The Ultimate Green Tomato Salad: A Must-Try Summer Dish

Welcome to our blog post on green tomato salad! If you’re a fan of tomatoes but are looking for something little different, green tomatoes might just be the ingredient you’re looking for. These unripened tomatoes have a slightly sour and tangy flavor that adds a unique twist to any dish.

In this post, we’ll share some of our favorite green tomato salad recipes that are perfect for summertime. From classic green tomato salads to more creative and unique dishes, there’s something for everyone here. So grab your green tomatoes, and let’s get cooking!

The benefits of including green tomatoes in your diet include:

• Increased levels of lycopene and beta-carotene.
• Rich in antioxidants, including ascorbic acid, vitamin C, and Vitamin E. The darker the green color, the more antioxidant power you’ll gain from eating them (so stick to green tomatoes that are brighter if you want to eat the most).
• Lowers cholesterol (green tomatoes are an excellent source of lycopene; this phytochemical is known to reduce your chances of developing heart disease. Eating green tomatoes can help lower your LDL cholesterol (the “bad” kind) and boost your HDL cholesterol levels.
• Protects against rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.
• High in potassium, folate, vitamin A, phosphorus, and copper helps the body function properly.

These are just a few of the high-quality nutritional benefits of green tomato salads.

Classic green tomato salad recipes

Recipe 1: Simple green tomato and lettuce salad

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb of green tomatoes, chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 head of lettuce, shredded
• 1/4 cup of olive oil (or coconut oil)
• dash or two of salt (to taste)

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for about 2 hours before serving. This will give the salad time for all the flavors to mix. Enjoy!

Recipe 2: Green tomato, onion, and bacon salad

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup diced green tomatoes
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• Five slices of bacon, cooked and chopped into pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon of thyme

Directions:

Cook the bacon on a non-stick pan until it is crispy. Next, cook the onion on medium heat until they are both soft. Let these cool and mix in with the tomatoes and thyme. Add salt and pepper to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon each should be enough).

Recipe 3: Green tomato and avocado salad

Ingredients:

• 2 sliced green tomatoes, cut into small pieces.
• 1 small sliced onion, cut into small pieces.
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (olive oil) plus 1 tablespoon for cooking the onions.
• dash of salt and pepper to taste (to taste)

Directions:

1. Mix the ingredients in a bowl. Cook the onions and tomatoes in a saucepan on medium heat with a pinch of salt. Cook until tender and soft (about 5 minutes). Add olive oil to the tomatoes and heat for another minute. 
2. If you want, add sea salt on top of your salad. Mix and serve.

Recipe 4: Caramelized onion and green tomato salad

Ingredients:

• 1 chopped red onion, about 1/2 cup.
• 1/4 cup olive oil or coconut oil for cooking the onions.
• 3 large green tomatoes, cut into small pieces (about 1 cup worth).

Directions:

Heat the coconut or olive oil in a saucepan on medium heat. Add the onions and heat until they become soft and transparent (about 4 minutes). Add the tomatoes to the saucepan once you are done cooking the onions. Cook on medium heat until the tomatoes are soft and transparent.

Recipe 5: Classic green tomato, mustard, and blue cheese salad

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup bulgur wheat or cracked wheat.
• 1 cup raw shelled edamame beans.
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt (1 tablespoon to 1 full cup of organic coconut yogurt if you wish to make a non-dairy version) plus more for garnish.
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil for cooking the onions and greens.
• 3/4 cup chopped green tomatoes.
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard.
• Blue cheese crumbles to garnish.

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. You can add more blue cheese and yogurt to customize the dressing if you wish. Enjoy!

Recipe 6: Green tomatoes and corn salad

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of assorted vegetables (corn, green beans, carrots, peas). You can use all the same vegetables if you wish.
• 1/3 cup of chopped parsley.
• 1/4 cup olive oil or coconut oil.
• Dash of salt and pepper to taste (to taste)

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl together and refrigerate for about 1 hour before serving it with a dash of salt. Enjoy!

Recipe 7: Green tomatoes, onion, and avocado salad

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of large green tomatoes, diced.
• 1/2-1 small red onion, diced.
• 1/2 cup of avocado, cut into small pieces (or 1 slice of avocado to garnish).
• 1/4 cup coconut oil or olive oil.
• Sea salt and pepper to taste (to taste)

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Enjoy!

Creative green tomato salad recipes

Recipe 8: Green tomato and shrimp salad

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of mixed salad (lettuce, spinach, chard, or other preferred salad greens). You can use all the same greens if you wish.
• 1 cup of cooked shrimp.
• 1/4 cup of olive oil or coconut oil for cooking the shrimp.
• 1 diced green tomato for garnish.
• Sea salt and pepper to taste (to taste)

Directions:

1. Heat the oil on a pan and cook the shrimp until it is pink or until it has a firmer texture. Remove from heat and mix with the onions and tomatoes.
2. Sprinkle sea salt to taste on top of your salad.
3. Garnish with chopped parsley on top of your salad and a slice of avocado. Enjoy!

Recipe 9: Green tomato, onion, and roasted eggplant salad

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped green tomatoes.
• 1/2 cup chopped onions.
• 1/4 cup olive oil (coconut oil) plus 1 tablespoon for cooking the onions.
• 1 cup roasted eggplant (recipe below).
• 1/2 cup of cooked shrimp.
• Sea salt and pepper to taste (to taste)

Directions:

Bring a pan on medium heat. Add olive oil and onions. Cook for about 5 minutes until the onions become soft. Add the tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.

Mix in the eggplant with the dressing and cook for another 5-10 minutes on medium heat until they are soft. Mix shrimp into the mixture if you wish to include them. Allow this to cook for another 5-10 minutes until the shrimp are cooked.

Garnish with parsley on top of your salad and a slice of avocado. Enjoy!

Recipe 10: Green tomato, onion, and roasted cauliflower salad

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower florets (about 1.5 cups).
• 1/4 cup olive oil or coconut oil for cooking the onions.
• 3 large green tomatoes, diced (about 1 cup worth).
• 1/2 cup diced onion.
• Sea salt and pepper to taste (to taste)

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until soft. Mix in more olive oil if you need to have your mixture roasted. Enjoy!

Tips for preparing green tomato salads

1. Instead of cutting green tomatoes into wedges, you can also slice them in half through the core. This is a more nutritious and less work way to get more out of the benefits of green tomatoes.
2. If you eat raw salad, mix guacamole into it before serving it. Cucumber slices and parsley leaves can also be added to add some crunchiness as well.
3. You can even drizzle olive oil to flavor your salad.
4. If you plan on taking the salad out of the fridge before serving, let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes. You can also see how much time your greens will take to become soft in the fridge before deciding how many minutes they would need to leave.
5. Enjoy!

Conclusion

There are wide varieties of green tomatoes, and it is pretty challenging to pinpoint how much these vegetables should be eaten.

However, many experts recommend around one-quarter to a half of a cup or less per your body weight. However, if you want to even up the numbers, you can start with half of your weight in ounces and work out from there.

Today’s post only covered green tomatoes’ main benefits and uses. I hope this guide gave you some insight into the benefits of green tomatoes, their uses, and how to make them at home.

If you have any questions or comments, please share your thoughts below! Also, if you would like an updated post on this matter, please leave your comments below.