My Basil Salad is a celebration of mid-summer, when the basil is going gangbusters and heirloom tomatoes are in their glory days. This is a simple, healthy salad that will delight friends and family with bold flavor and gorgeous color.
Basil fills in for lettuce in this epic summer salad!
There’s nothing revolutionary about this basil salad recipe except that I’ve used basil and only basil for my greens, and the payoff is huge. Talk about explosive flavor! I love using herbs as the base for salads, it’s a nice change of pace and nobody expects it. I love to get creative with my summer salads…
- Summer Tomato Flight: this is just as fun to make as it is to eat!
- Cucumber Melon Salad: a stunning checkerboard of summer crunch!
- Burrata Platter: the queen of all show stopping salads.
I can’t imagine a better way to revel in summer basil…
Pick the freshest leaves for a basil salad ~ living plants are best, whether they’re from your garden, the nursery, or the supermarket. Plan to assemble everything just before serving while the leaves are still quivering. Add some colorful heirloom tomatoes, either full size or cherries, thin rounds of bright red onion, and lots of toasted pine nuts. There’s no cheese to weigh this salad down, it’s light as a feather and pure heaven.
Heirloom tomatoes show their true colors only after they’ve been sliced.
They can be one color on the outside, and completely different when you cut into them. Some are solid, and some are mottled. Even if you are using cherry tomatoes, make sure to halve or quarter them, not only is this prettier, it allows the juices and flavors to hit your taste buds right away. Choose firm but fragrant tomatoes, anything that feels too soft is bound to be mushy.
Basil salad tips
- If you need to wash your basil do it very gently in cool water and dry on paper towels before using.
- Don’t chop the basil, it will bruise…keep the leaves whole and choose a variety of sizes. If you have very large leaves stack them up and roll like a cigar, then use a very sharp knife to slice.
- Slice your gorgeous tomatoes shortly before serving, as they start to degrade quickly after being cut.
- Drizzle the dressing on immediately before serving so the delicate basil leaves don’t wilt. No need to toss.
- This salad is ideal for arranging on individual serving plates, too.
If you want to make a meal out of this Basil Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes, top it with grilled chicken, salmon, or shrimp.
Basil Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 4 handfuls of fresh picked basil leaves
- 2 cups chopped heirloom tomatoes
- 1/4 red onion, cut in thin slivers
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
- salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
- a drizzle of your best olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Choose a wide shallow salad bowl and add the fresh basil leaves. Top with the tomatoes, red onion, and pine nuts.
- Grind a generous amount of fresh pepper over everything, add a dash of salt, and then drizzle with the oil and vinegar just before serving.
Nutrition
Such fun to pluck the basil from my herb garden and get local red onions and heirloom tomatoes at the farmers market. This salad was a huge hit at a socially distanced girls gathering dinner- and was my first “herb based” salad. Super fresh and colorful and going heavy on the pine nuts was a home run.
So happy you loved this Jill, thanks for the review and happy summer!
OK, 1. this is gorgeous. 2. basil as the base?! I’m so intrigued! Trying this when my garden starts producing!
Love the idea of using whole basil leaves! My father used to make salad using whole Italian parsley leaves and I loved how totally pure the herb tasted; bet this has the same effect. Also am thinking some shaved parmesan would be great on top ot this.
I have another salad on the blog that is just parsley, oranges, and black olives, from an Italian cookbook and I love it. I bet your father’s salad was amazing, what else was in it?
I love this summery salad, Sue! I could live on this all season long!
Love this summer in a bowl! Must make soon!
I have enough of my own basil to make this sald, Sue . . . and I shall!
You’re a lucky woman, Rosemary!
This simple, seasonal salad is just gorgeous! Nothing like fresh tomatoes and basil—such a heavenly combination!
Oh, look at those beauties! i can’t wait till they’re ready here. It’s one of my favorite foods to play with. This is a gorgeous salad, Sue, and I love using fabulous basil as the greens especially when it’s this fresh.
Love it!