Summer Tomato Salad

When we got back from the beach, we had an abundance of tomatoes that needed to be used up. I am not a huge fan of fresh tomatoes so I was racking my brain trying to figure out what to do with them.  I had already made a large batch of Pico de Gallo (my usual go-to) but still had a few tomatoes left, so I hit up Pinterest for a recipe idea.

My requirements included using tomatoes but not using cucumbers because Eric's not a huge fan of them and they'd go to waste, and I wanted a fresh summery salad-type recipe. After some searching (because most tomato salad recipes include cucumbers or are cherry tomato-specific) I stumbled across a simple Tomato Salad recipe that didn't look all that complicated or time consuming....so it won.  I threw it together that Friday evening with low expectations because 1) it had very few ingredients and 2) it was so quick to make I didn't think it would have a lot of flavor. Boy was I mistaken.

I put it together and set it on the stove while I was kabobing the rest of our dinner when Eric came in to tell me we were going to grill out with the neighbors. Not being a huge fan of fresh tomatoes, I asked him to taste test the salad because I didn't think I would be a good judge of taste.  He loved it and gave it 2 thumbs up. Naturally I became curious and had to try it, and I was blown away. It was so good! Fresh, full of flavor, and it tasted like summertime!  We took it with us to the neighbors' house and the 4 of us ate nearly the entire bowl, and we all loved it so much that I made a farmers market run Saturday morning to get more tomatoes to make another batch that didn't make it through the evening. That being said...make it. It's delicious!

Adapted from this recipe.

What You Need:

3 large tomatoes

1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp salt, divided

1/2 cup fresh chopped basil (can use purple and green)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/8 tsp pepper

2 cups arugula (I used an arugula/spinach mix)

3/4 feta cheese

How to Make It:

Slice tomatoes into 1/4 inch sections. I quartered mine and then sliced them so the pieces were bite-sized. Lay tomato slices in a single layer on a paper towel and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt.  Let them sit for 15 minutes, then flip them over, sprinkle them with another 1/4 salt and let them sit for another 15 minutes.

While the tomatoes are drying out, chop your basil and mince your garlic.  When the tomatoes are ready, place them in a large bowl, along with the basil, garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, 1/8 tsp salt, pepper, and arugula.  Mix thoroughly to completely coat tomatoes and arugula. Let the salad sit for at least 15 minutes to marinate. Right before serving, add feta cheese and mix thoroughly.

In addition to being delicious, it is a very pretty dish! Perfect for a summer evening. However, if you're serving more than 6, I highly recommend doubling the recipe.

My mater slicing technique.

...and my mater drying technique. After 15 mins I lay another set of paper towels over the top, flip the entire pan over, and re-salt the the tomatoes to dry them out. 

It pairs well with just about anything!