Are you looking for an easy salad that is sure to please? Try our marinated tomato olive salad recipe. It's simple to make and brings the taste of the Mediterranean to your dinner table.
Looking for other easy salad recipes? Try our recipes for spinach apple salad and Italian tuna salad.
Quick Look: Marinated Tomato Olive Salad Recipe
- ⏲️ Prep Time: 35 minutes
- ⏲️ Chilling Time: 1 hour
- ⏲️ Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- 🍽️ Yield: 3 cups
- 🥕 Dietary Info: Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free
- ⚡ Calories: 51 calories per serving (based on nutrition facts in recipe card)
- 🫒 12 Ingredients: grape tomatoes, green olives, Kalamata olives, green onion, red pepper, capers, olive oil, sherry vinegar, white sugar, dried oregano, salt, and pepper.
- 🥣 Method: No Cooking Required!
- ⌛ Time-Saving Hack: Buy halved olives from the grocery store to speed up the prep time.
- 🔪 Equipment: sharp knife, whisk.
- ⭐ Expert Tip: Store the tomatoes at room temperature before assembling the salad for a juicier result.
- 🍅 Flavor & Texture: This salad is colorful and has a good balance of textures and flavors, with lots of tang, herbs, and sweetness.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Colorful & Flavorful: Tomatoes, two types of olives, capers, pepper, green onion, and other ingredients come together to provide a great mix of textures and flavors.
- Naturally Raw Vegan & Gluten Free: This salad is already raw vegan and gluten free friendly so that those with dietary restrictions can enjoy it without adapting the recipe.
- Make Ahead Friendly: This salad can be assembled completely a few hours in advance, making it perfect for elegant dinners or meal prep.
Featured Comment
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"I had the ingredients, so I looked up a recipe to use and this was a great one. I am keeping it for future use too! Made is as-is and it is tasty and kinda 'fancy'. If chopped up smaller, it would make a great spread for baguettes, or even over pasta. Thank you."
- Sharon
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Ingredients
Wondering what ingredients you need to make this tomato and olive salad? Let's talk about the most important ones!
- Tomatoes: Use fresh roma, grape, or cherry tomatoes in red, yellow, or orange.
- Olives: Use kalamata, black, Spanish, or pimento stuffed green olives.
- Onions: Use spring onion, scallions, or red onion.
- Bell Pepper: Use red, yellow, or orange.
- Dressing: Make your own with olive oil, vinegar, sugar, and spices.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Add cheese? Try mozzarella pearls, feta, or shaved Parmesan.
- Add nuts? Try toasted pine nuts.
- Add fresh herbs? Try basil, oregano, or parsley.
- Want other onions? Try scallions or thinly sliced red onions.
- Want greens? Serve this over arugula or Romaine leaves.
- Want other vegetables? Try cucumbers, zucchini, avocados, asparagus, or artichokes.
- Want a different vinegar? Try white balsamic or red wine vinegar.
How to Make Tomato Olive Salad
Gather all the ingredients.
- Place the tomatoes, kalamata olives, green olives, red pepper, green onion, and capers in a bowl. (image 1)
- Pour the olive oil into a bowl, then add the sherry vinegar, sugar, and spices. Whisk the dressing ingredients together until combined. (image 2)
- Pour on the dressing and toss until well coated with two large spoons. Cover with an airtight lid or plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least one hour. This will give the tomatoes time to marinate in the dressing. (image 3)
- When ready to serve, stir and garnish with a sprinkle of black pepper. Enjoy! (image 4)
Marinated Tomato & Olive Salad FAQs
Roma, grape, and cherry tomatoes are all excellent choices because they're naturally sweet and hold their shape well after marinating. You can even use a mix of red, yellow, and orange tomatoes for a colorful presentation that's perfect for entertaining.
We use a combination of Kalamata and green olives for the best balance of flavor and color, but feel free to substitute your favorite varieties, such as black olives or Castelvetrano olives.
This versatile salad pairs well with grilled chicken, fish, steak, pasta, or Mediterranean-inspired dishes. It's also delicious served with crusty bread, pita, or ciabatta to soak up the flavorful vinaigrette, or spooned over toasted bread as a quick bruschetta-style appetizer.
Yes, you can definitely make it ahead. Since it needs to marinate, it should be made 1-4 hours ahead of time. If you need to make it the night before, just add the tomatoes an hour or two ahead of time. If you add the tomatoes too soon, they will get mushy.
Leftovers: This recipe is best if consumed within 24 hours. If you need to keep it longer, remove the tomatoes and place in a separate bowl. The tomatoes are more delicate than the other ingredients and can spoil sooner.
Freezing: Unfortunately, you can't freeze this. If you have leftovers, try to eat them up within a day or two of making it. One idea to eat up leftovers is to serve it over buttered penne noodles.
Serving Suggestions
Try serving this marinated tomato and olive salad with wedges of fresh bread like Panera black pepper focaccia or ciabatta rolls to soak up the vinaigrette. Since it has a similar flavor profile to this Caprese bruschetta, try serving it over toasted bread as well.
It would also taste fantastic along with a cozy bowl of soup, like creamy wild rice soup or minestrone soup, homemade pizza, buttered penne, or fresh arugula. It would also be fantastic with broccoli salad, creamy coleslaw, or potato salad!
Want to learn how to cut green onions for the garnish? Get our tips for how to cut green onions.
Expert Tips
- Need to make this the night before? Leave out the tomatoes until a couple of hours before serving.
- Want the best flavor? Let it chill for at least one hour in the fridge for the flavors to mingle.
- Can't have tomato seeds? Use Roma tomatoes and scoop out the seeds.
Other Salad Recipes You'll Love
Recipe
Marinated Tomato Olive Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup green olives, halved
- ½ cup Kalamata olives, halved
- 2 teaspoons green onion, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons red pepper, minced
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 2½ tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- sprinkle of salt and pepper
Instructions
- Rinse and cut in half the tomatoes, green olives, and Kalamata olives. Rinse and finely chop the green onion and red pepper.
- Stir together the tomatoes, olives, onion, pepper, and capers until well mixed.
- Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, sugar, oregano, salt, and pepper to make the vinaigrette. Pour it over the ingredients and toss gently.
- Chill for at least one hour. Serve cold.
Video
Notes
- Leave out the tomatoes until a couple of hours before serving if you are making the night before.
- Let it chill for at least one hour in the fridge for the flavors to mingle for the best flavor.
- Use Roma tomatoes and scoop out the seeds if you can't eat tomato seeds.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
Sharon Horne
I had the ingredients, so I looked up a recipe to use and this was a great one. I am keeping it for future use too! Made is as-is and it is tasty and kinda "fancy". If chopped up smaller, it would make a great spread for baguettes, or even over pasta. Thank you
Emma
We're so glad you enjoyed it, Sharon! This salad has been a family favorite over the years for special occasions. Serving it as a tapenade-type spread sounds delicious!
Alex
This salad tastes salty. I like the soft tomatoes and the two kinds of olives. The capers add more goodness. This salad tastes great!
Emma
Thank you, Alex! I love all the salty olives and tomatoes mixed together with the dressing. So tasty!
Beth
The grape tomatoes and the olives taste really good. The olive oil vinaigrette is nice with the capers, red bell peppers, and green onions.
Emma
Thank you, Beth!