Your New Summer Go-To Dish :: Marinated Tomatoes

The hardest part about the recipe is the foresight you need: the prep is super simple, but it has to sit at room temperature for about 4 hours. My solution? Save it for a day off and make this in the morning so you’ll be good to go for lunchtime.

Ina’s recipe is to combine halved cherry tomatoes (but any diced tomato will work) with olive oil, garlic, basil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and set it aside to marinate. When you’re ready to serve, cook your pasta of choice al dente and drain it, then toss the hot pasta with the tomato mixture and add some Parmesan. That’s it! We served ours alongside grilled chicken.

Overall, Ina’s recipe is super easy and even more delicious. Those marinated tomatoes alone are to die for. I was eating them like candy while waiting for the pasta water to boil. I got to thinking about ways to incorporate them into more summer dishes since they were so easy.

Bruschetta

The most obvious way is as a bruschetta topping. Simply slice a loaf of French bread and brush both sides with olive oil. Toast in an oven and then rub the hot slices of bread with a halved clove of garlic on both sides. Top with your tomato mixture.

Caprese Dip

Another delicious way to enjoy the tomatoes is as a twist on Caprese Dip. Simply spread a pie plate with 8 ounces softened cream cheese and top with the marinated tomatoes. Pop in the oven for about 20 minutes and cool slightly before serving with pita chips or crostini.

Bruschetta Chicken (Two Ways)

If you’re looking for more of a main course approach, try one of these Bruschetta Chicken variations.

In one version based on this low-carb recipe, the chicken breasts are marinated for 20 minutes in equal parts balsamic vinegar and olive oil mixed with garlic and Italian seasoning and baked at 425 for 25-30 minutes until cooked through. Then the chicken breasts are topped with shredded mozzarella and the tomato mixture and returned to the oven for about 5 minutes to get the cheese all melty.

In the other version based on this Hello Fresh recipe, season your chicken breasts with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning, and then top with a crust made from panko, shredded mozzarella, and melted butter. Bake the chicken until cooked through, 15-25 minutes, and then top with your tomato mixture.

A note about the leftover tomato mixture: Once they’re marinated at room temperature, they’re fine in the fridge. When plating the pasta, we added the tomatoes to each serving of pasta individually and saved the leftover pasta separate from the tomatoes. We simply let the tomatoes come back to room temperature when we wanted to use them again.

How else would you use up marinated tomatoes?

Joey Yearous
Joey is a New Orleans native, Dominican alum, and LSU grad who joined the ranks of motherhood in the summer of 2019. She and her Colorado born-and-raised husband, Phil, left their Mid-City apartment for a house on the Northshore about ten days before they welcomed their son, Sam, into the world. A short 19 months later, their daughter Sloane arrived and their caboose Nicholas completed their family 17 months after that. Though she’s always had a passion for writing, it’s her work in whole-home generator sales that pays the bills. Her 3 kiddos keep her busy, but when she’s got a free moment, you can find her cooking, trying new restaurants, and listening to true crime podcasts. A consummate Pinterest fanatic, she’s always looking for her next DIY project or recipe to try. She believes good senses of humor and random acts of kindness make the world go ‘round.

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