Colorful heirloom tomatoes take their rightful place in the spotlight in this delicious and flavorful Heirloom Tomato Salad with garlic and lemon-infused olive oil.
My husband has done a vegetable garden almost every year since we were first married. This year, however, we decided to forgo a garden and start buying our produce at the local farmer's market. Even though I've missed the fun of watching the veggies grow, I haven't missed watching the weeds take over a garden that we no longer seem to have the time to tend to.
These beautiful heirloom tomatoes are compliments of our local corner farmer's market. Thank you to the farmers for growing such colorful and juicy tomatoes, and for tending to the weeds, so we don't have to!
While my husband and I were purchasing our tomatoes we also sampled several flavored olive oils that were infused with herbs and citrus. Since infusing olive oil is simple to do, I decided to make my own garlic lemon-infused olive oil when we got home to use as a dressing for the heirloom tomato salad. The result was as delicious as it is pretty.
Heirloom Tomato Salad
Ingredients
For the infused oil
- 2 cups Extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic smashed
- 1 lemon rind removed and reserved
For the tomato salad
- 3-4 heirloom tomatoes or your favorite variety, sliced into wedges
- 1 small red onion thinly sliced
- 2 ounces goat cheese crumbled
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- ¼ cup chopped pistachios
- salt and pepper to taste
Tools and equipment
- small sauce pan
- bottle or jar with lid to store the olive oil
- funnel if needed, for transferring the oil to a bottle or jar
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- serrated knife for slicing tomatoes
- serving platter
Instructions
To make the infused oil:
- Heat the olive oil, garlic, and lemon rind in a small saucepan over medium/low heat for 15 minutes.
- Remove the oil from the heat and allow to cool before adding to a bottle or jar.
To make the tomato salad:
- Place the tomatoes and onion on a serving platter.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Squeeze the lemon juice over the tomatoes and onion.
- Drizzle the tomatoes with the garlic and lemon-infused olive oil. *Note - you will have extra dressing.
- Top the salad with the thyme leaves, goat cheese, and pistachios.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
This heirloom tomato salad is so good, so fresh, and so loaded with textures and flavors that will explode in your mouth with each and every bite. The crunch from the pistachios, the creaminess of the goat cheese, the sweet and oniony bite of the red onion, the savory earthiness of the fresh thyme, the mild and pungent fragrance of the garlic lemon olive oil, and of course the sweet and juicy garden fresh tomatoes. What's not to love?
Hungry for more tomato recipes? Please check out some other tomato recipes I've shared over the years:
Roasted Roma Tomatoes with Homemade Red Pepper Ricotta:
Tomato Spinach Tart with Cheesy Cornmeal Crust:
Layered BLT Salad with Homemade Croutons:
Thank you so much for visiting me today in my Kudos Kitchen. I hope you found something you'll love and that you'll come back and visit me often. There is always room for you around my table!
Should you have any questions or comments regarding anything you've seen here on my blog, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. It is always my distinct pleasure to respond to you just as soon as I possibly can.
Krista says
What a perfect summer dish! Very refreshing!
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet says
I adore heirloom tomatoes! Turning them into a salad is my favorite way to enjoy them!
Jessica - The Novice Chef says
Yes! This is exactly what I need for a light lunch!
Des @ Life's Ambrosia says
What a lovely salad! My tomatoes are going CRAZY this year and have taken over my garden. I will have to make this salad with them!