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This tomato onion salad combines juicy ripe tomatoes with sweet, crunchy Vidalia onions tossed in a zesty red wine vinaigrette dressing. It’s an easy summer salad that pairs perfectly with my favorite grilling recipes!
I love making the most of tomato season with easy side dishes like this tomato salad with sweet onions, tomato burrata salad, and crisp tomato cucumber salad.
My parents always had the best vegetable garden. I’d pop over in the summer and harvest buckets of the freshest, juiciest tomatoes to use in shakshuka, one-pan shrimp and tomatoes, and every iteration of tomato salad under the sun. Some days, I’d invite my parents over and grill up some Macedonian kebabs (kebapi) or chicken skewers and taratur to serve with this (also Macedonian) tomato onion salad on the side. I’ve been making this salad for as long as I can remember, and the combination of ripe tomatoes, sweet, crisp onions, and peppery parsley is simple, yet perfect!
Reasons to Love This Tomato Onion Salad
- Crunchy and refreshing. We practically live on this tomato salad during the hot summer months. It’s cool and crunchy, with a fresh red wine vinaigrette that ties all the summery flavors together.
- Perfect with grilled dishes. Another reason we love this salad? The zestiness pairs super well with grilled meats and BBQ. It’s one of my favorite low-effort cookout sides.
- Quick and easy. This tomato and onion salad is ready in 15 minutes with just 6 ingredients. Easy side dishes don’t get better!
What You’ll Need
The real magic of this salad comes from the freshness of the tomatoes and the quality of the oil and vinegar in the dressing. The simpler the recipe, the more important the quality of the ingredients! I’ve included some notes below. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the printable recipe card.
- Tomatoes – You can make this tomato onion salad with any kind of tomatoes you’d like. Roma, globe, plum, heirloom tomatoes, tomatoes on the vine, and even cherry or grape tomatoes are all great for salads, see below. Cut the tomatoes into thin wedges (or halves for smaller tomatoes).
- Sweet Onion – Thinly sliced sweet onions like Vidalia, shallot, or white onion are milder than yellow onions and best for salads. Red onion also works well.
- Parsley – Freshly chopped. You could also substitute parsley with another fresh herb, like basil.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Choose the best quality olive oil you can afford. Different olive oils have different flavor profiles, and some are more peppery, lemony, or earthy than others. Use your favorite.
- Red Wine Vinegar – You can also use another vinegar, like white wine vinegar, Champagne vinegar, or balsamic. Fresh lemon juice makes a good stand-in if you need one.
- Salt and Pepper – I love crunchy Maldon sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
How to Choose Tomatoes
If you’re lucky enough to have a garden of fresh tomatoes on standby, that’s fantastic! And if you’re looking for tomatoes in the grocery store, look for brightly colored, firm (but not hard) tomatoes that are heavy for their size. If you give them a sniff, they should also have a fresh, tomato-y smell.
Serving Suggestions
I can’t help but serve my tomato onion salad Macedonian-style with grilled chicken or steak kebabs, and more summer favorites like fried pork pizza on the grill. It’s also an easy, refreshing side to serve with cabbage rolls or moussaka, followed by these Macedonian shortbread cookies.
How to Store
Store any leftover onion tomato salad in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy it within 3 days. The onions tend to seep their flavor into the tomatoes with time, so eat leftovers sooner rather than later!
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Tomato Onion Salad
Ingredients
- 4 ripe tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
- 1 sweet onion, such as Vidalia, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, or to taste
- salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Combine the ingredients. In a salad bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, parsley, olive oil, and vinegar.
- Season to taste. Season with salt and pepper and gently toss to combine. Taste and adjust as needed.
- Chill. Refrigerate for 15 minutes before serving.
Equipment
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How To Make This Tomato Salad With Onions
This tomato onion salad is perfectly simple as is, but you can absolutely adapt the recipe with any of my easy homemade salad dressings and more ingredients as you like. Follow the steps below.
- Combine the ingredients. Add your tomatoes, onion, and parsley to a bowl.
- Add dressing. Drizzle the veggies with olive oil and red wine vinegar, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Give the salad a good toss to ensure everything is well-mixed.
- Chill. Afterward, chill the salad in the fridge for 15 minutes to let the flavors meld a little. Once chilled, it’s ready to serve!
More Summer Salad Recipes
Love Tomatoes & Onions… it’s always been a quick & easy one in my house growing up & ironically I had thought about it the other day & today seen it In my feed..
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This is my kind of salad, I love tomatoes! So simply, yet looks incredible! 🙂
My granny made a salad very similar to this and now I make it all the time. Seriously, I could eat it every single day. It has cucumbers in it too!
Oh can’t wait to make this with my ripe tomatoes, perfect summer side!
…try to add some green papers as well!
It’s delicious!
And feta cheese on top of that!! YUM! 😀 Thank you, Rose!!
How fresh and beautiful!! I love summer fresh tomatoes.
Oh, how I love fresh tomatoes! Absolutely beautiful.
This is my kind of salad! So delicious!
I’d be raiding the vegetable garden too for some beautifully ripe tomatoes like those!
This salad with a big ol’ steak = one seriously yummy dinner!