Easy Summer Tomato Basil Avocado Salad

I really love a good salad recipe, but I say that with a major caveat: it has to be a GOOD, well-rounded salad! When I say I eat completely plant-based, many people assume that just means a lot of salads, and they picture a bowl of iceberg lettuce with a couple token cherry tomatoes. The salads I make at home are in a league of their own, though!

Take this Easy Summer Tomato Basil Avocado Salad, for instance. It's a bowl of veggies, yes, but it's complex and perfectly flavored! I included juicy and flavorful tomatoes, wedges of creamy avocado, diced red onion for loads of flavor, fresh and bright herbs, and the most delicious homemade lemon garlic dressing. It's a salad so good you'll be dreaming about it as soon as you finish the last bite!

If you have a garden at home with fresh tomatoes, even better! I love using up my homegrown veggies, especially at the end of the summer, in fresh salads or by cooking them down in this delicious ratatouille.

Easy Summer Tomato Salad Ingredients

This is a short, simple, and SUPER fresh list of ingredients! You're going to create the most colorful and flavorful salad with just a couple of my favorites.

• Heirloom tomatoes - Cut your tomatoes into wedges or bite-sized pieces so they're easy to enjoy! You can use different colored tomatoes if you want a more colorful dish.
• Avocado - I used one pitted and diced avocado. Wait until you're just about to serve your salad to add the avocado so it stays vibrant green!
• Red onion - Just a quarter of a red onion added the perfect amount of flavor without overpowering the salad.
• Fresh basil - I opted to julienne the basil leaves so I had small pieces that distributed into the salad and added fresh, bright herbs to every bite!
• Optional additions - crumbled vegan feta cheese (about ¼ cup), pitted and sliced kalamata olives, a handful of pine nuts, hemp seeds, or diced pistachios would all be really tasty and would add awesome texture and nutrients to this Summer Tomato Salad.

Homemade Lemon Garlic Dressing

Making your own dressing is one of the quickest, simplest ways to elevate a homemade bowl or salad. It's as easy as measuring the ingredients into a Mason jar and giving them a good shake or whisk! This Homemade Lemon Garlic Dressing is the perfect way to top an Easy Summer Tomato Salad.

• Extra virgin olive oil - This is the base of your dressing, and I've found that using a higher-quality olive oil makes a difference! My subscription to Pomora keeps my kitchen stocked with delicious, high-quality olive oil. You can use my code EBE25 for a discount!
• Lemon - Use a fresh lemon! I had a large, juicy lemon, so if yours are smaller you may want to use two. Including fresh lemon helps the avocado stay fresh longer as well!
• Pure maple syrup - This is my favorite natural liquid sweetener. I use it for everything from baked goods to dressings and sauces! Just a splash will perfectly balance the savory, acidic flavors in this dressing.
• Garlic - I used a garlic press to smash one large clove. This creates pieces of garlic small enough to whisk into the dressing!
• Salt - This brings out all the flavor. Taste and adjust to your preference.

All About Tomatoes

I've spent most of my life experimenting in the kitchen and I even got an Master's of Public Health degree and a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES through the NCHEC) to continue learning about food! I am fascinated by the ways different foods can impacts our bodies and overall health. Tomatoes are low in calories and high in potassium, vitamin C, and fiber. Vitamin C helps our immune systems thrive, and fiber encourages optimal digestion! The foods we eat each day have so much power!

More Tomato Recipes:

• Creamy Vegan Tomato White Bean Soup with Roasted Garlic
• Chunky Tomato Basil Spaghetti
• Salsa Fresca (Pico de Gallo)

Are Avocados Healthy?

The short answer is YES! Avocados are super healthy in addition to being everyone's favorite toast topping. Avocado adds healthy fats to your diet in addition to dietary fiber and nearly 20 vitamins and minerals such as potassium, folate, vitamin E, C and B6.

More Avocado Recipes

• Creamy Avocado Vanilla Smoothie
• Guacamole: The Chipotle Copycat Recipe
• Dark Chocolate Avocado Truffles
• Crispy Avocado Tacos
• Protein-Packed Avocado Toast
• Quinoa & Mango Stuffed Grilled Avocados
• Avocado Chocolate Pudding

What to Serve with a Summer Tomato Salad

I love a salad like this by itself for a light lunch, but for a more filling meal it would be perfect served alongside some of these vegan main dishes! You can also add plant-based protein by topping it with Crispy Chickpea "Croutons", which are one of my favorite additions to almost any meal.

• Skillet Italian Mushrooms with Creamy Vegan Pasta...or pretty much any of my vegan and gluten-free pasta recipes.
• Butternut Squash Coconut Orzo Soup (vegan + gluten-free) - We love a soup and salad night! I have soup recipes for every season and they're super easy to make in a double batch and store for lunch the next day.
• Easy Vegan Skillet White Pizza with Caramelized Onions, Roasted Garlic and Basil
• Hemp Seed-Crusted Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Green Tahini Sauce

More Delicious Vegan Summer Salad Recipes

• Simple Greek Village Salad - Horiatiki: Tomato & Cucumber Salad
• Jennifer Aniston Viral "Perfect Salad" Recipe (made vegan + gluten-free)
• Simple Side Salad Recipe
• The Best Easy Greek Orzo Salad (vegan + gluten-free)
• Creamy Vegan Cucumber Salad with Dill and Red Onion
• Crispy Quinoa and Avocado Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette
• Mango-Avocado Quinoa Salad with Toasted Pepitas
• Simple Summer Salad with Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Watermelon Avocado Mint Feta Salad (vegan) - [aka Kate Middleton's Viral Summer Salad Recipe]