These mind-blowing grilled tomatoes are easy and packed with smoky, juicy flavor. Serve them with herbs for a sensational summer treat.

Speechless. That’s what you’ll be after trying these grilled tomatoes (at least, we hope!). Here at A Couple Cooks we’ve made almost all the grilled vegetables, but tomatoes were something new. Take one bite and it’s true magic: smoky, pure sweet tomato, with a melt-in-your-mouth quality that makes you immediately want to shout how delicious they are. These grilled tomatoes work as a side dish or appetizer for a grilled dinner. Drizzle with olive oil and top with fresh herbs, and it’s the very best summer treat you could imagine.

Ingredients for grilled tomatoes

You only need a handful of ingredients for grilled tomatoes! The tomatoes in particular should be good quality. Here’s what you need:

• Large, firm ripe tomatoes: this is important! The tomatoes must be ripe, but not so soft that they’ll fall apart on the grill.
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh herbs: we used fresh thyme and oregano

If you’d like, you can add a few feta cheese crumbles too (we did). But it’s not necessary for flavor! The olive oil and herbs bring such a big punch, it’s at its core a vegan and plant-based grilled recipe.

High quality, ripe tomatoes are a must!

Great grilled tomatoes start with great tomatoes. While some cooking methods can cover over sub-bar ingredients, grilling requires great tomatoes. Here’s what to know:

• Best choice: Local farmers market tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, or garden tomatoes. These are full of the most nuanced, tasty flavor. And you can support local growers!
• Ripe grocery store tomatoes: Grocery tomatoes are best during tomato season. If you’re buying in the off season, some brands of hydroponic greenhouse tomatoes can have better flavor. Just don’t buy pink or hard tomatoes.

How to grill tomatoes: time and temperature

All you really need to know about grill tomatoes is the grill temperature and timing. Memorize these few things, and then make this recipe on repeat all summer! Here are the basic steps for how to grill tomatoes (or jump to the recipe):

• Preheat a grill to medium high heat: that’s 375 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit).
• Cut the tomatoes in half latitudinally: around the horizontal axis, not through the top.
• Rub with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Grill 4 to 5 minutes per side, until tender and charred. Be very careful when flipping the tomatoes, and use a confident, strong motion with your spatula.
• Serve with olive oil, more salt to taste, and chopped fresh herbs.

More ways to season grilled tomatoes

The simplest way to serve grilled tomatoes is as we listed above. But if you want to get even fancier, here are some ideas:

• Balsamic drizzle. Add a touch of balsamic reduction for sweet tart sophistication.
• Grilled Caprese salad. Layer with slices of fresh mozzarella and top with fresh basil for a grilled spin on Caprese salad.
• Crostini. Gently chop the tomatoes (using a serrated knife) and serve with crostini or goat cheese crostini.

Make it a meal!

Grilled tomatoes work with lots of different cuisines; they’re especially perfect with Mediterranean-style meals. Here are a few ways to accessorize them to make a grilled dinner:

• Grilled portobello burger or veggie burger. Try a Perfect Portobello Burger or Grilled Veggie Burger.
• Grilled shrimp or scallops. This Perfect Grilled Shrimp or Grilled Scallops would make a fantastic pair.
• Grilled fish. Try Perfect Grilled Salmon or Easy Cedar Plank Salmon.

This grilled tomatoes recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.

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More fresh tomato recipes to try

Need more recipes for when summer tomatoes are juicy and ripe? Here are our top fresh tomato recipes to try:

• Best Pico de Gallo Just 6 ingredients, it’s ideal for tortilla chips and topping for fish or tacos.
• Tomato, Basil & Mozzarella Salad Who can resist the magic of Caprese salad?
• Fresh Tomato Salad One of the best ways to eat a tomato…period.
• Best Salsa Recipe This really is the best salsa recipe, perfect for perfectly ripe tomatoes.
• Tomato Cucumber Salad Ripe tomatoes, cool cucumbers and savory red onion.
• Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad This one has a Mexican flair with avocado, lime and cilantro.

A Couple Cooks - Healthy, Whole Food, & Vegetarian Recipes