Three Recipes for Peak Tomato Season
Happy Tomato Season, friends! At Cup of Jo, we love tomatoes almost as much as we love potatoes, and I find myself returning to our tomato-y recipes every August and September, when tomatoes peak. What I love about them is that they’re so simple (non-recipe recipes, in many cases), and yet they’re full of tiny tweaks and pro tips — the kind you pick up after years of making and loving a meal. So, today we’re sharing three new tomato dishes to add to your repertoire…
Ham El-Waylly: Tomato Dressed in Tomato on Toast
Author of Hello, Home Cooking
“There are few things better in summer than pan con tomate. The tomato juice soaks into the bread, making it an instant savory bread pudding. It may be gilding the lily a bit, but topping pan con tomate with more tomate brings another texture to the party. This grated-tomato dressing is a great tool to keep in your back pocket for lots of reasons. Use it to top labneh for a summery dip, or add chilies, shallots and fish sauce and serve on a crispy egg with rice. Its versatility knows no bounds.”
Tomato Dressed in Tomato on Toast (aka, pan con tomate con tomate)
Serves 1-2
2 large ripe tomatoes
1 garlic clove, finely grated
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/2 tsp sherry vinegar, plus more as needed
1/8 tsp smoked paprika
Kosher salt
2 slices of 1-inch-thick crusty bread
Flaky salt, for topping
Trim a thin slice off the bottom of one tomato, revealing the flesh. Using the large holes of a box grater, grate against the cut side of the tomato into a bowl. The pulp will fall into the bowl, leaving you with a handful of skin. Discard the skin. Season the tomato pulp with the garlic, oil, vinegar, paprika, and a pinch of kosher salt. Taste the mixture and adjust with more vinegar or salt as needed.
Thinly slice the remaining tomato, and season each slice with a pinch of kosher salt. Toast the bread however you like — I’m not the toast police. You just need to make sure the bread is crisp and hot. Immediately transfer the toast to a serving plate and evenly divide the tomato mixture between the two slices; it should sizzle upon contact. The heat from the toast is essential to waking up the tomato dressing. Top with the slices of tomato, season with some flaky salt, drizzle with oil, and serve.
Ella Henry: Briny Tomato Greek Salad
Writer of the newsletter Gut Feelings
“I just got back from Greece where I ate a Greek salad every day and never once got tired of it. (My favorite type of salad is the kind with no lettuce, and a piece of hot, toasty bread to soak up all those delicious juices.) So, when I came home — just in time for tomato season — I decided to keep the streak going, with a more tomato-centric, extra-briny twist. Lemon, olives, and a little miso bring out all that umami depth, and you can add anchovies and a spritz olive brine if you’re feeling extra savory.”
Briny Tomato Greek Salad
Serves 1-2
25 ounces heirloom tomatoes (a little over 3 cups)
5 ounces Sungold tomatoes (about a cup)
4 ounces red onion (about 1/2 cup, roughly chopped)
Table salt
1/2 tsp lemon zest
2 tbsp lemon juice
5 ounces cucumber (a little over 1/2 cup)
1 long sweet pepper
2 1/2 ounces Kalamata olives (about a 1/3 cup)
2 ounces extra virgin olive oil
1 ounce red wine vinegar
1 tsp white miso paste
1/2 tsp honey-dijon mustard
Fresh dill, for topping
4 cubes marinated feta cheese (I use Meredith Dairy), or 6 ounces creamy feta
Flaky salt
Toasted baguette or bread, for serving
*Note: I used a kitchen scale when developing this recipe, to be more precise with measurements. (If you’re interested, I highly recommend getting a basic one — it’s life-changing.) But you can also play around with measurements (you’ll see I added estimates on the side), and make this your own. Always taste as you go and measure with your heart.
Slice the heirloom tomatoes, halve the Sungolds, and add to a large bowl. Roughly chop the red onion and add to bowl. Sprinkle some salt over the tomatoes and onion, and add the lemon zest and lemon juice. Toss, cover, and set aside.
Peel the cucumber (I like to peel it halfway, leaving strips of skin), and chop into bite-sized chunks. Slice up the sweet pepper crosswise, and add to the bowl of tomatoes and onion, along with the cucumber and Kalamata olives.
In a large glass, add olive oil, red wine vinegar, miso, and mustard, and use an immersion blender to pulse until creamy. (You can also use a regular blender or food processor.) Taste the dressing and add salt to taste. Stir, and pour over the salad bowl. Toss the salad with your hands until everything is evenly covered and combined.
Serve in a large bowl or individually, making sure to include every last drop of juice, and top with sprigs of fresh dill and feta. I use marinated feta cubes, but if you are using a feta block, you can add it as one big piece on top of the salad, as they often serve it in Greece. Finish with flaky salt and serve with toasted bread. Enjoy!
Elise Smith: Tomato Butter Bucatini
Personal chef and recipe developer
“This pasta is what happens when comfort food decides to show off a little. Think: bucatini swirled through a glossy sauce that’s rich, silky, and just tangy enough to keep things interesting. It’s topped with a creamy cloud of stracciatella that melts right into the pasta like it was always meant to be there. The butter smooths everything out, and the tomatoes bring that sweet, slow-cooked vibe (even though it takes less than 30 minutes). Perfect for nights when you want an easy dinner, but something more exciting than a basic pasta situation. One tip: Don’t skip salting your pasta water — it makes all the difference.”
Tomato Butter Bucatini
Serves 4
1 12-oz box bucatini pasta
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling and serving
32 ounces cherry tomatoes (3 pints)
2 tsp + 2 tbsp Kosher salt, divided
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup fresh, chopped basil, plus more for serving
8 ounces stracciatella or burrata
Flaky sea salt, for finishing
Set a large pot of water on the stove to boil. While the water heats up, put a skillet over a medium heat with three tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Add the tomatoes, two teaspoons of kosher salt, the red pepper flakes, and toss. Sauté the tomatoes for 6-7 minutes without disturbing, letting them burst and melt a bit. Once they’ve started to break down, add the butter to the skillet and sauté for another four minutes, tossing once or twice. Add the basil, toss again, and turn off the heat.
Salt the boiling water with two tablespoons of kosher salt, add a drizzle of olive oil, then add the bucatini to the pot. Boil for 8-10 minutes, or until just al dente. Once finished, reserve 3/4 cup of pasta water, drain the pasta, and return it to the pot.
Transfer the burst tomatoes to the pot of bucatini, add 1/4 cup of pasta water, and toss with tongs until the noodles are fully coated with the tomato mixture. Add more pasta water if needed, and salt to taste (I add around a teaspoon). Transfer the pasta to a platter and top with stracciatella, a drizzle of olive oil, basil leaves, and a pinch of flaky sea salt. Serve hot.
Thanks again to Ham, Ella, and Elise for sharing these wonderful meals with us. How about you? Have you been making any tomato dishes? I’d love to try them.
P.S. A whole heap of tomato recipes to enjoy, including an incredible tortilla soup (from Joanna’s Soup Group), and the amazing zucchini-tomato thing that goes with everything.
(Briny Tomato Greek Salad photo by Ella Henry. Tomato Butter Bucatini photo by Elise Smith. Tomato Dressed in Tomato on Toast photo by Laura Murray; recipe excerpted with permission from Hello, Home Cooking, copyright © 2026 by Ham El-Waylly. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.)
Tags: tomatoes
Comments
45 commentsI’ve been having tomato toast my way and cannot wait to try the beloved Ham’s recipe (He and Sohla’s NYT’s Cooking video’s were the best!). My toast has been breakfast for weeks now: Griddle the toast with avo oil and an evenly salted pan. I bought one of those grill weights just for this so the bread gets evenly toasted and picks up the perfect amount of salt from the pan on both sides. Then spread with vegan mayo and thick slices of homegrown tomatoes. Can’t wait to try Ham’s recipe! Thank you! Second, with all the tomato bounty, have made multiple times and yesterday finished a big batch for the winter freezer of a recipe I found surfing online. I’ve made with gnocci but usually just put it on gf pasta spirals or dip untoasted gluten free bread in it, cold from the fridge, as a snack (for some reason I’m enjoying that? I mean, the sauce is good.): 1 qty gnocchi 200g stracciatella 100g grated Parmigiano-Reggiano TOMATO SUGO 130ml olive oil 2 whole garlic cloves 600g very ripe cherry tomatoes, cut in half (I’ve been using Dry Farmed Early Girls (IYKYK) found at Trader Joe’s of all places, what a happy surprise. 1 cup basil leaves 150ml good quality passata – a new to me ingredient but easily found everywhere – I never knew! 1. For sugo, heat 100ml olive oil in a sauté pan, add garlic cloves and cook gently until they start to colour. Remove and discard or keep the garlic for something else. Add cherry tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes until they start to break down. After 5 minutes add the passata and continue cooking. Stir through basil just before serving. 2. Meanwhile, cook gnocchi in a pot of salted boiling water. As they begin to float to the top, remove with slotted spoon and add to the tomato sauce. Add a little pasta water (about 100ml) and cook the sauce, gently tossing the gnocchi to coat at the same time. 3. To serve, remove gnocchi from heat and add parmigiano and remaining olive oil and mix to create a creaminess to the sauce. Season to taste and plate gnocchi with a spoonful of stracciatella on top and drizzle more olive oil.
Feta cheese has too many variations for me. I have memories of creamy, soft gamey tasting feta in Greece and nothing comes close to it here in America. Even the “made in Greece” Fetas sold in better stores just don’t do it for me. Any suggestions?
Look for Bulgarian sheep feta if you can find it or request it. The Meredith Dairy feta mentioned in the recipe is *chef’s kiss* incredible but so expensive. I found some on sale and bought three for the back of the fridge since it keeps forever in the oil.
This is actually a good price: https://www.standalonecheese.com/products/meredith-dairy-marinated-feta
I just discovered this about a month ago in Southern Living magazine: Cracker Salad. It sounded crazy until I read this description— it’s a side salad that tastes like a tomato and mayo sandwich on white bread. Who doesn’t love THAT? So basically here it is: slice a couple of Beefsteak tomatoes in half. Hold them cut side down over the sink and coax the seeds out with your fingers. Then cut the tomatoes into chunks. Add some mayo and sliced onions (I use scallions). Just before serving, crush saltines on top. All the amounts are variable…..just like a sandwich, mix the salad however you like. I’ve quickly become addicted. Actually for me this is a complete meal. I highly recommend.
This is like a quick and dirty panzanella. I’d love to add toasted pita squares to the greek salad here, that’s one of my favorite salads.
Take a pint or so of cherry tomatoes. Toss with mini mozzarella balls, basil leaves , drizzles of olive oil, flaky salt and a few grinds of pepper. Delish side dish or lunch!
Take a warm beefsteak tomato from the garden, roughly chopped into a bowl and topped with great olive oil and salt. We let it sit for a while for the juices to flow and then just dive in with a spoon.
Tomato Dressed in Tomato on Toast sounds abundant and excessive in the best way possible. So genius! Cannot wait to make this. Debating running home from work for lunch to use my farmer’s market sungolds and She Wolf Bakery sourdough.
Every year around this time I make Smitten Kitchen’s Corn and Tomato Pie https://smittenkitchen.com/2009/08/tomato-and-corn-pie/ Our family calls it “Chaos Pie’ because without fail the day I decide to make it is the day we have 100 millions things happening. One year I was in the middle of making it while also taking a pregnancy test (positive! my daughter is now 7) and while our neighbors stopped for an unplanned visit and my toddler son was potty training. The recipe itself makes a sink full of dishes but is totally worth it. Tip – the pie is even better then next day
Tomatoes, basil and buffalo mozzarella..
I think them in their purest form – directly plucked and eaten whole while still warm from from the sun or sliced up with a bit of salt.
Exactly. One thing I miss from PA is the tomatoes and of course corn on the cob. I know I need to explore some tomato sources people on this blog have given me. But will anything ever beat Washington Boro tomatoes ?! Or even my childhood tomatoes. Years ago even local homegrown tomatoes were changed to be more ” shelf stable” But yeah all my life we ate them just cut up with Hellman’s mayo on the side. Or just some salt.
This is a traditionally Bangladeshi way of using tomatoes: tomato khatta. I grew up eating this and it is a comfort food for sure. I like eating it with hot white rice. I also leave out the chilis. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CWHQgMKjIj1/?igsi=aDdpM2t4Z2cyNzRk
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I’m excited to try it tonight over rice.
Lisa, let me know what you think!
Sliced bread of choice, tomatoe slices, chipotle mayo. Mmm
Tomato cobbler! I throw small, uncut tomatoes (cherry, grape, whatever is on hand) in a cast iron skillet tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and freshly torn basil. I top with sourdough biscuit dough and bake. I haven’t made yet this year but I’ve been perfecting my biscuit recipe and I might have to make this weekend.
Oooh – biscuit recipe please!
What a great idea!
toasted sourdough, Helmen’s, tomato’s, salt. thats it:) Perfection
Hellmans makes the difference!
Ooohhh but have you tried Dukes mayo? Us southerners swear by it!
Today, I quartered and eighthed tomatoes and dashed them with lemon juice, fish sauce and sesame oil. It was good.
My girlfriend gave me about 12 tomatoes from her garden and they are DIVINE, so I’ve made BLTs, bruschetta, and tonight is Smitten Kitchen’s rice-stuffed tomatoes.
I’ve been dying to rec this to someone— Zac Galifinakis has a gardening show, 15min bursts of goofy sweetness (and usually kids being ridiculous) while he interviews gardeners and farmers. The tomato ep is excellent late summer joy https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xa6bn0o
Seconded! It’s just the thing to distract your brain before bed :)
My favorite tomato recipes with tomatoes grown outside in a field somewhere. Even farm tomatoes grown in a greenhouse don’t cut it. 1. BLT. I like mine with basic white bread and iceberg lettuce. It’s even better when my mom makes them. Yes, I’m in my 40s and could theoretically make them myself, but why if I have my mom? 2. Pasta with raw tomato sauce. Here’s a recipe (I prefer linguine or spaghetti over angel hair). : https://smittenkitchen.com/2015/08/angel-hair-pasta-with-raw-tomato-sauce/ 3. Marinated cucumbers, tomatoes and onions. I used a mandoline to thinly slice the cucumbers and onion and I cut up a couple tomatoes. My marinade is apple cider vinegar, sugar and a sprinkling of celery seed. Done! I also like to toast a thick slice of sourdough. Add a swipe of homemade hummus, and top it off with a thick tomato slice, salt, pepper and basil. That’s one of the easiest summer lunches.
BLTs exactly as you described. Summer perfection. Nothing better. Especially with corn on the cob. The perfect summer meal. I made this meal all summer back East. My friends there still do. And actually had it all my life, yes, in childhood made by my mom !
Not necessarily tomato-related, but the Meredith Dairy cheese called out in the Greek salad is maybe my favorite food. It’s splurge-y, but omfg is it delicious. Would be an amazing hostess gift, too.
I grew so many tomatoes this year, like five Sungolds plus two other varieties, and I’ve eaten probably one handful all summer because my two-year-old son is apparently Peter Rabbit. It’s so cute though, I can’t even be mad lol
Sorry. Just give me tomatoes with mayo on white bread. Period.
White bread is simply a delivery device for tomatoes and mayo. Not Miracle Whip; it has to be real mayonnaise or it doesn’t count.
Dukes mayo, only.
Unless I make my own, Kewpie is the only mayo
Exactly. Hellmann’s.
My favorite summer tomato application is a raw tomato/basil pasta salad— simply mix some minced garlic with olive oil, salt, and pepper (and hot pepper flakes if your 3 yo doesn’t object) in a large bowl, then toss in halved cherry tomatoes or 1” cubes of any tomato and lots of sliced basil. Drain your pasta, toss it with the tomato/oil mixture, and revel in the tomatoey goodness.
Not a tomato gal and didn’t grow anything this year, but might try the last one.
favorite summer tomato recipe: stand in backyard, shoes optional, salt and pepper shakers in hand PICK TOMATO AND EAT IT!!!! runner-up: forever a BLT (dukes mayo only)
Oooooh I need to make BLTs this weekend!! Thanks for the reminder!
preferably in a bathing suit!
We were told to think of a happy place as a form of pain tolerance when giving birth. I still remember my husband massaging my shoulders and repeating over and over “BLTs on the dock in Muskoka. BLTs on the dock in Muskoka.”
Exactly. Never had Dukes. I’d have to say Hellmann’s but the rest of your summer tomato recipe, yes !!
I’m eating plain tomato toast with just garden tomatoes and mayo, salt and pepper, multiple times a day and loving it!! I wait for this moment all year, and although I’ve tried other variations, there is nothing better than the classic.
Amen, sister.