Tomato Onion Salad

A bowl of tomato salad with onions and cucumbers with a checked towel and fresh tomatoes in the background.

This tomato onion salad is light, zesty, slightly spicy, and ready in just 10 minutes! The ingredients are super simple but it's all about the tomato juice in the dressing, so make sure you have crusty bread for dipping! This is a perfect make-ahead side that pairs perfectly with everything from weeknight casseroles to summer BBQs.

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Diet Diabetic, Gluten Free

Prep Time 10

Resting time 1

Total Time 1 10

Servings servings

Calories 249kcal

Author Jessy Freimann

Equipment

Ingredients

3 pounds tomatoes, cut into small wedges
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 large seedless cucumber peeled and sliced
1 jalapeño sliced
2 Tabelspoons Extra virgin olive oil, to taste
1 Tablespoon Red wine vinegar, to taste
½ teaspoon Kosher salt, to taste
¼ teaspoon Ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Combine the tomatoes, onions, cucumbers and jalapeños in a large bowl.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and dress lightly with oil and vinegar. Use a light hand with the oil and vinegar (remember, the idea is for the juice to be the center of the dressing, not the vinegar!).
Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, periodically use a large spoon to lightly press down and squeeze more juice out.
Serve with plenty of crusty Italian bread to sop up the juice!

Video

Notes

Use ripe, juicy tomatoes. They’re the heart of this salad and the source of that delicious, flavor-packed juice! Ripe tomatoes are firm with a slight give when squeezed and heavy for their size.

Let it rest before serving. This salad tastes best after sitting for a few hours — or even overnight — so the flavors can fully meld together.

Press the salad for more juice. Just like Grandma did, use the back of a spoon to gently press down on the salad in the bowl a few times as it rests. This helps release more tomato juice into the dressing.

Adjust the spice level. If you don’t love spicy food, feel free to remove the jalapeño seeds or skip them entirely. One jalapeño adds a mild kick, while two make it pretty spicy!

Don't overdress. A light hand with oil and vinegar is key to letting the tomatoes shine.

Ingredients to prep ahead- Slice the onions and cucumbers, and store them separately to mix just before serving.

Leftovers and storage- Store this fresh veggie salad in an airtight container in the fridge up to 5 days. Freezing isn’t recommended, as the tomatoes and cucumbers become watery and lose their texture.

Nutrition