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Marinated tomatoes is a great way to use this juicy, seasonal produce! Heighten the flavors with olive oil, balsamic, garlic and herbs.

Want a secret for making tomatoes taste incredible in minutes? Try Marinated Tomatoes! Mix this juicy seasonal produce with olive oil, balsamic, garlic and basil, then let it stand for 30 minutes while you go about your business. The flavor that’s infused is unreal: zingy, garlicky, sweet and salty, with a hint of heat on the finish. These are pure gold: use them as an appetizer for crostini, serve as a salad, spoon over chicken or fish, or eat over toast for a simple lunch!

Ingredients for marinated tomatoes

It’s high tomato season here in the Midwest. What to do with an excess of fresh tomatoes? Make marinated tomatoes! They work as a side dish, appetizer, or condiment. You can use any type of tomatoes you like or have on hand. We love the shape and flavor of cherry tomatoes, but you could also use larger tomatoes depending on what you have on hand. Here’s what you’ll need:

Cherry tomatoes or ripe heirloom tomatoes: A mix of colors looks nice, but is not required! Use either 2 pints cherry tomatoes or 1 ½ pounds of any variety of tomato you have on hand. The only requirement: make sure they are ripe and juicy!
Basil or other herbs of choice (see below)
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Garlic
Salt and pepper
Calabrian chili paste or red pepper flakes, optional

How long to marinate tomatoes?

How long to marinate tomatoes? Honestly, they taste good right away! So you can get away with mixing the ingredients above and eating immediately. But for best flavor, let them stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. You can also go even longer to intensify the flavors: up to 2 hours of marinating heightens the flavors.

One thing to avoid: don’t place the tomatoes in the refrigerator! Chilling tomatoes dulls the flavors. However, you can store leftovers of the marinated tomatoes refrigerated: just let them come to room temperature for about 20 minutes prior to serving. Keep in mind that the olive oil solidifies in the refrigerator.

Other herbs to pair

Basil and tomatoes are an obvious pairing: but there are lots of other great fresh herbs to use here! One downside of basil is it turns dark in the refrigerator, so it’s not as bright green for leftovers. If you’d like some herbs that stay green longer, some good fresh herb options are:

Chives
Thyme
Parsley
Oregano
Rosemary (but use a small amount; it can be overpowering)

Ways to use marinated tomatoes

Once you’ve made up a batch of marinated tomatoes, how to use them? There are infinite ways! Here are some serving suggestions:

On a cheese board or antipasto platter
As an appetizer on crostini or bruschetta
On toast with whipped ricotta or whipped goat cheese
On avocado toast
Over baked fish or baked salmon
As a side dish
In a salad with butter lettuce and ranch dressing

How do you plan to use it? Let us know in the comments below!

More fresh tomato recipes

When it’s tomato season, make all the fresh tomato recipes! Here are a few more of our favorites we make every season:

Try Cherry Tomato Pasta
Go for Caprese Salad
Opt for Easy Bruschetta
Try showy Amazing Tomato Pie or a Savory Tomato Galette
Whiz up Classic Gazpacho

This marinated tomatoes recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.