Fresh tomatoes add so much flavor to any meal. Throwing them onto the grill is even better! They cook up quickly and caramelize on the charred grill deliciously. Adding a simple vinaigrette takes them to the next level. Eat solo or throw them on top of a burger or sandwich. Grilled Tomatoes quickly and easily upgrade any meal!

Mmmm, I love summer. I plan to enjoy every morsel of summer sun that shines upon our sometimes-frigid state. We Minnesotans are funny like that. In the summertime, if we are not working, we are ALWAYS outside. Every single one of us. Every lake, sidewalk and waterpark is packed full of people. In the spring, when it’s, you know, 40 degrees, you can find us all outside donning short-sleeved shirts. I blame it on the intense winters we endure. They make us crazy! We certainly do appreciate our outdoor/warm sun time (or anything above 40-degree sun time).

If we are not throwing frisbees in a park or taking our kids down waterslides, we are grilling! Nothing screams “I love warm weather!” quite like grilling. My husband and I grill a lot. Well, he works a lot this time of year, so we grill as much as we can. Dan’s great at preparing this Smoky Chipotle Mango BBQ Chicken recipe – give it a try – so good! The other night while he grilled some delicious burgers for dinner, I grilled tomatoes! Dear goodness, these were fantastic! They were super easy and packed full of flavor.

PREPARING GRILLED TOMATOES WITH HERBS & LEMONS

Such a simple addition to your meal will make you glad you added this recipe!

STEP 1

Heat a grill to medium-high heat.

In a small bowl, combine:

2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and ground pepper, to taste

STEP 2

Halve 4 large tomatoes crosswise and brush the cut sides with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

STEP 3

Place them cut-side down onto the grill. Grill for 4 minutes. Flip the tomatoes and grill until the skins begin to char, 3 minutes.

Transfer to a serving plate, cut sides up.

STEP 4

Drizzle the lemon-herb mixture over top, and serve warm.

That night I ate just what you see in the photo. A burger and two grilled tomatoes.

The next day, I added a leftover grilled tomato to a turkey sandwich. YUM.

And that night, I added a leftover grilled tomato to a leftover burger. YUM YUM.

COOKING TIPS:

Make sure to select firm but ripe tomatoes.
Slice the tomato from around the girth of the tomato vs pole to pole to help the tomato hold its form before and after grilling them up.

TYPES OF TOMATOES TO USE

Roma tomatoes are firm and great for eating in salads. You can grill this type of tomato but they are smaller and you wouldn’t get as much out of each slice.
Beef Steak or heirloom tomatoes are great if they are available and firm and ripe.

THIS RECIPE GOES WELL WITH:

Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak

Easy Baked Meatballs

Instant Pot Chicken Breasts

Easy Chicken Rice Bake

Fried Walleye

BENEFITS OF EATING TOMATOES

Tomatoes offer a good source of Vitamin C and potassium, folate and Vitamin K. The lycopene in tomatoes has been shown to reduce risk of heart disease and promotes healthy skin. I think we should all be eating lots of tomatoes!

YOU CAN ENJOY TOMATOES IN SO MANY GOOD MEALS – TRY A FEW OF MY FAVORITES!

HAVE A GOOD HARVEST OF TOMATOES? FREEZE THEM!

You can put those tomatoes to good use another time! Let me give you the instructions how in my post on How To Freeze Tomatoes.