Fresh Tomato Basil Salad: This flavorful, 4-ingredient and 5-minute salad will brighten any day no matter how dreary!

Personally, I only like winter weather when Christmas is involved. The cold weather is the perfect excuse to stay inside–curled by the fireplace of course– sipping hot cocoa and listening to an old Nat King Cole record. If that’s not the picture of Christmas, then I don’t know what is.

But once the season has passed and I can no longer dream of a white Christmas, I am so over winter. What’s the point of early evenings and triple-layers if I can’t watch Miracle on 34th Street? If I had control over the weather, winter would stop right after New Years and we would move on to the glorious spring weather.

Where I could eat this salad day in and day out with a side of lemon blueberry cheesecake. #iwasmadeforsunnydays

Where I’m from, spring is the best time of the year (next to fall–I’m indecisive and can never pick which one I like most. I’m a girl; it’s my prerogative to be unapologetically undecided, right?). It’s practically a Joe Nichols country song with spring usually being sunny with a high of 75 with a little rain sprinkled in here and there (but we’re in a pretty big drought over here so the rain is more like there, wherever that is–the East Coast maybe? I hear you all are having some pretty epic snowstorms ).

So this spring/summery-looking salad is the perfect way to bring the spring weather straight into your home and mouth. While it may not feel like spring yet, this salad certainly tastes like it.

This tomato basil salad is practically the topping for bruschetta. So while this salad is good on its own, it’s awesome on top of toasted bread (preferably sourdough because YUM), on pizza, on a salad (salad inception right there), and while I didn’t try it, probably pretty bomb in an omelet. What I’m saying here–this salad can be used for everything.

You won’t regret throwing together this 4-ingredient 5-minute salad.

In the words of Ina Garten, “Now, how easy was that?”

Fresh Tomato Basil Salad

Prep: 10

Total: 10

Sweet red and yellow tomatoes make this easy summer salad. Basil, olive oil, and salt and pepper are all you need to make this light salad.

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Ingredients

▢ 1/4 cup olive oil
▢ 1 pint yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
▢ 1 pint red cherry tomatoes, halved
▢ 8 basil leaves
▢ salt and pepper to taste, optional

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine olive oil and chopped tomatoes. Toss together.
Slice the basil leaves in thin strips (stack the basil leaves on top of each other, roll like a cigar, and slice). Toss chopped basil leaves in with the tomatoes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Enjoy!

The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American