.

With all those cherry tomatoes and herbs I end up making a lot of tomato salads. This recipe is one of our vegan salad recipes favorites!

Why You’ll Love this Italian Tomato Salad…

• Sweet cherry tomatoes pair perfectly with fresh basil
• Quick and easy to throw together for a picnic
• Less than 10 minutes of prep
• Vegan and Vegetarian
• Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free
• Oil-Free
• Low in calories and fat

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to gather. Measurements for each are in the printable recipe card for your convenience.

• Cherry Tomatoes
• Fresh Basil
• Red Onion
• Garlic
• Oregano
• Salt
• Pepper
• Vegetable Stock
• White Wine Vinegar

Tools You’ll Need

No complicated tools for this simple recipe! All you need to do is prep your ingredients and combine them in a mixing bowl.

• Cutting Board
• Chopping Knife
• Mixing Bowl
• Spatula

How to Make Italian Tomato Salad – Step by Step

Step 1: Prep the produce. Slice cherry tomatoes in half, dice red onion, finely chop basil, mince garlic.

Step 2: In a small bowl combine vegetable stock and white wine vinegar, set aside.

Step 3: In a large bowl combine cherry tomatoes, red onion, basil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Pour vegetable stock and vinegar over top. Fold ingredients together.

Step 4: You can serve immediately or allow to marinate for an hour before serving to allow the ingredients to meld together.

What is in an Italian Tomato Salad?

It typically includes tomatoes, basil, and red onion. It is usually made with a vinaigrette of olive oil and vinegar. In this recipe I use vegetable broth in place of olive oil to keep it plant-based and oil-free. This reduces the fat and calories without losing any flavor!

Top Tips for Making the Perfect Tomato Salad

• Wash and prep all ingredients.
• Use fresh basil, not dried
• If you choose to use fresh oregano you’ll need to use more than 1 tsp. I recommend using 2 teaspoons of fresh.
• Don’t over salt. This can cause the tomatoes to get mushy too quickly.
• If you don’t have vegetable stock use olive oil, or leave out all together.
• If you have time before serving I recommend allowing the salad to marinate for an hour to meld all the flavors together.

Variations

No Vegetable Stock-Use olive oil, but this will increase calories and fat. Another option is to use water.

No Red Onion-Use white or yellow onion. Both will be delicious. The red onion add nice color.

No Cherry Tomatoes-Use Roma, Campari, Beefsteak, or any tomato you have on hand.

Vinegar-If you don’t have white wine vinegar, you can use red wine vinegar. Apple cider vinegar, and white vinegar could also be used.

How to Serve and Keep

What pairs well with this salad?

This salad pairs well with a vegan pesto pasta and garlic bread. It’s also a refreshing salad to bring to a picnic and pairs nicely with a nice meaty portabella mushroom burger. Place on top of a grilled baguette for a unique take on bruschetta.

Storing and Keeping

Store leftovers in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. This salad is best enjoyed fresh as the tomatoes get soggy and the basil can turn a dark brown if kept for too long.

Check out these other refreshing salad recipes!

• Blood Orange Salad
• Summer Berry Salad
• Black Bean Quinoa Salad
• Mediterranean Cucumber Salad
• Kale Salad with Butternut Squash

If you’ve tried this Italian Tomato Salad, please rate the recipe and let me know how it turned out. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more plant-based family recipes your whole family will enjoy!