Say good bye to summer with the loveliest balsamic infused tomatoes. What a show off!
Balsamic Tomato Salad Dressing / Glaze:
The idea here is to concentrate the flavors of aged balsamic vinegar while taking the sting off of the red onion, before bringing them all together into a marriage of wonderful summery aromas.
A really simple concept but it requires a little extra effort than simply drizzling some balsamic vinegar over sliced tomatoes. Absolutely worth dirtying up a pan for this one you guys.
What kind of tomatoes should I use to make tomato salad ?
You really want to take advantage of the perfectly ripe, sweet and fragrant end of summer tomatoes. Heirloom tomatoes would be ideal for this dish but any cherry, Sungold or yellow grape variety would work just fine as well. Honestly, use a mix or whatever you have in season in your area right now.
Can I add vegan cheese to this tomato salad ?
Glad you asked friends. I find that these tomatoes pair really nice with a vegan feta cheese like Violife or Miyoko’s vegan mozzarella. However, refrain from tossing the cheese in the salad. Sprinkle it over the top instead as it looks nicer and also maintains different layers of flavor.
What to serve with:
- On toast aka bruschetta
- Over a bed of quinoa
- With creamed spinach and mashed potatoes
- Topped with vegan feta or mozzarella
- Next to these scalloped or rosemary potatoes
- Tossed with orecchiette pasta & vegan Italian sausages.
- Vegan steak , roast or jackfruit ribs.
How to Make Balsamic Tomatoes:
- Start by choosing the best heirloom tomatoes you can get your hands on.
- Quickly sautee thinly sliced red onion with aged balsamic vinegar and a touch of brown sugar. Once reduced by half you will have the most luscious balsamic glaze to dress your tomatoes with.
- Finish with a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some fresh fragrant basil leaves.
Italian Balsamic Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 4 medium size heirloom tomatoes
- 1/4 red onion or 1 shallot thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup aged balsamic vinegar
- 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 10 basil leaves
- sea salt & black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat a skillet over medium flame. Add a splash of water (or a light drizzle of olive oil and sautee the onion with the brown sugar and a pinch of sea salt until the onions start to soften. A couple of minutes should be enough. Add the balsamic vinegar and simmer until reduced by half.
- Slice the tomatoes into bite size wedges and place them on a serving platter. Pour the onion balsamic vinegar reduction over the top. Drizzle with the olive oil and give it a gentle toss to coat. Adjust seasonings to taste with sea salt and black pepper, i used some coarse volcanic black salt but any sea salt will do.
- Sprinkle with the fresh basil leaves and serve.
WFPB + Plantricious
- To make this recipe WFPB and Plantricious compliant simply omit the olive oil and replace the brown sugar with date syrup.
Notes
Nutrition
Italian Tomato Salad
Cucumber Tomato Salad
Panzanella Bread Salad
