70 Apps, Dinners, & More That Make The Most Of Tomato Season
Their season is short, so we're eating ALL the fresh tomatoes we can.
A perfect peach, strawberry, or blueberry is pretty fantastic in the summertime, but is there anything that tastes more like summer than a perfectly ripe, bright red, juicy, and sweet tomato? We think not! While we’re all about canned tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and tomato paste year-round, we found all the ways to enjoy our favorite summertime fruit (yep, tomatoes are a fruit!). Check out these 70 tomato recipes for ideas—and get on it quick, the season is way too short.
When it comes to tomatoes, you really can’t go wrong, but there are a couple recipes here where one variety will work better than another. Baby grape or cherry tomatoes are great for threading onto grill skewers, like in our tomato gnocchi kebabs or Caprese bites; slicing in half for salads, like our tomato salad or our Greek salad; or pairing with noodles, like in our baked feta pasta or our cherry tomato pasta. You can also roast them all on their own, or turn them into sun-dried tomatoes. Bigger tomatoes like beefsteaks or even Romas are best for when a recipe needs whole tomatoes, like our taco tomatoes; good-sized slices, like for a BLT or our California grilled chicken; or for diced pieces that will hold together well, like in bruschetta or homemade salsa. Our favorite, heirloom tomatoes, are best for recipes where the beauty and variety of tomato slices will be on full display, like our burrata salad, our tomato galette, our Southern tomato pie, or our tomato tart. See if you can find some at your local farmer’s market or community garden for the best flavors and colors.
Looking for tomato ideas, but it’s not summertime? Don’t sweat! Canned tomatoes are picked at the height of ripeness and then canned, so they’ll work for a number of these recipes (particularly the ones that get baked or sautéed). Check out our Italian pasta recipes, our favorite casseroles, and our top winter soups too—a number of them utilize canned tomatoes, to great effect.
Gazpacho
When late summer rolls around and the tomatoes turn juicy and sweet, we can't get enough of them. When we're not busy scarfing them down in Caprese salad form, we love them in this classic summer soup featuring tomatoes and bell peppers and cucumbers.
Get the Classic Gazpacho recipe.
Panzanella Salad
Summer, to us, is a huge bowl of panzanella in the center of the table: generous bronzed croutons tossed with chunks of juicy tomato, shallots, and torn basil in a bright vinaigrette. It might technically be called a salad, but you’ll probably find yourself snacking on it for breakfast, dinner… and dessert.
Get the Panzanella Salad recipe.
Creamy Feta & Tomato Chicken
The key to flavor success with this easy chicken dinner is building it right in the skillet. Start with cooking bacon, then use the bacon fat to sear the chicken breasts for nice and warm browning notes. Now it’s time to get the tomato sauce going, beginning with a buttery base of garlic, tomato paste, and Italian seasoning, then creating depth with two types of tomatoes: cherry and sun-dried. A final sprinkle of feta cuts through the richness, giving each bite the perfect balance.
Get the Creamy Feta & Tomato Chicken recipe.
Baked Feta Pasta
This is the story about another viral TikTok trend that we kinda sorted wanted to hate... but didn't. Obviously roasting a block of feta with bursting tomatoes is going to be amazing. But is it good enough to break the internet? Our answer, begrudgingly, is yes. It's genius.
Get the Baked Feta Pasta recipe.
Pizza Sauce
Pizza night will forever be one of our favorite weeknight and special occasion dinners. It gets everybody in the kitchen, each pie is infinitely customizable, and we always feel a special sense of accomplishment after tasting a slice made from scratch. You could go store-bought, but have you every tried going fully homemade? This easy recipe starts with a can of tomatoes and uses a few pantry staples to transform it into the ideal base for a homemade pie.
Get the Pizza Sauce recipe.
Tomato-Butter Roast Chicken
Tomato butter works wonders on a whole chicken. Not only does it keep the bird moist, but the healthy dose of tomato paste brings a slightly sweet, umami acidity, which chicken could often use.
Get the Tomato-Butter Roast Chicken recipe.
Pesto-Stuffed Burrata Bombs
Why have just mozzarella when you can have burrata? Why have just burrata when you can have pesto-stuffed burrata? This recipe is the best way to upgrade the creamy cheese of the moment. It takes everyone’s favorite cheese to the next level by injecting it with delicious pesto and serving it with juicy roasted tomatoes (specifically cherry tomatoes that have been tossed with olive oil, garlic, and herbs, then slow-roasted to perfection).
Get the Pesto-Stuffed Burrata Bombs recipe.
Tomato Tini
Instead of olive brine, this martini gets its rich flavor and vibrant color from tomatoes. If you’re skeptical, hear us out: Think of this cocktail as a cleaner, crisper version of a Bloody Mary. And the botanical flavors of gin pair surprisingly well with the tomato, and evokes flavors of both the fruit and the leaves of the plant (an aroma that has inspired many trendy candles, BTW).
Get the Tomato Tini recipe.
Gnocchi Foil Packets
These foil packets trap in steam from the wine and juices from the tomato and corn as everything grills, which in turn cooks the gnocchi to perfectly tender while infusing the pasta with all the flavors of the dish. Bonus: Some of the meal browns a bit on the bottom right before it finishes cooking, adding extra flavor.
Get the Gnocchi Foil Packets recipe.
Shrimp & Tomato Succotash Skillet
One-pan dinners are a year-round thing, but there’s always a way to make them seasonal and sensational. This amped-up take on succotash features blistered tomatoes and charred corn tossed with onion, bell peppers, lima beans, and seared Cajun-spiced shrimp, then topped with a flurry of torn basil. The protein-packed beans make this meal super-filling, but nobody would blame you if you went back for seconds.
Get the Shrimp & Tomato Succotash Skillet recipe.
Caprese Salad
This is one of our favorite ways to show off those juicy, in-season farmer’s market tomatoes by complementing them with fresh basil and creamy mozzarella.
Get the Perfect Caprese Salad recipe.
Tomato, Basil, Feta Omelet Quesadilla
This one-skillet breakfast quesadilla with tomato, basil, and feta will keep you satiated right through lunchtime. Here, a pillowy omelet is attached to a crispy tortilla and then folded onto jammy cherry tomatoes, soft melting feta, and bright basil leaves. Wrap this in a piece of foil and eat on the go, or pair with a side salad and dig in with a fork for brunch.
Get the Tomato, Basil, Feta Omelet Quesadilla recipe.
Marry Me Meatballs
Delish broke the mold with Marry Me Chicken, so naturally, we’ve set out to bring you every variation of the OG. For this creamy meatball version, we combined ground chicken and pork with garlic, fresh thyme, and grated Parmesan, seared them in sun-dried tomato oil, then tossed them in a garlicky, sun-dried tomato-studded cream sauce before topping the whole thing with torn fresh basil. And just like all of the Marry Me dishes before, the sauce is something to obsess over.
Get the Marry Me Meatballs recipe.
Greek Feta Dip
Loaded with cucumbers, tomatoes, and feta, this dip was inspired by Greek salad. For a smoother, fluffy consistency, we added yogurt and cream cheese. Full disclaimer: This recipe makes a lot of dip and can easily be halved. But we've never had a problem demolishing it with some pita bread.
Get the Greek Feta Dip recipe.
Southern Tomato Pie
Fillings for Southern tomato pies always include tomatoes, mayonnaise, plenty of cheese, and Dijon mustard, but our version's got a flavorful upgrade: chopped pimiento peppers, which lend the filling all the delicious richness of pimiento cheese dip.
Get the Southern Tomato Pie recipe.
Sopa De Fideo
Sopa de fideo is a low-lift Mexican-style soup consisting of toasted fideo noodles in a base made of pureed tomato, onion, and garlic. If you love chicken noodle or tomato soups, then consider this version as its fabulous cousin. It’s a fragrant and simple soup you can turn to in the winter via canned tomatoes or summer with tomatoes off the vine, too.
Get the Sopa De Fideo recipe.
Mussels with Tomatoes & Garlic
No vacation this year? No worries—this dish will transport you straight to the Mediterranean seaside. If you're not a mussels fan, then we can guarantee you've never had them cooked in a garlicky white wine and tomato sauce. In just 45 minutes, you'll have a date night or dinner party-worthy seafood dinner that will impress everyone you serve it to.
Get the Mussels with Tomatoes & Garlic recipe.
Tomato Gnocchi Kebabs
Sure gnocchi is amazing served in a bowl with a sauce, but have you ever had nicely browned gnocchi taken straight off the grill? We’re here to tell you that the crispy-chewy texture is something that you've GOT to try this summer.
Get the Tomato Gnocchi Kebabs recipe.
Grilled Tomato Feta Pizzettes
These little pizzettes are excellent for a lazy summer backyard hangout. The combination of crunchy grilled pizza dough, garlic, and olive oil with charred sweet tomatoes and briny salty feta is a simple pleasure. What are you waiting for? It’s time to start up the grill!
Get the Grilled Tomato Feta Pizzettes recipe.
Bruschetta
Easy to throw together and made up of simple, classic ingredients, bruschetta was made for chill warm weather snacking. While you can make it all year round, the best time to enjoy this appetizer is summer, when fresh tomatoes are at their peak.
Get the Bruschetta recipe.
Mason Jar Ice Cream
Grilled Peaches
19 State Fair Recipes To Make At Home
15 Editor-Approved No-Bake Desserts
