There are only 5 ingredients in this beautiful and delicious Mediterranean salad: tomatoes, red pepper, onion, garlic and basil, dressed with a simple vinaigrette.
When you have beautiful and flavorful tomatoes like we have now, it is my opinion that you enjoy them as often as you can and without too much fuss. A really good tomato can be enjoyed on its own with just a sprinkle of thick sea salt. Having said that this Mediterranean salad showcases your beautiful tomatoes and is easy to make. And of course it is bursting not only with flavor but antioxidants and vitamins!
The Ingredients
- Ripe but firm tomatoes. I used a combination of regular tomatoes and cherry tomatoes. Choose tomatoes that are heavy for their size and as red as you can find.
- Red Pepper. I use a sweet red pepper, not green. Here I used a Greek type of red pepper that is long and somewhat thin. It is Florinis Pepper. A similar pepper is the Italian sweet pepper or macaroni Italian.
- Οnions. I used yellow onions here as they are slightly milder than the red onions that I use when sauteing and in cooked dishes.
- Garlic. I used 2 cloves of garlic here, and I soaked the garlic in a mixture of water and white vinegar to mellow the flavor.
- Basil. I use sweet basil. This salad also may work with fresh oregano or fresh mint.
- Olive oil. Make sure to use the best and freshest extra virgin olive oil you can find.
- Vinegar. I use red wine vinegar
How to Make 5-Ingredient Mediterranean Salad
- Start by slicing the vegetables. You basically want everything sliced in slices (not wedges). Tomatoes a little less than a half inch thick and then sliced in half, peppers and cherry tomatoes sliced ¼ inch thick and onions even thinner. For the garlic you finely chop it. The basil can be ripped in small pieces.
- Make the vinaigrette by mixing 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil with 1 tbsp red wine vinegar.
- Assemble the salad. If you are presenting the salad to guests, you can use a rectangular platter/dish and put together the salad in the following order: first I placed the large tomatoes, then I nestled the cherry tomatoes, that I placed over the onion slices and sprinkled with chopped garlic and basil. Finally, you drizzle with dressing and add some ground pepper and a bit of thick seas salt.
- You can also place in shallow bowl instead of a platter and toss gently.
Serve it with
This salad can be served as a light lunch along with bread and some cheese. It pairs great with chicken souvlaki, Greek meatballs (keftedakia) and for a vegetarian meal I would pair it with Greek cheese pie (tiropita). It’s also a great salad for a barbecue, simple and flavorful but not heavy.
You may also like these recipes
>> Summer Spanish Salad – Pipirrana
>> Greek Island Summer Salad
>> Panzanella – Tuscan Tomato and Bread Salad
5-Ingredient Mediterranean Salad
Ingredients
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 2 ½ lb or 450 g medium tomatoes Sliced in ½ inch slices (1 cm) and then sliced in half.
- 15 cherry tomatoes Sliced in ¼ inch thick slices
- 1 Italian sweet pepper or 1 small red bell pepper
- ½ small white onion thinly sliced
- A handful of fresh basil ripped into small pieces
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- ¼ tsp kosher seas salt
- Freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Prepare vegetables. Slice tomatoes, peppers and onion and chop the garlic.
- Make the dressing by whisk 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil with 1 tbsp vinegar and a pinch of thick sea salt. Set aside.
- Assemble the salad by first placing the large tomatoes, then the cherry tomatoes, then the pepper and finally the onions. Sprinkle with chopped garlic and basil. Drizzle the salad dressing and add ground black pepper and a pinch of thick sea salt.
PIN IT AND SAVE FOR LATER!
