If you’re searching for the best heirloom tomato recipes, you’ve come to the right place!
Perhaps you’ve grown your own heirloom tomatoes or found them at a farmer’s market or local grocery stores. While heirloom tomatoes are in-season during the summer, you can often find them year-round at Whole Foods or local markets.
What should you do with a lot of heirloom tomatoes? We can help! First let’s learn a little bit about why heirloom tomatoes are so great…
Why are heirloom tomatoes so special?
Why are heirlooms called heirlooms? Why are they special?
Heirloom tomatoes are special because their seeds are passed down from season to season (prior to 1940). The farmers and tomato growers take the seeds from the tomato plants that produced the very best fruit. That’s why they’re called heirlooms!
Some saved heirloom seeds can be 50 (or even 100) years old!
Heirloom tomatoes are also open-pollinated, which means that they are pollinated naturally out in the open world by birds, insects, bees, etc.
Why do Heirloom Tomatoes taste better?
They’re juicy, colorful and oh so delicious. Why do heirlooms taste so much better?
Regular commercial tomatoes are bred to be perfectly red and round. They’re manipulated so they can be shipped all over the world so they’re sturdy and uniform in shape and size. Sadly, tomatoes have lost a lot of their natural flavor quality in this quest for mass production in quantity.
Heirloom tomatoes, however, have retained their natural qualities because they’ve been passed down and carefully bred by small farmers for generations. In doing so, you’ll quickly discover that heirloom tomatoes are the very best in taste.
Because of their heirloom status, they’re often more expensive than traditional tomatoes. Heirloom tomatoes are also oddly shaped and often very colorful (from green and yellow to red and purple).
The Best Heirloom Tomato Recipes
From heirloom cherry tomatoes to easy heirloom tomato recipes, bookmark this list! Keep in mind that the key to cooking with heirloom tomatoes is to let them shine. Don’t cook them too much! They’re meant to shine rather than be hidden in sauces or stews.
Heirloom Tomato Salsa is one of my favorite uses for these delicious tomatoes. It retains their flavor and it’s perfect for a side of tortilla chips and a margarita on a hot summer evening!
Heirloom Tomato Caprese Salad is a classic recipe to enjoy all season long!
Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta is the perfect heirloom tomato party appetizer!
Southern Heirloom Tomato Pie – A classic favorite in the South, serve up this heirloom tomato pie with a side salad for an easy lunch or weeknight meal!
Heirloom Tomato Avocado Salad is a colorful masterpiece and the addition of burrata takes this recipe over the top!
Heirloom Tomato Arugula Salad is ready in just 15 minutes! I love this with a grilled steak of salmon!
Heirloom Tomato Tart is such a gorgeous dish, it will wow family and friends all summer long!
Heirloom Tomato Herb Pasta is a fresh and flavorful pasta that lets your heirloom tomatoes shine!
Heirloom Tomato Frico Cups would look fabulous on a pretty platter for your summer entertaining season!
Steak Heirloom Stack is the perfect way to add a protein to the heirloom tomato mix! Try with chicken or fish too!
Baked Parmesan Heirloom Tomatoes are a warm and cozy recipe that’s perfect for a quick dinner with a salad or soup!
Spicy Heirloom Tomato Whipped Herb Bites will satisfy spicy lovers like my husband!
Do you have a favorite recipe with heirloom tomatoes? Leave me a comment below!
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