Photograph by Virginia Willis
Garden-ripe tomatoes are one of summer’s greatest pleasures. Once I get them in my kitchen, their complex balance of sweet, tart, and umami flavors is a never-ending source of inspiration. In warmer months, I voraciously enjoy them at nearly every meal. Tomato cheese toast with a thin slice of Vidalia onion—that’s my kind of breakfast. Tomatoes can be the main course, a side dish, a salad, an appetizer, and yes, even blitzed into a beverage. Bloody Mary, anyone?
Tomatoes in peak season require little to no cooking, making them great for no-fuss suppers at home as well as stress-free cookouts with friends. This trio of tomato recipes is streamlined with ease in mind: Tomato and Peach Gazpacho with Chilled Shrimp Skewers, One-Pan Baked Tomato and Goat Cheese Crostini, and Stuffed Summer Tomatoes with Herb Aioli. Both the gazpacho and the salad can be made ahead, always a plus. And the baked tomato crostini is astonishingly simple to prepare.
Whether you have gone overboard at the farmers market, have an abundant home garden surplus, or, like me, simply have an appetite for enjoying this juicy treat while in season, these recipes put tomatoes in the spotlight and are certain to satisfy.
Photograph by Virginia Willis
Tomato and Peach Gazpacho with Chilled Shrimp Skewers
Serves 4
In the hot days of summer, this soup is a refreshing cold supper. Sweet Georgia peaches lend a honey sweetness to the earthy tomatoes and tart vinegar, creating a flavorful sweet and sour combination. Served with chilled, ready-to-eat shrimp, the minimal effort offers a mighty payoff.
I love to freeze any leftovers in popsicle molds for a savory treat to enjoy later.
- 5 medium peaches, peel on, for both soup and garnish
- 1 pound ripe tomatoes, cored and quartered
- ½ onion, preferably Vidalia, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- Cooked, peeled, tail-on large shrimp, defrosted if frozen
- 1 lemon, cut into eight wedges
- 1 small bunch fresh mint, for serving
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving
Pit and quarter 4 of the 5 peaches. Reserve the remaining one peach to dice just before serving for garnish.
Combine the tomatoes, the 4 quartered peaches, onion, vinegar, garlic, and cayenne pepper in a blender fitted with the metal blade. Season with salt and pepper. Puree until smooth. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour. (Take the time here to also chill the serving bowls.)
Thread the defrosted shrimp onto skewers. Transfer to a platter with the lemon wedges. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
When ready to serve, taste and adjust the soup for seasoning with salt and pepper. Pit and chop the remaining peach into ¼-inch dice. Remove the shrimp from the refrigerator and scatter a few mint sprigs over the skewered shrimp with lemon.
Ladle the soup into chilled bowls. Top each serving with a spoonful of peaches and a small sprig of mint. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and season again with freshly ground pepper.
Serve each bowl with a skewer of shrimp. Serve immediately.
Photograph by Virginia Willis
Stuffed Summer Tomatoes with Herb Aioli
Serves 4
Large beefsteak tomatoes are tasty vessels for a summer salad. I like a mix of raw and cooked ingredients, either freshly sauteed as shown here, or as a great way to use up the remnants of past meals. Have a cup or so of leftover peas or butterbeans? Toss them into the mix. Other raw summer vegetables that can be added include cucumber, radishes, and sweet bell peppers. Raw okra may surprise you, but it’s a crisp addition to this uber-seasonal salad.
A large tomato roughly the size of a softball will hold about ¾ cup of vegetable filling once it’s mounded beyond the tomato rim.
- 4 large tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon pure olive oil
- 1 onion, preferably Vidalia, diced
- 2 zucchinis, diced
- Scraped kernels from 2 ears fresh sweet corn (about 1 cup kernels)
- Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 carrot, peeled, thinly sliced into rounds
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 4 pods raw okra, stem end removed and thinly sliced on the bias
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 garlic clove, peeled, very finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped mixed fresh herbs such as parsley, basil, chives, and cilantro, plus additional herbs for garnish
- 4 leaves lettuce, such as iceberg or Romaine, for serving
To form tomato shells, with a serrated knife, core each tomato, discarding the stem and core. Slice off the top quarter of the cored tomatoes. Set aside.
Using a melon baller or a spoon, scoop out the seeds and pulp of the topless tomatoes to create a shell, transferring the juices and pulp to a large bowl. Using your hands, squish the pulp and seeds until smooth but slightly chunky.
Dice the tops of the reserved tomato “lids.” Add to the bowl with the tomato pulp. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, zucchini, and corn kernels. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just tender, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Once cool to the touch, add the cooked vegetables to the bowl with the reserved diced tomato and tomato pulp. Add the carrot, celery, okra, mayonnaise, garlic, and chopped herbs. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.
Fill each tomato shell with a heaping scoop of vegetables. Line serving plates with a leaf of lettuce. Place the filled tomato on top and garnish with an additional sprig of herb. Serve immediately.
Photograph by Virginia Willis
One-Pan Baked Tomato and Goat Cheese Crostini
Makes about 2 dozen toasts
Cherry and grape tomatoes shine in this dish. The tomatoes swell and soften, some bursting, some not. It’s a great way to use up the smaller tomatoes if your garden crop overwhelms you or you are faced with tomatoes a little past their prime.
Crostini are Italian appetizers of little toasts topped with various ingredients. This simple one-pan appetizer creates the “toast” and the “topping” all at once. There’s no need to toast the bread separately, offering ease as well as an eye-popping presentation. If goat cheese isn’t your thing, try a hunk of feta or queso fresco.
- 10.5-ounce log goat cheese
- 24 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, preferably a mix of colors
- 20 pitted kalamata olives, halved (optional)
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled, thinly sliced
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 baguette, sliced ½-inch thick
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, more if desired
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons small fresh oregano leaves
Heat oven to 350°F. Place the goat cheese in a medium casserole dish. Surround it with the tomatoes, olives, and garlic. Season with freshly ground black pepper.
Place the baguette slices around the edge of the casserole dish, not overlapping too much. Lightly brush the bread with olive oil, tipping any remaining oil into the dish.
Transfer the casserole dish to the oven. Bake until the mixture is hot and the bread is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with the rosemary and oregano leaves. Drizzle with additional olive oil, if desired. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature—it’s even good served cold.
Photograph by Virginia Willis
Red Snapper Cocktail
Serves 2
No, not the fish! A Red Snapper is a Bloody Mary made with gin instead of vodka.
Bloody Mary rimming salt can be found in stores and online, but it’s also easy to make your own. Combine ¼ cup kosher salt, 1 teaspoon celery seed, ½ teaspoon granulated garlic, and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- 1 lemon
- 1 pound small ripe tomatoes, cored and halved
- 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
- 4 dashes hot sauce, or to taste
- 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup Bloody Mary rimming salt
- 2 ounces gin
- Celery stick, for serving
- Cucumber slice, for serving
- Grape or cherry tomatoes, skewered, for serving
Halve the lemon. Squeeze 1 half into the jar of a blender. Slice the other half into thin circles. Set aside.
Place the tomato halves into the blender with the lemon juice. Puree until very smooth. (It should make about 2 cups.) Add the horseradish, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce; pulse to combine.
Rub the rim of two glasses with the juiced lemon half. Dip each glass into a plate of Bloody Mary salt to coat the rims.
Fill the glasses with ice. Add gin and top with seasoned tomato juice. Stir to combine. Garnish each with lemon circles, celery, cucumber, and skewered tomatoes. Serve immediately.
Photograph by Virginia Willis
ABOUT THE WRITER
Atlanta-based chef Virginia Willis is a James Beard Award–winning author of numerous cookbooks, including Bon Appétit, Y’all and Secrets of the Southern Table. She has appeared on Chopped and The Rachael Ray Show.
This article appears in our August 2026 issue.
