34 of The Best Tomato Recipes I Know, From Soups to Pasta to Dinner
Published May 21, 2026
34 of the best tomato recipes I make, from breakfast and salads to pasta, soups, and dinners, plus four tutorials on tomato prep and sauces.
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When tomato season hits, I go a little overboard. I’m talking bags of tomatoes on the counter, tomatoes in every meal, and me wondering why I didn’t plant just one more tomato plant. And while I love a good salad with tomatoes, there’s so much more you can do with fresh tomatoes, especially the juicy kind you get from the garden or farmers market.
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34 of My Fav Tomato Recipes
This is 34 of what I think are the best tomato recipes I make, plus four bonus tutorials. It starts with basic tomato tutorials like how to cut, peel, and seed a tomato, and how to make homemade pizza sauce and spaghetti sauce from scratch. From there, it goes into breakfast tomato recipes, including shakshuka and vegetable frittata, appetizers with fresh tomatoes, simple salad recipes with tomatoes, and pasta recipes that feature tomatoes. The second half covers dinner recipes with tomatoes, both vegetarian options like ratatouille, portobello mushroom pizzas, and tomato rice, and fish dinners like baked feta salmon and tomato poached fish. There’s also a whole section of flavorful soups, from roasted tomato soup to ravioli soup to baked feta tomato soup.
If you’re sitting on a pile of tomatoes and trying to figure out what to cook, these are the easy recipes with fresh tomatoes I keep coming back to. Good place to start.
Basic Tomato Tutorials
Side Dish
How to Cut a Tomato
This is an easy tutorial for how to cut a tomato into perfect wedges, slices or dice. Learn the best technique for cutting any shape tomatoes for recipes!
5 minutes
Ingredient, Sauces
How to Peel and Seed a Tomato
This tutorial shows a simple method for how to peel and seed tomatoes when you have a bunch of fresh tomatoes- substitute for canned tomatoes
3 minutes
Sauces, Tutorial
How to Make Pizza Sauce
Learn how to make pizza sauce as a base for your homemade pizzas and enjoy the delicious taste of fresh, homemade sauce.
40 minutes
Pastas, Sauces
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Recipe
It's so easy to make homemade chunky spaghetti sauce from scratch with ground beef, fresh vegetables, and canned tomatoes. Make a big batch and freeze it!
1 hour 8 minutes
Breakfast Tomato Recipes
Breakfast, Brunch
Baked Eggs in Avocado
This low carb breakfast is quick and easy to make, and so delicious! Ready to enjoy in 20 minutes.
20 minutes
Breakfast
Vegetable Frittata Recipe
This easy veggie frittata is made with fresh vegetables, spices, and eggs and baked in the oven for just 15 minutes.
25 minutes
Breakfast
Tomato & Za’atar Cottage Cheese Toast
These savory cottage cheese toast recipes pair cucumbers with pesto, tomatoes with za'atar, smoked salmon with dill, and avocado with sesame!
10 minutes
Breakfast
Shakshuka Recipe
This Shakshuka Recipe is a popular Middle Eastern breakfast that is basically poached eggs in a spicy tomato sauce. It takes just about 30 minutes to make but is so worth it!
35 minutes
Appetizers with Fresh Tomatoes
Condiments
Traditional Salsa
Learn how to make homemade salsa in a blender with fresh tomatoes, onions, jalapeño, and cilantro. This quick recipe is ready in 5 minutes!
5 minutes
Appetizer
Caprese Skewer Recipe
These caprese skewers are made with cherry tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, and mozzarella balls all strung onto a skewer. Top with a drizzle of balsamic glaze to finish them off.
10 minutes
Appetizer
Grilled Eggplant Parmesan
Low-Carb Grilled Eggplant Parmesan made with tomatoes and Parmesan cheese. Delicious yummy bites that you can add on top of salad or pasta.
25 minutes
Appetizer, Snack
Bruschetta Recipe
This Bruschetta recipe is made with fresh, ripe Roma tomatoes, fresh basil, and garlic, which is then marinated in an olive oil and balsamic sauce. Serve on top of toasted French bread.
25 minutes
Appetizer
Caprese Salad Recipe
Simple Caprese salad recipe with sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and finished off with salt, pepper, olive oil, and balsamic.
10 minutes
Simple Salad Recipes with Tomatoes
Salads
Tomato Cucumber Avocado Salad Recipe
This tomato cucumber avocado salad comes together in 10 minutes with a simple lemon dressing. Fresh, no-cook, and easy to prep ahead of the toss.
10 minutes
Appetizer
Avocado Caprese Salad Recipe
Avocado caprese salad with cherry tomatoes, mini mozzarella, fresh basil, olive oil, and balsamic glaze comes together fast.
10 minutes
Salad, Side Dish
Shirazi Salad
This Iranian Shirazi salad is a quick to make side dish full of fresh and vibrant flavors. Dressed with olive oil & lime, it pairs well with many dishes!
10 minutes
Salads
Quinoa Tabbouleh Recipe
This quinoa tabbouleh recipe is made with all the classic ingredients, like mint, parsley, and tomatoes and uses white quinoa in a lemon dressing.
22 minutes
Salads
Corn Tomato Avocado Salad
Corn Tomato Avocado Salad is the perfect vegan summer recipe! Packed with fresh veggies, tossed with lime juice, olive oil, & cilantro.
20 minutes
Pasta Recipes that Feature Tomatoes
Main Course
Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes
This Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes is a quick and easy dish that comes together in 15 minutes. It's an amazing pasta with cherry tomatoes garlic and basil.
15 minutes
Main Course, Pastas, Salad
Caprese Pasta Salad Recipe
This caprese pasta salad is made with fresh mozzarella balls, tomatoes, basil, and a homemade balsamic dressing. Just toss with pasta and you're done.
20 minutes
Main Course
Tomato Lasagna
This Heirloom Tomato Lasagna is a fresh summery twist on traditional lasagna – bursting with color and flavor with layers of cheesy goodness
1 hour 8 minutes
Main Course
Roasted Tomato Pasta Recipe
This roasted tomato pasta recipe is made with blistered tomatoes in the oven with olive oil and garlic. Cooked penne is tossed in the tomato mixture and finished with basil and parm cheese.
38 minutes
Entree, Main Dish, Pastas
Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
This creamy Cajun chicken pasta is a lightened up version made with milk and chicken broth instead of heavy cream. It's lightly spicy and loaded with juicy blackened chicken oven penne pasta!
45 minutes
Main Course
Creamy Vegan Cashew Tomato Pasta
This Creamy Vegan Tomato Pasta is made with a cashew cream sauce. It's the secret ingredient that adds a creamy texture and lighter color!
30 minutes
Dinner, Entree, Pastas
Baked Feta Pasta
Baked feta pasta is a simple recipe made by oven roasting a block of feta cheese with cherry tomatoes to create a salty and cheesy sauce!
40 minutes
The Best Tomato Dinner Recipes
Dinner, Pastas
Turkish Pasta Recipe
This Turkish Pasta Recipe is made with orecchiette pasta, a creamy Greek yogurt cream sauce with ground beef and fresh sliced tomatoes.
35 minutes
Entree, Lunch
Cast Iron Pizza Recipe
Easy Cast Iron Pizza recipe with homemade or store-bought dough, mozzarella cheese, and marinara. Baked at high heat for crispy edges.
30 minutes
Main Course
Tomato Poached Fish
Tomato poached fish is a delicious and healthy family dinner that's ready to serve in less than 30 minutes. Loaded with flavor, it's simple, quick and so tasty!
30 minutes
Main Course
Baked Feta Salmon Recipe
Baked feta salmon made with feta, cherry tomatoes, olives, and garlic, a hands-off oven dinner with Mediterranean flavors, ready in 20 minutes.
20 minutes
Vegetarian Recipes with Fresh Tomatoes
Entree, Main Course, Side Dish
Ratatouille Recipe
A classic ratatouille recipe inspired by the layered vegetable dish popularized by the movie Ratatouille, baked until tender and flavorful.
1 hour 5 minutes
Main Course
Zucchini Ravioli
Easy to make, this healthy zucchini ravioli is a great low carb alternative for a family weeknight meal. Packed with veggies, you won't miss the pasta!
50 minutes
Appetizer
Portobello Mushroom Pizzas
Portobello Mushroom Pizzas are a fun and simple low-carb side dish that incorporate pizza toppings and flavor on top of roasted portobellos!
15 minutes
Side Dish
Tomato Rice Recipe
This Tomato Rice is made with brown rice, fresh tomatoes and warm Mediterranean spices. It's the perfect side dish and I'll show you how to prepare it!
55 minutes
Flavorful Soup Recipes with Tomatoes
Soup
Roasted Tomato Soup Recipe
This Roasted Tomato Soup is made with fresh roasted tomatoes and basil simmered in vegetable stock with onion and garlic, and then blended until smooth and creamy.
1 hour 30 minutes
Soup
Ravioli Soup Recipe
This ravioli soup recipe is made in one pot and uses premade cheese-filled ravioli, cooked until al dente in a ground beef tomato base in 30 minutes.
35 minutes
Soup
Baked Feta Tomato Soup
Simple to make, baked feta soup is full of rich flavors. A fun variation on the famous TikTok baked feta pasta the whole family will love!
1 hour
Soup
Tomato Soup Recipe
Homemade tomato soup made with fire-roasted crushed tomatoes and vegetable broth, simmered with fresh garlic and onions, and blended until smooth and creamy.
1 hour
Soup
Tomato Lentil Soup Recipe
This tomato lentil soup is made with green lentils simmered in a tomato and vegetable broth base with carrots, onions, celery, and red bell pepper with a mix of spices.
42 minutes
Tips for Making Recipes with Tomatoes
- Use a serrated knife for cutting tomatoes for the best slices. If you use a flat-edged knife, be certain it is very sharp or you will squash and bruise the tomato flesh when you slice it. Check out my tutorial for how to cut a tomato into slices, wedges and cubes.
- Avoid using an aluminum pot, pan, or utensil when cooking tomatoes. The acid in tomatoes does not react well with aluminum, giving the cooked tomatoes a bitter taste. Similarly, cast iron pans aren’t ideal for long-simmered tomato dishes as the acidity pulls iron from the pan. Go with non-stick or stainless steel pots and pans.
- Sprinkle some sugar and salt if your tomatoes seem overly acidic. This helps round out the flavor more, especially when used in a sauce.
- Opt for plum tomatoes if you’re using tomatoes to make your sauce. They’re meatier, have fewer seeds, and have less water than other tomato varieties.
- Pair tomatoes with the right herbs to bring out their best flavor. Many herbs, including oregano, marjoram, basil, pepper, thyme, garlic, parsley, and tarragon, team up beautifully with tomatoes.
- Freeze any leftover tomatoes, whether they are whole, in chunks, or as juice. If frozen properly, they can be stored in the freezer for approximately a year. Once thawed, these tomatoes work best in sauces, chili, and soups!
FAQs
Can I use any type of tomatoes in these recipes?
Almost! Some recipes work better with specific types of tomatoes. For example, plum tomatoes are great for sauces while cherry tomatoes are delicious in salads. Beefsteak tomatoes are a good candidate for slicing into sandwiches and burgers. But, I recommend using what you have and adjust as needed.
What can I do if my tomatoes are too watery?
Roast them to concentrate the flavor and reduce moisture. Or you can seed them before adding to dishes like salsa or pasta salad.
