12 Tomato Recipes To Enjoy Now & Later

This time of year is a bonanza for anyone who enjoys cooking - or eating. Our garden is still moving at full steam, churning out zucchini, lettuce, arugala, eggplants, and herbs. And TOMATOES!

We planted eight tomato plants this season - two cherry varieties and six that are a mix of paste, a yellow-shouldered beefsteak, and another variety that produces adorably round and red little 'maters.

Although this is fewer plants than we've grown in years past, it's enough to produce a steady stream of delicious red fruit (yes, tomatoes are fruits, odd as that seems) that's keeping us in sauces and salads with some weekly harvests that are big enough to roast on sheet pans with garlic and herbs to freeze and I've also done one big batch of salsa that's now lining the shelves of our pantry. If the mild temps of fall stretch on long enough (a recent trend driven by climate change that I consider to be one of it's few silver linings), I hope to have enough to also process a batch or two of pureed tomatoes to can for the winter.

After years of facing an (over)abundance of tomatoes, I've developed a treasure trove of ways to enjoy them - both now and also later in the year, when the memory of these warm, sunny days and the pungent smell of the tomato plants' slightly sticky leaves and stalks is hazy and distant.

Here are seven of my favorite tomato recipes to make right now while the supply is strong and they are at their peak and five ways you can preserve summer's perfect tomatoes to enjoy all winter long.

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FOR NOW

1. Tomato Corn Pie With Butter-Brushed Biscuit Crust

Like everything Deb at Smitten Kitchen makes, this pie is heart-stoppingly delicious. Biscuit topping, sweet corn, tomatoes, and cheddar cheese make for serious summer-themed comfort food.

2. Summer Pasta with Tomatoes, Sweet Corn, Basil & Arugula (+ Optional Bacon)

This easy late summer meal is packed with great flavors and a nice mix of textures—crunchy corn, juicy tomatoes, crispy bacon (optional!), and just-tender pasta. Fresh arugula adds a nice peppery green counterpoint to the sweetness of the onions, corn, and tomatoes. A perfect weeknight dinner for the busy first few weeks of school.

3. Grilled Eggplant Stacks With Tomato, Feta & Basil

These leaning Tower of Pisa-esque delights are an easy way to make the most of the season's bounty. Grilled eggplant and tomato slices are drizzled with basil-infused olive oil, layered with sliced basil and feta cheese, seasoned with salt and pepper, and stacked for layers of melting-gooey-sweet-savory-herby yumminess.

4. Tomato Tart Two Ways (Or Invent Your Own Way)

Inspired by a recipe in one of the Canal House Cooking books that my fairy godmother, Kali makes, these impressively fancy-looking tarts are made very simple by the use of frozen puff pastry. Inspired by a recipe in one of the Canal House Cooking books that my fairy godmother, Kali makes, these impressively fancy-looking tarts are made very simple by the use of frozen puff pastry. Sweet ripe tomatoes, good cheese (either goat cheese or Gruyère), caramelized onions, and fresh thyme make these tarts a decadent treat. If you prefer a different treatment for the tomato toppings, go for it - the concept is simple and customizable.

5. Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Gratin

This is basically a healthier, lighter, and actually tastier take on eggplant parm that comes from Martha Rose Shulman's NYTimes series. It's packed with flavors, very hearty, and deeply satisfying. I consider it a must-make.

6. Provençal Vegetable Tian

This classic French tian is as gorgeous to look at as it is to eat. You alternate thin slices of tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplant in neat rows, drizzle generously with good olive oil, garlic, and fresh herbs, and let it slow-bake in the oven. The vegetables soften and caramelize in their own juices, creating a deeply flavorful side dish that pairs with almost anything.

7. Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce with Onion & Butter

This sublimely delicate, rich, yet fresh-tasting sauce is made with tomatoes, onion, and butter.Using butter instead of olive oil makes the sauce so rich and smooth and, well, buttery. It is a perfect way to elevate end-of-the-season tomatoes.

FOR LATER

1. Simple Tomato Sauce with Garlic & Herbs

Canning is a Project but you'll thank yourself on a cold, dark night when you haven't had a minute to think about what to make for dinner and can just grab a jar of this sauce from the shelf to go with your favorite pasta and a salad. I think of it as "summer in a jar."

2. Easy Heirloom Tomato Salsa

This recipe was given to me by my husband's beloved (and sadly departed) Aunt Maggie. It's just like her - refreshingly unfussy and undeniably awesome. We try to can enough jars to make it through the year until tomato season swings around again as storebought is for the birds after you've tried this recipe.

3. Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic & Herbs 

This is my go-to when I have too many tomatoes to eat and don't want to deal with canning anything. You can store them in a glass jar topped with a glug of olive oil and pop them in the freezer to defrost later in the year.

4. Tomato Soup - Like Campbells But Better

What better late fall or winter lunch is there than tomato soup? Line your pantry shelves with jars of this much better than Campbells soup to make you feel rich all winter long.

5. Tomato Jam

Remember when I mentioned earlier that tomatoes are fruits? Well, they make a fantastic jam - spiced, sweet and rich. Just the thing to take any cheese plate to eleven or give as a gift at holiday time.

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Easy, Cheap, Delicious: Homemade Granola with Nuts & Seeds

The best storebought granola brands have gotten SO pricey over the years that I can't bring myself to buy the stuff. Especially not with the looming specter of paying for two kids to go to college starting next year. GULP.

Fortunately, it's ridiculously easy to make my own granola just the way I like it -- lightly sweetened, made with hearty-healthy olive oil, and filled with nuts and seeds without any dried fruit. I do it roughly every two weeks and eat a bowl of this nutty crunchy goodness with fruit and yogurt every morning.

Saving money is great but don't underestimate how nice it is to have granola custom tailored to suit your tastebuds. As long as you have rolled oats, an oil (I like olive oil because I have to focus on heart healthy fats these days but you can use coconut, grapeseed, avocado, sunflower, canola, walnut or almond oil), and a sweetener (I prefer maple syrup because we make our own and usually have it on hand but you can also use honey, agave, or brown sugar), you can play around with all the add-ins (almonds, pecans, walnuts, pepitas, sunflower seeds, dried coconut, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, raisins, currants, orange or lemon zest, cacao nibs, cocoa powder, and more) to make your ideal granola.

The recipe below is a little different from the one I first posted way back in October 2007 right after I started writing this blog - how time flies! Although my current recipe cuts the sweetener in half, I think it still tastes plenty sweet. 

I've included all the variations you can use to make this basic recipe into your own favorite granola - go forth and customize!

-- print recipe --

Homemade Nut and Seed Granola
Makes about 5 cups

Ingredients

• 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (NOT instant or steel cut)
• 1/2 olive oil or other neutral oil of your choice
• 1/2 cup maple syrup or sweetener of choice
• 1 cup sliced almonds, walnuts, or pecans (omit if you don't like nuts or have a nut allergy)
• 1/4 cup raw sesame seeds (omit if you don't like sesame or have an allergy to seeds)
• 1/4 cup raw pepitas
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Optional: 1 cup raisins, currants, dried cranberries, dried cherries, dried apricots, dried blueberries, coconut flakes, etc.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a medium to large mixing bowl, combine the oats, nuts, seeds, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon.
3. Pour in the oil, sweetener, and vanilla and mix well until everything is well-coated
4. Spread the mixture on a heavy baking sheet in a single layer.
5. Bake for about 22-25 minutes, stirring once at 10-12 minutes into the baking. If you want to add coconut flakes, add them at the halfway point so they get a little browned. The goal is to get everything browned but not burnt.
6. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
7. If you're adding dried fruit, stir it into the granola once it's fully cool.
8. Store in an airtight glass container. It should keep for 1-2 weeks, if it does not all get eaten before then.

* GLUTEN-FREE FOLKS: Although oats are naturally gluten-free, they are often contaminated with wheat, barley, or rye during farming, transport, or processing. To make your granola gluten-free, seek out and use certified gluten-free oats. 

You might also like:

Braised Kale, Tomato & Egg Sandwich

Savory Ham & Cheese Waffles with Fresh Rosemary

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

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Basil Pesto

What does summer taste like? 

PESTO! Bright, nutty, herbaceous, and full of flavor. 

Fortunately, pesto is delicious both when you first make it and also freezes beautifully for months when well-sealed, so you can enjoy it long after summer is over. You'll thank yourself on some cold dark December day when you're feeling uninspired about making dinner.

Follow these simple instructions and feel free adapt it to suit your tastes and dietary needs. The only musts are oil, basil, and salt although I'd make a strong case for garlic. You can make it without nuts and/or without cheese with excellent results. 

Things you can play around with:

• Type of nuts - pine nuts, roasted cashews, walnuts, roasted almonds are all options.
• Herbs - carrot tops make a delicious pesto, ditto cilantro, and you can add parsley, too. Adding some wild ramp leaves or garlic mustard greens also gives pesto a different flavor and zip when those are in season.

I like to make a batch without nuts and a batch without cheese to freeze so I can accomodate those who can't eat nuts or dairy. To keep them straight in my freezer, I label the dairy-free batch Pesto Daniel in honor of a family member who can't eat dairy and the nut-free batch Pesto Luca in honor of our son's friend who has a nut allergy. 

Here is a quick video showing my process (speeded up a bit!)

If you're feeling fancy, feel free to grind this all by hand in a mortar and pestle but as I am usually short on time and also dealing with a huge amount of basil to process, the food processor is my tool of choice.

-- print recipe --

Basil Pesto
Makes 2/3 cup

Ingredients

• 2 cups (packed) fresh basil leaves, washed and dried thoroughly
• 1 clove of garlic , peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup pinenuts
• 1/4 cup parmesan or romano cheese, grated (optional)
• 1/3 cup 4xtra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt to taste

Directions

1. Place the basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic and cheese in the bowl of a cuisinart or other food processor and add the salt.
2. Turn the food processor on and add the olive oil in a steady stream. Blend/process until smooth or to desired consistency.
3. Taste the pesto and adjust the salt as needed. Transfer to an air tight jar or container with a tight lid and top with olive oil to slow oxidation, preserving that bright green color.
4. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks or in the freezer for several months. The top of the pesto will turn brown as it oxidizes but it is still good and if you dig down below the top, the rest should still be that lovely brilliant green.

You might also like:

Grilled Eggplant Stacks with Tomato, Feta & Basil

Eat Your Weeds: Garlic Mustard Greens Pesto

Summer Pasta with Tomatoes, Corn, Basil & Bacon

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