5 from 5 votes

Marinated Tomato Salad

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Easy, quick marinated tomato salad in red onions can be prepped and eaten in 20 minutes with delicious, bold and satisfying flavors. A cousin to the balsamic vinegar reduction, these tomatoes are instead marinated in red wine vinegar for a tart powerful side salad. Fresh, homemade, yum!

You will love this cold marinated tomato salad, which as the perfect balance of veggies, herbs, and homemade dressing. So simple to make, this is sure to be a lunch go to recipe!

marinated tomato salad

Marinated Tomatoes Ingredient List

  • red onion
  • medium tomatoes
  • fresh basil
  • olive oil
  • red wine vinegar
  • sea salt
  • cracked peppercorn

RELATED TOMATO RECIPES: Corn and Tomato Salad Recipe, Caprese Salad Recipe, Cucumber Tomato Salad Recipe, Cherry Tomato Salad Recipe

Recipe Video

Tomato Salad with Red Wine Vinegar Dressing

  • First prep the onions by cutting sliced thin (or chop if you prefer) and slice the tomatoes into wedges.
  • In a separate bowl, add tomatoes and fresh basil.
  • Set aside.

marinated salad ingredients with tomatoes and onions

  • In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.
  • Add onions to tomatoes and mix well.
  • Pour oil mixture over tomatoes and mix well. 
  • Let stand for a minimum of 20 minutes at room temperature.
  • Stir before eating to prevent settling.
  • Please see note about refrigerating olive oil dressings.
simple side salad done in 20 minutes with tomatoes and vinaigrette

How to make Onions Less Strong

Red onions can often be over powering for some people. If you love red onions but would like them better toned, a simple trick is to cut your onion and then put in water for 10-15 minutes. This helps soften the onion and pull out some of the flavors.

Note about Cold Olive Oil

Olive oil can change consistency in the fridge if you keep your refrigerator super cold – it is, after all, a fat. How fast it happens really boils down to the actual olive oil and what ingredients are in it. Typically this does not affect the taste, however, it can look or seem weird. Simply bring your salad back up to room temperature for 30 minutes to liquefy the olive oil again or only add right before serving.

Is Marinated Tomato Salad Low Carb or Keto Friendly? 

Typically tomatoes are not widely used in Keto, but in small increments, can be eaten in most low carb diets. It really depends how strict you choose to be with your dieting. Here is nutritional information for this tomato salad- broken down into 6 servings. This site uses Carb Manager that automatically inputs the ingredients into the system and gives out an estimated nutritional value.

Please always be careful to double check with your own apps. Carb Manager gave this recipe an “A”. 

is marinated salad low carb? yes.

Tomato Salad Variations

Marinated salads are so good with just red onions and tomatoes, but you can add a few different things to boost up your salads if you like. 

  1. Use any kind of tomato for this salad, including cut cherry and tomato salads. I prefer a slicing tomato or a ROMA tomato. 
  2. Add quartered or sliced cucumbers.
  3. Like Cheese? Tomato salad goes great with cheeses like crumbled blue cheese, feta cheese, or small balls of mozzarella.
  4. Try adding a 1/2 cup of Fresh or Grilled Corn Kernels.
  5. Top with diced Avocado.
  6. Crumbled Bacon is delicious sprinkled on top of the tomatoes prior to serving.
  7. Change up the red wine vinegar for other vinegar flavors. Try the original suggestion first, but feel free to substitute the recipe for white wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar in a pinch (This will change the salad flavor too).

RELATED SIDE SALAD RECIPES: Cucumber Salad Recipe, Broccoli Salad, Broccoli Slaw Salad, Shrimp Pesto Salad Recipe, Dill Potato Salad Recipe

Homemade Marinated Tomato Salad with Slicer Tomatoes and red onions

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If you enjoyed this recipe or made tweaks that worked well, please leave me a comment and let me know. I always enjoying trying your changes as well!

5 from 5 votes

Marinated Tomato Salad


Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Easy marinated sliced tomato salad with red onions and fresh basil wrapped in a delicious red wine vinegar and oil dressing. A delicious, quick salad that can be doubled quite easily to serve a crowd.

Ingredients
 

  • half of a red onion sliced thin OR chopped
  • 3 medium tomatoes cut into 16 wedges each
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cracked peppercorn

Instructions

  • Prep your red onions, sliced tomatoes, and fresh basil.
  • In a bowl, add tomatoes, onions and basil. Set aside. 
  • In a new small bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. 
  • Pour oil mixture over tomatoes and mix well.
  • Let tomatoes and onions marinate for 20 minutes at room temperature.
  • If you choose to refrigerate, please note that olive oil is a fat and solidifies to an extent after long periods in colder temperatures. Make sure you bring salad to room temperature for 30 minutes and then stir to liquefy olive oil in salad prior to serving. This is with all olive oils.

Video

Notes

  • See article for ingredient substitutions that you can add to this easy marinated tomato salad.
  • You can chop or slice red onions
  • I have also used 2 large tomatoes in place of 3 medium tomatoes

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 55kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 180mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g

Nutritional Disclaimer: The nutritional data provided here is auto-calculated and intended for your convenience only. As it’s generated via automation, its accuracy may be compromised. For precise nutritional insight, please compute the values utilizing the actual ingredients in your recipe through your chosen nutrition calculator or application.

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5 from 5 votes
5 from 5 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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2 Comments

  1. My mom used to make this! To me it is comfort food and I have always loved it. She may have added a teaspoon of sugar to the oil. We always used Walla Walla sweet Vidalia onions so when we visited my grandmother in Calif. she gave me mild red onions in an onion sandwich! Back in the 40s both kinds were really mild.

    1. Trisha Haas says:

      I love onions in my salad. I never thought about them tasting more mind in the past! THanks for sharing that little bit of knowledge. ~Trisha