21 Best Recipes With Ripe Summer Tomatoes

If your garden is yielding fresh basil and some tasty heirlooms tomatoes, you’re two thirds of the way to having what you need for this recipe. Pick up some good quality mozzarella, drizzle with olive oil and balsamic, and you’ve got summer on a plate.

When your tomato crop runneth over, making sauce can be a go-to move. You can easily double or triple this recipe and freeze the sauce. When winter hits and you’re sad about the pale pink, overly hard, and not very fragrant tomatoes in the supermarket, you’ll be so happy to pull this out of the freezer for pasta dishes, pizza, chilis, and stews.

Our writer Sally came up with an easy crust that you make in the food processor for this free-form tart. It looks great with a variety of tomato types and colors, but use whatever small tomatoes you’ve got in abundance.

The sweet acidity of tomatoes pairs well with creamy, cooling avocado.

Sauté the okra over high heat, add tomatoes, onions, and garlic and let it simmer together for a super quick (20-minute) side dish.

Another gorgeous use for fresh tomatoes and your jar of Italian seasoning. Cooks easily, and you don’t even need to flip the fish.

Here are two parts of summer’s bounty, paired together. Some chickpeas add heft and protein.

Tomatoes and potatoes nestle together with chicken thighs (quickly marinated in mustard and paprika) in one pot, and come out with deliciously commingled flavors.

Day-old bread, tomatoes, and olive oil make for good friends in this essential summer salad. Add to the repertoire if you have an abundance of tomatoes. I don’t even mind it on the second day—which is unusual for salad.

It isn’t really summer in my kitchen until gazpacho happens, and I eat it for lunch for days on end. The Spaniards are onto something with this flavorful chilled soup.

Sometimes you just want tomatoes. And if you’ve already got the grill going, why not try grilling your tomatoes with some thinly sliced basil? (Hint: Thyme would be good here, too.)

Nothing beats a DIY effort in the kitchen when it comes to canning. This salsa can sit in your pantry, ready to for use in all kinds of dishes.

Homemade tomato juice only sounds like something that’s impossible—or like something someone else would do but not you. But in about a half an hour you’ll have fresh tomato juice. For real.

Oh, this is a classic. So easy and delicious. Cornmeal and breadcrumbs give it some crunch.

I love dishes like this, where an egg creates a self-saucing situation, and you can really taste the flavor of some fresh tomatoes. And bacon because, well, bacon.

For backyard cookouts. Or as just an accompaniment to hot dogs. Use the homemade tomato sauce in this one for extra flavor.

For salsa you want to use immediately, this is your go-to. Cilantro, lime, and red onion add lots of flavor—add the type of pepper you want depending on how hot you like it.

There is no substitute for thick slices of fresh tomato when it comes to creating a BLT, or in this case, an ALT. Add bacon and make it a BLAT!

Here’s another one that makes good use of what’s in your garden, especially if you grow several different kinds of herbs such as oregano and mint.

Are you noticing a trend here? Yes, tomatoes are so good with basil and this pasta is ready in 20 minutes. Woo hoo!

It’s a classic for good reason—chop up some of the freshest ones you can find and make them work as a great appetizer on crusty bread.