Summer has turned the corner, and that means great things for those tomato plants you’ve been tending to for the last several months. If your backyard tomato plants are thriving — or if a neighbor just left a basket of ripe tomatoes on your porch — you’re about to have a very welcome problem: What do you do with all of them? Sure, you can make sauces or incorporate them into sandwiches and pastas, but nothing highlights fresh garden-grown tomatoes quite like a salad.
Five Easy Salads to Celebrate Peak Tomato Season
This time of year, juicy tomatoes are at or nearing their peak, and they deserve to be the star of the show. That’s why we’ve rounded up five go-to salad ideas that help you put your tomato haul to work. We’ve even made it simpler to throw them together with Taylor Farms salad blends, so you can spend less time prepping and more time eating al fresco.
At last, peak tomato season is upon us. Let’s get to chopping.
Tomato & Cucumber Salad with Greens
This salad is as classic as a summer picnic. A refreshing mix of juicy tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, and crisp lettuce coated in a tangy vinaigrette combines to give you a light dish that pairs with anything grilled, roasted, or picnic-packed.
Basic formula: Taylor Farms Garden Salad + sliced cucumbers + chopped fresh tomatoes + thin red onion slices + red wine vinaigrette
Easy upgrades: Add feta cheese, chickpeas, or kalamata olives for a Mediterranean spin. A few croutons wouldn’t hurt either, but they’re not required by any means.
What to serve it with: Grilled chicken, burgers, or veggie skewers.
Cherry Tomato & Mozzarella Toss
Think of this as the younger cousin of the Caprese salad — one that’s easy to mix and even more colorful on your plate. Cherry or grape tomatoes get halved and tossed with bite-sized mozzarella balls, fresh greens, and a light dressing for a new spin on an old tomato-centric favorite.
Basic formula: Taylor Farms 50/50 Blend (Spinach and Spring Mix) + halved cherry/grape tomatoes + mozzarella pearls + balsamic vinaigrette + cracked black pepper + sea salt
Easy upgrades: Toss in some roasted pine nuts or add grilled zucchini for a heartier option that takes advantage of your summertime grilling setup as well.
What to serve it with: Pasta primavera, pan-seared salmon, or even as a base under grilled sausages.
Caprese Salad
You knew this one was coming. The Caprese is an Italian classic that’s basically a love letter to tomatoes. It’s just too iconic to leave out. Thick tomato slices, creamy mozzarella, fresh basil, and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic reduction — it’s a no-cook masterpiece that won’t heat up your kitchen.
Basic formula: Thick-sliced ripe tomatoes + fresh mozzarella slices + fresh basil + olive oil + balsamic glaze + flaky sea salt
Easy upgrades: Add avocado slices or layer it on toasted sourdough for a Caprese bruschetta situation. Slices of rosemary onion focaccia bread underneath the salad can make it more of a main course.
What to serve it with: Anything grilled, crusty bread, perhaps a chilled glass of white wine (ideally, something dry with a nice amount of acidity).
BLT Salad with Romaine
This one takes the sandwich we all know and love and turns it into a refreshing, crunchy salad. Juicy tomatoes, crispy bacon, and crunchy lettuce tossed together and drizzled with creamy dressing. Oh, and no bread needed (but we won’t stop you from adding some croutons).
Basic formula: Taylor Farms Hearts ot Romaine + diced tomatoes + crumbled bacon + ranch dressing + black pepper
Easy upgrades: Add avocado, a soft-boiled egg, or grilled chicken to make it a full meal. A few slices of a baguette on the side can give you more of the proper sandwich touch. In fact, this salad would be great between two toasted slices of sandwich bread…
What to serve it with: Summer corn, potato wedges, or tomato gazpacho (because there’s no such thing as too many tomatoes right now).
Tomato & Couscous Green Salad
This one’s for the tomato-lovers who want something a little more filling. The couscous adds some extra body and texture, while fresh herbs and lemon dressing make it taste super bright. It’s the salad you make for a weekend lunch and end up eating again for dinner.
Basic formula: Taylor Farms Spring Mix + halved cherry tomatoes + cooked couscous + chopped parsley + lemon vinaigrette
Easy upgrades: Add crumbled goat cheese, chopped mint, or toasted almonds.
What to serve it with: Lamb skewers, falafel, or a bowl of gazpacho.
Embrace Your Tomato Era
Tomatoes are a friend to almost any type of salad, so now is the time to celebrate one of the best harvest seasons of the year when they’re at their best. When your kitchen is overflowing with garden tomatoes (or you just couldn’t resist grabbing a few extra at the farmer’s market), don’t settle for another ordinary round of bruschetta or marinara. Salads are the ultimate way to show off their juicy and umami-packed potential, with no simmering required.
So, by all means, let those tomatoes shine. Chop them, slice them, scatter them on everything. And when you use Taylor Farms salad blends as your base, it’s easy to whip up something crisp, colorful, and seasonally delicious in minutes. If you want to save even more time, use our product locator to find the nearest ready-to-mix salad blends and other favorites at your local stores.
