21 Tomato Recipes Worth Making While They’re in Season

I grow tomatoes at home every summer, but I’ll still happily grab a few extra at the farmers market or store when they look too good to leave behind. They’re sweeter, juicier, and usually much cheaper than they are the rest of the year, so now is the perfect time to make the most of them! Most of these dishes put fresh summer tomatoes front and center, but I’ve also included a few recipes that use canned tomatoes for good measure. You’ll find salads, hearty dinners, cozy soups, and easy dishes made for sharing, all proving tomatoes are good for far more than topping a salad!

Hearty Dinners Featuring Tomatoes

Tomatoes deserve a whole lot more credit than just being a salad ingredient. They cook down into silky sauces, roast until they’re rich and jammy, and add brightness to everything from pasta to stuffed vegetables. These hearty dinner recipes all let tomatoes take center stage.

1. Creamy Tomato Spinach Pasta

Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta

Easier than a box meal, this creamy tomato and spinach pasta is also more flavorful and delicious. 100% real ingredients. Perfect for busy weeknights!

4.66 from 649 votes

$4.80 recipe / $1.20 serving Get the Recipe

Our quick-cooking creamy tomato spinach pasta is a great one to keep handy when summer dinner needs to stay simple. It comes together in about 30 minutes with pantry staples, and the tomatoes melt into a creamy sauce that coats the noodles. Toss in a few handfuls of spinach at the end, and you’ve got an easy weeknight dinner with barely any effort.

2. Angel Hair Pasta Pomodoro

Angel Hair Pasta Pomodoro

Angel Hair Pasta Pomodoro is an easy weeknight pasta recipe with tomatoes, olive oil, and herbs tossed with delicate noodles that cook in just 2 minutes!

4.80 from 10 votes

$5.21 recipe / $0.65 serving Get the Recipe

This angel hair pasta pomodoro is one of my favorite ways to let fresh tomatoes do what they do best. It has a short ingredient list, cooks quickly, and tastes wonderfully fresh thanks to ripe tomatoes, basil, garlic, and olive oil. I use angel hair because it cooks in just a few minutes, making this an easy way to turn in-season tomatoes into dinner.

3. Baked Feta Pasta

Baked Feta Pasta

This baked Feta Pasta recipe is made with budget-friendly roasted Roma tomatoes, onion, garlic, pasta, and a creamy block of feta! Easy and SO delicious!

4.86 from 7 votes

$11.05 recipe / $2.76 serving Get the Recipe

My version of feta pasta keeps the viral favorite budget-friendly by using Roma tomatoes, but you can definitely use cherry or plum tomatoes if you’ve got them growing at home! The tomatoes roast until sweet and juicy, creating a creamy sauce with almost no extra work. Once everything is soft and bubbling, just stir it together and toss it with the pasta.

4. Tuscan White Bean Stuffed Tomatoes

Tuscan White Bean Stuffed Tomatoes

This Tuscan White Bean Stuffed Tomatoes recipe is hearty, warming, and deeply satisfying. It's also budget-friendly and easy to make!

4.34 from 9 votes

$9.42 recipe / $2.35 serving Get the Recipe

If you’ve never tried my Tuscan white bean stuffed tomatoes, prepare to be surprised by how filling they are. I packed the stuffing with white beans, four types of veggies, herbs, and Parmesan, so every tomato becomes a complete meal. They’re certainly hearty enough for dinner but still feel fresh and summery!

5. Tomato Pie

Tomato Pie

This homemade tomato pie recipe is the perfect way to use up fresh summer tomatoes. It's creamy and tangy, and the leftovers are fantastic!

4.46 from 22 votes

$14.14 recipe / $1.76 serving Get the Recipe

When tomato season is in full swing, I always make at least one tomato pie. Juicy summer tomatoes, fresh basil, a tangy cheese and mayonnaise filling, and a flaky puff pastry crust come together to make one seriously delicious slice. It’s perfect for brunch, lunch, or an easy summer dinner, and I think the leftovers are even better the next day.

Tomato Soup Recipes

Soup might not be the first thing that comes to mind during tomato season, but it’s one of the best ways to use a generous haul! These recipes range from quick and comforting to chilled and refreshing, with several that can be frozen for another day.

6. Roasted Tomato Soup

Roasted Tomato Soup

Roasted tomato soup is made with fresh tomatoes, onions, and garlic that are slowly roasted until the flavors are deep, sweet, and cozy!

4.43 from 14 votes

$8.62 recipe / $2.16 serving Get the Recipe

Roasting makes all the difference in this roasted tomato soup. The tomatoes caramelize in the oven, which concentrates their sweetness and gives the soup a deep, rich flavor that fresh tomatoes alone can’t match. If you prefer a creamy bowl, I’d stir in a splash of heavy cream, half-and-half, or coconut milk before serving.

7. Tomato Lentil Soup

Tomato Lentil Soup

This tomato lentil soup is full of vegetables and herbs for a simple, flavorful, and warming winter soup. Makes great leftovers!

4.92 from 49 votes

$4.74 recipe / $0.79 serving Get the Recipe

Tomato lentil soup is one of those recipes I come back to because it’s comforting without taking all afternoon to make. Red lentils cook quickly, naturally thicken the soup, and add plenty of plant-based protein to make it satisfying enough for lunch or dinner!

8. Salmorejo

Salmorejo

Salmorejo is a cold Spanish soup that's delicious, creamy, easy to make, and a great way to use up summer tomatoes and day-old bread! On a hot summer day, it's pure tangy, velvety, perfection.

3.75 from 4 votes

$9.78 recipe / $1.22 serving Get the Recipe

Cold soup might sound unusual at first, but salmorejo makes total sense once summer is in full swing. Tomatoes, crusty bread, garlic, olive oil, and vinegar blend into a velvety soup that feels surprisingly substantial for such a short ingredient list. I’d definitely serve it well chilled on the hottest days.

9. Swamp Soup

Swamp Soup Recipe

A thick, tomatoey vegetable soup with "swampy" bits of spinach and gooey swiss cheese make this unconventional Swamp Soup unforgettable!

4.65 from 53 votes

$11.44 recipe / $1.43 serving Get the Recipe

Our swamp soup is basically tomato soup with the volume turned all the way up. Tomato sauce and diced tomatoes make the broth thick and hearty, frozen spinach adds plenty of vegetables with no chopping, and those gooey cubes of Swiss cheese are hands down the best part. It’s ready in about 30 minutes and makes eight servings, so it’s a great one for feeding a family or stocking the freezer.

10. Sopa de Letras

Sopa De Letras

Sopa De Letras, or alphabet soup, is a delicious and hearty tomato-based Mexican soup that's packed with flavor and ready in twenty!

4.59 from 12 votes

$6.70 recipe / $0.84 serving Get the Recipe

My daughter would be all over the alphabet pasta in sopa de letras, but I’m here for how quick and affordable it is. Roma tomatoes, onion, garlic, and vegetable broth are blended into the base, then the pasta is toasted before simmering, so it gets a little extra flavor. The whole pot is ready in just 20 minutes!

Fresh & Easy Summer Favorites

Tomatoes are one of my favorite budget ingredients when they’re in season because they can go in just about anything. These recipes stretch a few ripe ones into salads, sandwiches, salsa, and dressing with very little fuss.

11. Cucumber Tomato Salad

Cucumber Tomato Salad

This Cucumber Tomato Salad is a cold, crunchy, juicy mix of cucumbers, tomatoes, bell pepper, red onion, parsley, and feta tossed in a simple red wine oregano vinaigrette.

4.17 from 95 votes

$6.62 recipe / $1.10 serving Get the Recipe

Fresh tomatoes and crisp cucumbers were made for each other, and our cucumber tomato salad proves it. The simple vinaigrette lets the vegetables do the talking, and it pairs with just about anything coming off the grill!

12. Tomato Sandwiches

Tomato Sandwiches

Tomato sandwiches are a summertime staple. With juicy ripe tomatoes, creamy mayonnaise, and soft bread, they're a simple summer delight!

4.89 from 17 votes

$1.32 each Get the Recipe

I made these classic tomato sandwiches for lunch the other day, and they reminded me how good simple food can be. A perfectly ripe tomato, soft bread, mayonnaise, and plenty of black pepper really don’t need much else.