Happy Tomato Season, friends! At Cup of Jo, we love tomatoes almost as much as we love potatoes, and I find myself returning to our tomato-y recipes every August and September, when tomatoes peak. What I love about them is that they’re so simple (non-recipe recipes, in many cases), and yet they’re full of tiny tweaks and pro tips — the kind you pick up after years of making and loving a meal. So, today we’re sharing three new tomato dishes to add to your repertoire…
Ham El-Waylly: Tomato Dressed in Tomato on Toast
Author of Hello, Home Cooking
“There are few things better in summer than pan con tomate. The tomato juice soaks into the bread, making it an instant savory bread pudding. It may be gilding the lily a bit, but topping pan con tomate with more tomate brings another texture to the party. This grated-tomato dressing is a great tool to keep in your back pocket for lots of reasons. Use it to top labneh for a summery dip, or add chilies, shallots and fish sauce and serve on a crispy egg with rice. Its versatility knows no bounds.”
Tomato Dressed in Tomato on Toast (aka, pan con tomate con tomate)
Serves 1-2
2 large ripe tomatoes
1 garlic clove, finely grated
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/2 tsp sherry vinegar, plus more as needed
1/8 tsp smoked paprika
Kosher salt
2 slices of 1-inch-thick crusty bread
Flaky salt, for topping
Trim a thin slice off the bottom of one tomato, revealing the flesh. Using the large holes of a box grater, grate against the cut side of the tomato into a bowl. The pulp will fall into the bowl, leaving you with a handful of skin. Discard the skin. Season the tomato pulp with the garlic, oil, vinegar, paprika, and a pinch of kosher salt. Taste the mixture and adjust with more vinegar or salt as needed.
Thinly slice the remaining tomato, and season each slice with a pinch of kosher salt. Toast the bread however you like — I’m not the toast police. You just need to make sure the bread is crisp and hot. Immediately transfer the toast to a serving plate and evenly divide the tomato mixture between the two slices; it should sizzle upon contact. The heat from the toast is essential to waking up the tomato dressing. Top with the slices of tomato, season with some flaky salt, drizzle with oil, and serve.
Ella Henry: Briny Tomato Greek Salad
Writer of the newsletter Gut Feelings
“I just got back from Greece where I ate a Greek salad every day and never once got tired of it. (My favorite type of salad is the kind with no lettuce, and a piece of hot, toasty bread to soak up all those delicious juices.) So, when I came home — just in time for tomato season — I decided to keep the streak going, with a more tomato-centric, extra-briny twist. Lemon, olives, and a little miso bring out all that umami depth, and you can add anchovies and a spritz olive brine if you’re feeling extra savory.”
Briny Tomato Greek Salad
Serves 1-2
25 ounces heirloom tomatoes (a little over 3 cups)
5 ounces Sungold tomatoes (about a cup)
4 ounces red onion (about 1/2 cup, roughly chopped)
Table salt
1/2 tsp lemon zest
2 tbsp lemon juice
5 ounces cucumber (a little over 1/2 cup)
1 long sweet pepper
2 1/2 ounces Kalamata olives (about a 1/3 cup)
2 ounces extra virgin olive oil
1 ounce red wine vinegar
1 tsp white miso paste
1/2 tsp honey-dijon mustard
Fresh dill, for topping
4 cubes marinated feta cheese (I use Meredith Dairy), or 6 ounces creamy feta
Flaky salt
Toasted baguette or bread, for serving
*Note: I used a kitchen scale when developing this recipe, to be more precise with measurements. (If you’re interested, I highly recommend getting a basic one — it’s life-changing.) But you can also play around with measurements (you’ll see I added estimates on the side), and make this your own. Always taste as you go and measure with your heart.
Slice the heirloom tomatoes, halve the Sungolds, and add to a large bowl. Roughly chop the red onion and add to bowl. Sprinkle some salt over the tomatoes and onion, and add the lemon zest and lemon juice. Toss, cover, and set aside.
Peel the cucumber (I like to peel it halfway, leaving strips of skin), and chop into bite-sized chunks. Slice up the sweet pepper crosswise, and add to the bowl of tomatoes and onion, along with the cucumber and Kalamata olives.
In a large glass, add olive oil, red wine vinegar, miso, and mustard, and use an immersion blender to pulse until creamy. (You can also use a regular blender or food processor.) Taste the dressing and add salt to taste. Stir, and pour over the salad bowl. Toss the salad with your hands until everything is evenly covered and combined.
Serve in a large bowl or individually, making sure to include every last drop of juice, and top with sprigs of fresh dill and feta. I use marinated feta cubes, but if you are using a feta block, you can add it as one big piece on top of the salad, as they often serve it in Greece. Finish with flaky salt and serve with toasted bread. Enjoy!
Elise Smith: Tomato Butter Bucatini
Personal chef and recipe developer
“This pasta is what happens when comfort food decides to show off a little. Think: bucatini swirled through a glossy sauce that’s rich, silky, and just tangy enough to keep things interesting. It’s topped with a creamy cloud of stracciatella that melts right into the pasta like it was always meant to be there. The butter smooths everything out, and the tomatoes bring that sweet, slow-cooked vibe (even though it takes less than 30 minutes). Perfect for nights when you want an easy dinner, but something more exciting than a basic pasta situation. One tip: Don’t skip salting your pasta water — it makes all the difference.”
Tomato Butter Bucatini
Serves 4
1 12-oz box bucatini pasta
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling and serving
32 ounces cherry tomatoes (3 pints)
2 tsp + 2 tbsp Kosher salt, divided
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup fresh, chopped basil, plus more for serving
8 ounces stracciatella or burrata
Flaky sea salt, for finishing
Set a large pot of water on the stove to boil. While the water heats up, put a skillet over a medium heat with three tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Add the tomatoes, two teaspoons of kosher salt, the red pepper flakes, and toss. Sauté the tomatoes for 6-7 minutes without disturbing, letting them burst and melt a bit. Once they’ve started to break down, add the butter to the skillet and sauté for another four minutes, tossing once or twice. Add the basil, toss again, and turn off the heat.
Salt the boiling water with two tablespoons of kosher salt, add a drizzle of olive oil, then add the bucatini to the pot. Boil for 8-10 minutes, or until just al dente. Once finished, reserve 3/4 cup of pasta water, drain the pasta, and return it to the pot.
Transfer the burst tomatoes to the pot of bucatini, add 1/4 cup of pasta water, and toss with tongs until the noodles are fully coated with the tomato mixture. Add more pasta water if needed, and salt to taste (I add around a teaspoon). Transfer the pasta to a platter and top with stracciatella, a drizzle of olive oil, basil leaves, and a pinch of flaky sea salt. Serve hot.
Thanks again to Ham, Ella, and Elise for sharing these wonderful meals with us. How about you? Have you been making any tomato dishes? I’d love to try them.
P.S. A whole heap of tomato recipes to enjoy, including an incredible tortilla soup (from Joanna’s Soup Group), and the amazing zucchini-tomato thing that goes with everything.
(Briny Tomato Greek Salad photo by Ella Henry. Tomato Butter Bucatini photo by Elise Smith. Tomato Dressed in Tomato on Toast photo by Laura Murray; recipe excerpted with permission from Hello, Home Cooking, copyright © 2026 by Ham El-Waylly. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.)
