My Top Tomato Recipes

For the first time ever, I’m not sorry to see summer go.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the season. The long days at the pool, the pockets of free time I get to spend with my kids, the all-around kick-back-and-relax feeling that comes when school lets out and the cookouts begin.

But I think we can all agree that Summer 2020 has not delivered.

I know no one expected a covid summer to look quite the same.

But there’s always a bit of disappointment that comes with the ending of the universally agreed upon most carefree time of the year…especially in a year when it wasn’t especially carefree at all.

So no hard feelings, summer, but I’m ready to let you go. 

…But I’m not quite ready to let go of all the delicious fruits and veggies the season brings with it.

Because one thing summer certainly did right this year was give us a ton of fresh flavors to play with. And when your meals are spent almost exclusively at home during a lockdown, those flavors were one thing that kept things interesting in the kitchen.

My personal summer favorite? Tomatoes.

Savory by nature but sweet when you want it to be. Versatile enough to toss in salads or slice into mains. Pop cherry tomatoes for snacks, slice them into Caprese salads, or use Heirlooms for the quintessential Southern BLT.

So, while we still have a few more weeks to enjoy them, I’m sharing a few of my very favorite tomato-centric recipes on the Pantry blog.

One you’ll likely recognize. Our Caprese Pasta has been a staple with our Pantry meals, and for good reason. You can get the full recipe for it here.

The other is a staple in the Winston household. I discovered this simple and incredibly delicious pasta sauce recipe years ago and its been in heavy rotation ever since. Check it out here.

Enjoy, and if you try them, be sure to let me know what you think!

Caprese Pasta Salad

Caprese Pasta Salad

2 lb fresh tomatoes – beefsteak or roma

2 tsp minced fresh garlic (can sauté to cut down on the bite)

¼- ½  c chopped basil

2 tsp kosher salt

1 T red wine vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

lb pasta (penne, rotini, farfalle)

8 oz. fresh mozzarella (ciliegine) 

Seed and chop tomatoes. 

Mix with garlic, salt, basil, and vinegar. 

Toss with cooked pasta and mozzarella. 

Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onion

Adapted from Marcella Hazan’s famous recipe

4 lbs fresh, ripe tomatoes, peeled and cut into coarse pieces

8 T unsalted butter

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

1 yellow onion, peeled and cut in half

Freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving

Blanch tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds.  Remove from water, drain, and when cool, skin them.  Cut into coarse pieces.

Place tomatoes in a saucepan. Add butter, onion, and 1 teaspoon salt. Simmer uncovered at a slow and steady simmer for approximately 1 hour until thickened to your liking. Stir occasionally, mashing any large pieces with back of a spoon.

Taste for seasoning and add the additional ½ teaspoon of salt or more if needed. Discard onion.

Serve tossed with pasta and parmesan cheese. 

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