A summery recipe for Tomato Vinaigrette-delicious on salads, spooned over grilled scallops, fish or chicken, or even used as a marinade for grilling!
To listen is to lean in softly with the willingness to be changed by what we hear. ~Mark Nepo
Calling all tomato lovers out there! You’ll find a hundred uses for this Tomato Vinaigrette. Trust me. All week, we’ve been tossing it with leafy green salads, grain salads, melon salads, and spooning it over grilled fish and scallops. Last night I marinated chicken with it before grilling, sooooo tasty! It adds a savory summery flavor that I think you’ll fall in love with.
The best part? You can make this in several different ways. Use cherry or grape tomatoes (red or yellow or a combo) and either roast them in the oven, char in a skillet on the stovetop, or if your grill is already on, give a quick char on the grill. Then just blend the tomatoes up with the other simple ingredients and voila! A savory, subtly sweet, tangy, tomatoey flavored jar of goodness!
FYI: Here is the Salad Dressing Bottle we are using!
What you’ll need:
- ripe cherry or grape tomatoes
- olive oil
- red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
- maple syrup or honey
- shallot
- garlic
- basil
- salt and pepper
How to make Tomato Vinaigrette:
Step 1: Char (stovetop or grill) or Roast the tomatoes in the oven.
During the hot months of summer, I prefer charring on the stovetop or charring the grill to keep the house cool. In fall, when tomatoes start racking up in the garden, and temperatures cool, roasting is a great option, especially if making larger batches.
Above the tomatoes are given a quick char in a dry skillet.
Below, the tomatoes are roasted with the oil and the garlic and shallots in the oven.
Either work!
Tip: The charring, grilling or roasting will intensify the tomato flavor and sweetness, so always try to do this.
Step 2: Place the tomatoes and remaining ingredients in a blender and pulse a few times.
Tip: Don’t blend this too smooth, a little texture is nice here, you want to see bits of the fresh basil!
Step 3: Place in a salad dressing bottle or jar and refrigerate until using.
Tip: If spooning this over grilled fish, or scallops, it’s ok for it to be slightly warm or at room temp. For most salads though, especially this Tomato Watermelon Salad you’ll want it nice and cold.
The Tomato Vinaigrette will keep up to 5 days in the fridge, or feel free to freeze!
Enjoy!
xoxo
More dressing recipes you may like:
- Greek Salad Dressing
- Lemony Leek Dressing
- Spirulina Dressing
- Vegan Ranch Dressing
- Raw Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Tomato Vinaigrette
- Prep Time: 15
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
- Category: dressings, condiments, marinades
- Method: Blended
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This summery recipe for Tomato Vinaigrette is delicious on salads, spooned over fish or chicken, or even used as a marinade for grilling! Made with simple ingredients, it is slightly sweet, tangy, and full of tomato flavor! Vegan!
Ingredients
- 1 cup ripe cherry or grape tomatoes ( yellow or red)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey
- 2 tablespoons shallot (if roasting the shallot, double)
- 1–2 garlic cloves
- 10 basil leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Place the tomatoes in a dry skillet and lightly char or blister over medium-high heat, partially covering-stirring occasionally, just until softened and blackened in spots, about 7-8 minutes. Take care that they do not pop – this can burn! You can partially cover with a lid, and if they start popping turn the heat off. (See notes for alternatives.)
- Place charred tomatoes, oil, vinegar, maple, shallots, garlic, and basil in a blender and blend until combined (but not overly smooth).
- For a looser dressing, add a bit more olive oil or water and adjust the salt/vinegar accordingly.
- Jar and Refrigerate.
Notes
Alternatives:
- Roast the tomatoes with the oil, garlic and shallots (doubling the shallot) in a 400F oven until collapsing. Check at 20 minutes, then check every 5 -10 minutes. (Roasting the shallots and garlic will mellow out their “punch” so I’ll often add more.)
- Grill the tomatoes until all sides are lightly charred and the tomatoes have softened.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 71
- Sugar: 1.7 g
- Sodium: 74.7 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 2.5 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 0.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: tomato vinaigrette, roasted tomato vinaigrette, charred tomato vinaigrette, tomato dressing
How long does this dressing keep in the fridge
Up to 4 days.
This is an amazingly tasty dressing. Mine came out a bit thick, a light salsa thickness. Served on scallops, grilled chicken, baguettes and just salad. Everyone that tried it just loved it. It will be a summer regular. I have a prolific yellow bell tomato bush.
★★★★★
Glad you enjoyed it Jo Ann- feel free to loosen with a little water or olive oil next time!
Excellent! I love the fresh flavor of the tomatoes and the depth that the char adds. I am so excited that I can freeze this and plan on using the last of my cherry tomatoes from the garden for it. I used sungold’s and the I love the color. Definitely a keeper!
★★★★★
Awesome Marie! Love the sungolds!
Has anyone tried this vin for a pasta salad? I was thinking of doing one with roasted veg.
I havent tried it on a pasta salad- I think it could be tasty- but make sure to adjust salt, vinegar and olive oil at the end?
SO GOOD. how long does it last in the fridge?
4-5 days 😉
Super easy and super yummy. I always make my own dressing and it is always really good to find some different ones for change. I use it to drizzle over veggies before roasting them. Also for chicken marinade. It’s a great all rounder.
★★★★★
Thanks so much Sandi- glad you like this one!
So delicious! We enjoyed over fresh fish & asparagus with a baguette and it was an absolute hit. Although, I could definitely just eat this with a spoon. Thank you!
★★★★★
Love that idea- and glad you enjoyed it!
This vinegarette is amazing! Spooned over scallops, as the recipe suggested, was perfection. I look forward to trying it with fish and as a salad dressing.
Thank you, I am a huge fan!
★★★★★
Great to hear JoAnn and glad you enjoyed the scallops.
I just made this and it is delicious. Used red onion instead of shallots, I threw half an onion in with the tomatoes to add bit more char.
★★★★★
Awesome!