Marinated Cherry Tomatoes are marinated tomatoes in a robust homemade sauce bursting with tangy flavor and herbs! This marinated tomato salad is so fresh and delicious! You will love this recipe and cherry tomatoes marinated whole can make a very appealing side dish!
Love Tomatoes? Make our Marinara with fresh tomatoes, Homemade Ketchup (using Garden tomatoes), and my mom’s Canned tomatoes recipe (which is basically whole pickled tomatoes).
What are Marinated Tomatoes?
Marinating tomatoes is the perfect summer side made of oil, fresh garden herbs, simple spices, and plump whole cherry tomatoes. After the tomatoes sit in the marinade they taste like pickled tomatoes bursting with a ton of flavor! Cherry tomatoes are best scored on the bottoms for the brine to soak in and enhance the flavor.
This Marinated Tomatoes Recipe comes from a church potluck. It was one of the salads that stood out and sure enough, I went home with the recipe! The best part is you can make this side ahead of time and it keeps up to a week! If you’ve ever had Zesty Italian dressing marinated in tomatoes and cucumbers, this is kind of similar but very fresh and almost like a pickle brine in taste!
Ingredients For Marinated Cherry Tomatoes:
The ingredients are simple and you can totally make this without a garden! I highly recommend fresh herbs vs dried they will add a ton of flavor!
- Cherry Tomatoes- or grape tomatoes will work. Make sure you cut the ends of each tomato into an x so the marinade tenderizes the tomatoes. The best tomatoes to use are plump and firm baby tomatoes. Avoid mushy or spotted ones.
- Sweet Red Bell Pepper- gives this salad great flavor and you won’t even detect it since it’s finely chopped into the dressing.
- Fresh Herbs- like dill and curly leaf parsley, they’ll give the salad a fresh dimension.
- Fresh Garlic– finely minced will give this salad a chunky consistency, crushing it with a garlic press just won’t be the same.
- Jalapeno Pepper- I used the tip of a red jalapeno pepper, after finely chopping you should have 1/2 tablespoon of minced jalapenos. This will not be spicy at all! You can also use 1/8 teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper if you wish.
- Homemade Vinaigrette Dressing- is basically the seasoned marinade the tomatoes will soak in. You’ll need ground black pepper, granulated sugar, sea salt, White distilled vinegar, sunflower oil, and a splash of water. I wouldn’t use olive oil as that can leave a sharp aftertaste.
Tip: Don’t have cherry tomatoes? Use any kind of firm tomato that you can halve or slice into wedges to make bite-sized pieces.
How To Marinate Tomatoes With a Homemade Sauce:
You can use a food processor to finely chop all of the other ingredients (it will make cutting quick and easy!) However, I used this Chef's Knife to finely mince everything. The key for this sauce to look its best is to finely chop it, you want little bits of garlic and red pepper to peak out of the sauce and give it an extra chunky consistency. Don’t dice too large it needs to be finely minced.
- Wash and score the ends of each cherry tomato. Set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together the marinade ingredients.
- Toss in the tomatoes and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow tomatoes to soak at room temperature for 2-4 hours before refrigerating if the time allows. Otherwise, refrigerate overnight (this will help soften the tomatoes.)
- Keep up to a week in the fridge and always toss before serving. Use an airtight container to avoid any fridge odors.
Storing Marinated Tomatoes:
To best preserve this salad in dressing, simply store it in an air-tight container for up to a week in the fridge. Keep the cherry tomatoes immersed in the dressing and give it a good stir with a spatula before serving. It’s best served 24 hours before serving but overnight will work fine too.
What To Serve with Marinated Tomatoes:
This recipe for marinated tomatoes is incredible with boiled baby potatoes and sour cream! However, you can serve it any way you’d like a good pickle since they are like mini pickled tomatoes. Here are more ideas and recipes to make alongside.
- French Dip Sandwich Recipe or Burgers
- Creamy Parmesan Garlic Angel Hair Pasta or your favorite pasta dish!
- Baked Chicken Leg Quarters or Teriyaki Chicken Wings
- Serve with Baked Salmon, creamy mashed potatoes, or Crispy Potato Wedges
Tips For Making Marinated Tomatoes Juicy:
- Score the bottoms of each cherry tomato for the marinade to soak in and tenderize the tomatoes.
- Marinate overnight or 24 hours before serving.
- Finely chop all of the ingredients (herbs, peppers, and garlic) before adding to the marinade. Use a food processor to chop it quickly. Minced pieces of veggies will give this salad an incredible texture like Chimichurri.
- This recipe calls for a good amount of salt. Use good quality salt and don’t skimp on it because that is what will give this salad umami (savory) flavor, and will give a ton of flavor. The marinade might seem salty but once mixed with the tomatoes it will balance out.
More Recipes Using Tomatoes:
- Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad
- Tomato and Cheese Appetizer
- Creamy Cucumber Tomato Salad
- Easy Tomato Soup Recipe
[releated/post]
Marinated Cherry Tomatoes
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl (preferably with a lid to store later)
- 1 Wire Whisk
- 1 chefs knife (to chop ingredients or use a food processor)
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 3 pints cherry tomatoes (about 2.5 pounds)
Marinade:
- 1 red bell pepper (medium-sized)
- 6 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley
- 1/2 Tbsp red jalapeno pepper (finely minced)
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 2 1/2 Tbsp sea salt
- 3 Tbsp white distilled vinegar
- 2 Tbsp water
Instructions
- Finely chop the peppers, garlic, and herbs. Whisk all together with the remaining marinade ingredients.
- Score a cross on the bottom of each cherry tomato.
- Add them to the marinade and toss together. Cover and marinate for at least 12 hours in the fridge before serving.
Notes
- Use a food processor to finely mince the peppers, garlic, and herbs.
- Let the tomatoes marinate for 2-4 hours at room temperature after combining to soften the tomatoes then refrigerate overnight.