Do you have more fresh tomatoes than you can eat right now? I do! And before I get overwhelmed with the annual “What to do with lots of tomatoes” question, I decided to create this collection of easy fresh tomato recipes that you can make right now as well as ideas on how to preserve and use tomatoes for the months to come.
This collection of healthy tomato recipes includes tomato salads, tomato pasta recipes, one pan tomato dinner ideas and more!
Growing Tomatoes & Using Ripe Tomatoes
If there’s one plant I am super proud of growing in my garden, it’s tomatoes. I start the plants inside the house during the cold winter months, I grow lots of tomatoes and then get to eat and share lots of tomatoes starting June all through September. Sometimes, if the weather stays good, even in October.
We’re not talking a bag of tomatoes. We’re talking buckets every week. So, I’ve really gotten good at making meals and creating recipes to use up fresh tomatoes. This year hasn’t been any different in that regard and I am going to share how I grow my tomatoes next year because I missed the opportunity this summer.
For now let’s focus on what we can do and how we can use ripe tomatoes, so they don’t go bad.
How To Store Ripe Tomatoes
If you have a lot of tomatoes, go through them, see whether there are bad ones, or tomatoes that are too ripe. This way you can decide which tomatoes will be refrigerated, and which will stay at room temperature.
If a tomato is ripe or almost ripe and firm, keep it at room temperature and out of sunlight.
If a tomato is softer and pretty ripe – transfer it to the fridge and use it within the next 2-3 days.
For bruised tomatoes – make sure to keep them away from good ones and in the fridge to use within the next 24 hours.
That’s what I do with my tomatoes and the good ones stay good for many days.
Fresh Tomato Salad Recipes
The first thing that pops into my mind, when I think of recipes with tomatoes is: SALAD. Here are some of my favorite tomato salad recipes that are super quick and easy.
Tomato, Chickpea and Basil Salad
Use your ripe fresh tomatoes, basil and canned chickpeas to make this refreshing, delicious tomato salad. The recipe is gluten-free and vegan and can be found here.
Healthy Quinoa Salad With Feta & Roasted Veg
This recipe uses cherry tomatoes, but really any type of ripe tomato will work for this tasty quinoa salad. This healthy recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free and can be found here.
Easy Mediterranean Chickpea Tuna Salad
If you love canned tuna and are always looking for ways to use it up, try this refreshing salad. It’s a super good lunch recipe with fresh herbs, tomatoes, chickpeas and cucumbers. The recipe is gluten free and you can find it here.
Feta Tomato Cucumber Salad
This salad is quite similar to Greek salad, but uses garlic and no onion and is the perfect summer vegetable side dish. Gluten-free and vegetarian, the recipe is here.
Mediterranean Black Bean Salad
Some canned black beans, some tomatoes, feta cheese, peppers, fresh herbs and pickled jalapenos are what you’ll need for this delicious black bean salad. The recipe is here.
Tomato Garlic Chickpea Salad
This simple chickpea salad is a great option for lunch and so refreshing and tasty! Recipe here.
Herby Quinoa Avocado Tomato Salad
This healthy quinoa salad with avocado, tomatoes, herbs and peppers is full of flavor and so fresh! The recipe is gluten-free and vegan and you can find it here.
Super Fresh Tomato Mint Salad
The perfect easy side dish to use up your tomatoes! If you happen to not have mint – use whatever fresh herbs you have – basil, parsley or dill will all be good here. Vegan and gluten-free, the recipe is here.
Arugula, Avocado, Tomato Salad
Super fresh, super easy and super healthy summer salad that is delicious you can eat as is with some bread or serve as a side dish. Vegan and gluten-free, recipe here.
Tomato, Avocado, Chicken and Basil Salad
Turn your regular tomato cucumber salad into this tasty chicken salad and have it for lunch. The recipe is paleo, low carb and gluten free. You can find it here.
Summer Chicken Salad With Everything
This salad has all of my favorite things in it: corn, feta cheese, olives, basil, avocado, tomatoes, chicken…Everything. It’s filling, delicious and gluten-free. You can find the recipe here.
Spinach, Tomato and Chickpea Salad
Chop up some tomatoes, herbs, peppers, rinse and drain some canned chickpeas, throw in some spinach leaves and this fresh tomato salad is almost ready to be eaten for lunch. Recipe here.
Super Fresh Quinoa Tabbouleh
Tabbouleh is traditionally made with bulgur, but if you’ve got some cooked quinoa in your fridge, you can try out this quinoa tabbouleh recipe. It’s gluten free, vegan and you can find it here.
Quick One-Pan Fresh Tomato Dinner Recipes
Sometimes, well most times, you want to have a healthy and delicious dinner ready in no time. Enter these quick and easy healthy one-pan fresh tomato dinner ideas – all ready in under 30 minutes, all taste amazing.
Mediterranean Chickpea Skillet
This Mediterranean recipe is so simple and ready in about 15 minutes! The perfect summer or late summer recipe, as you get to use peppers, zucchini, tomatoes or any other fresh produce you’ve got! The recipe is vegan, gluten-free and can be found here.
One-Pan Couscous With Garlic, Tomatoes and Basil
This couscous recipe is super simple, with only a few ingredients including tomatoes, garlic and couscous, and a great side dish or main dish served with some fresh salad on the side. The recipe is vegetarian and here.
Shrimp and Calamari in Garlicky Tomato Sauce
This is the number one recipe I think of when I buy some calamari and don’t know what to use them for. This is it! You can serve this meal with some rice or wholegrain pasta, but my favorite way to have it is simply by dipping some fresh bread into it. Nothing better. Gluten-free and paleo (before the bread). Recipe here.
One Pan Quinoa And Calamari In Tomato Sauce
This one pan quinoa is made with fresh tomatoes, garlic and seafood and is ready in about 30 minutes. Recipe is gluten free and can be found here.
Mediterranean Chicken Skillet
This is another one of my absolute favorite, I mean favorite recipes! It doesn’t look very attractive, but if you’re reading this and love feta cheese and garlic – you have to try it! So much flavor and it’s ready in 20 minutes. Plus gluten-free. Recipe here.
Tomato And Basil Quinoa Recipe
Want to make dinner in 10 minutes? With this recipe, you can if you have some cooked quinoa at home. It’s a really good meatless dinner option, but you can also cook up some shrimp or chicken to go along. The recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free, you can find it here.
Garlic Shrimp In Tomato Sauce
5 ingredients: shrimp, dill, tomatoes, garlic and olive oil! This is just so perfect, so quick, so easy and full of flavor. Recipe is gluten free and here.
Leftover Quinoa With Kale and Chicken
Speaking of leftover quinoa and chicken with tomatoes…This recipe is also really delicious and such a good way to use up some vegetables. It’s gluten free and you can find it here.
Fresh Tomato Pizza And Pasta Recipes
Now we’re talking. Using fresh tomatoes for two of my favorite things: pizza and pasta is probably my favorite way to eat ripe tomatoes. Here are just a few of my favorite recipes.
Creamy Tomato Basil Tortellini
It takes some cream cheese, tomatoes, basil, and refrigerated tortellini to make this amazing pasta recipe. It is vegetarian and you can find it here.
Healthy Chicken Macaroni
You can seriously make this recipe with leftover chicken in like 10 minutes! It’s comforting, fresh, it’s healthy and it’s even kid-friendly. Recipe here.
Oat Crust Mini Pizzas With Fresh Tomato Sauce
I love this pizza recipe! It is healthier and the sauce is so simple and good, cheese is really all you need for the topping, but you can of course add your own spin. Recipe here.
Tomato Broccoli Creamy Tortellini
Did you know that broccoli and tomatoes are a great combo when it comes to making a dish healthier and they boost each other’s health benefits? Obviously, that’s the number one reason you would make this delicious creamy tortellini recipe. It’s vegetarian, so easy and here.
12-Minute Spicy Feta Pasta
If you’re not dealing with miniature tomatoes, but the big guys and want to make feta pasta, but different and spicy – try this recipe. Skip the oven and make this vegetarian pasta recipe on the stove. Recipe here.
Creamy Tortellini With Kale
Okay, I guess we now know I really love my creamy tortellini, this is another variation you can make when you have fresh tomatoes and kale at home. Recipe here.
More Easy Fresh Tomato Recipes
- Quick Feta Cheese Quesadilla
- Easy Tomato Garlic Zucchini Sauce
- 5-Minute Tomato Chickpea Bruschetta
- Fresh Salsa
- Authentic Gazpacho
- Tomato Soup
How To Make The Best Fresh Tomato Sauce
One of my favorite things to do when I have many ripe and fresh tomatoes is a simple fresh tomato sauce. You make it by washing and roughly chopping some tomatoes (let’s say 2). Add them to a blender, add salt, a tbsp of olive oil, one or two garlic cloves and fresh basil (measure that with your heart)! Blend until smooth and you’ll be surprised at how good it is.
I love dipping some chips into this tomato sauce, I use for pizza, pasta or any meal I feel could need some tomato sauce.
More Things To Do With Fresh Tomatoes
If you don’t want to eat your tomatoes within the next weeks, there are some ways you can preserve them and their sweet fresh flavor for months, even a year. Some of my favorite ways to preserve tomatoes include freezing tomatoes (I blend them up before, but you can also freeze whole tomatoes), drying tomatoes or canning tomatoes.
30+ Fresh Tomato Recipes That Are Easy And Delicious
Try some of these delicious, quick and easy fresh tomato recipes if you have some ripe tomatoes at home and wonder what to do with those tomatoes. The collection includes tomato salad recipes, one-pan tomato dinner recipes and tomato pasta recipes!
Ingredients
- ½ cup dry macaroni, quick cooking
- 4 tbsp feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 juicy tomato
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp basil
- 2 tbsp parsley
Instructions
- Chop the tomato, basil, parsley and mince the garlic.
- Saute the tomato with the chili powder and olive oil for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and about half a cup of water, then add in the pasta and feta cheese. Cover with a lid and let cook for about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the minced garlic and cook for about 2 more minutes.
- Then stir in the parsley and basil and turn the heat off.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
You can find the original recipe with additional details here.
Nutrition Information
Yield 1 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 388Total Fat 23gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 14gCholesterol 33mgSodium 453mgCarbohydrates 36gFiber 5gSugar 9gProtein 13g
I hope you got some new ideas about what to do with your fresh ripe tomatoes and I hope you try and enjoy some of the tomato recipes we shared!