An Italian tomato salad is one of the simplest, most delicious dishes you will every have as long as you use the best quality fruit and extra virgin olive oil.

This simple, Italian tomato salad will be your favorite way to eat summer tomatoes, all the way through the season and past Labor Day (which happens to be tomorrow!)

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It requires a handful of ingredients, and truly isn’t even a recipe, but more of an assembly. Trust me, this is an authentic Italian recipe, straight from my family in Italy. I grew up with this salad, and love it so much because it is so simple, yet delicious!

You can choose to slice and layer tomatoes, which is the typical way large tomatoes are served, but you can cut them into wedges if they’re not large or super ripe.

What is an Italian Tomato Salad?

Most often an Italian tomato salad is sliced tomatoes with or without garlic, possibly basil or parsley and really good quality extra virgin olive oil and salt. You can add other ingredients like mozzarella, or burrata to make a Caprese salad, however, the simplest version is also the easiest.

This is a type of cucina povera salad that almost everyone in Italy knows how to make. Of course, it’s super healthy with the olive oil and tomatoes’ nutritious health benefits. You can also throw a few slices of a large tomato in between two slices of bread for a sublime sandwich.

You can see my Caprese sandwich above.

The photo above shows two tomato salads which were made for a big party at my cousin Denisa’s house in England a few years ago. You can see the left salad has garlic and parsley, and the right one has garlic and basil. If you have beautiful summer tomatoes, it’s the perfect salad for a light meal or side dish at a get together. Which would you prefer?

What Types of Tomatoes Should I use?

Brandywine tomatoes handheld — Brandywine tomatoes

Most importantly, use flavorful, organic, summer (in season) tomatoes. Don’t make this salad with anemic, imported tomatoes in January-it simply won’t fly.

While some types of tomatoes work better than others, I wouldn’t say there are any tomato varieties that “won’t work.” However, large, meaty tomatoes are excellent for slicing.

Italian salad tomatoes — Tomatoes at a market in Venice, Italy

Also, in Italy, partially green tomatoes, or fruit that isn’t fully ripe yet are used as salad tomatoes. This is because they are more firm and won’t turn to mush in a salad, which is lovely.

Which Extra Virgin Olive oil Should I use?

Whatever you choose, make sure it’s really good quality extra virgin olive oil, for example, Bariani brand. It’s not only key to the flavor of the salad, but it’s important for your health. Poor quality olive oil isn’t just a waste of money, but has none of the health benefits of its better quality competitors!

Should I add Vinegar or Lemon Juice?

This is a little tricky as adding an acidic addition will work without garlic. For example, here’s a beautiful tomato salad with celery leaves and some fresh lemon juice. Just don’t add too much vinegar or lemon juice, if using as it can overpower delicate tomatoes.