15 Juicy Tomato Recipes That Make the Most of Tomato Girl Summer

You've heard of coastal grandmothers and clean girls, and now it's time for tomato girls to have their moment. If you've been on TikTok lately, you've likely come across something called a "tomato girl summer." While dressing a certain way — lots of linens, flowy fabrics, and tomato print — is a big part of being a tomato girl, the trend does have something to do with the actual eating of tomatoes. Essentially, the idea of having a tomato girl summer comes from romanticizing the vibe and aesthetic of someone who summers in the Mediterranean, where they can eat bruschetta as an everyday snack, cook with the windows open, and dine al fresco for every meal. Tomato girl fashion , therefore, is simply the uniform of that lifestyle.

Fortunately, that means you don't necessarily need to dress the part of a tomato girl. You can just eat like one — which, let's be honest, is probably the best part of the trend, anyway. As long as you have some ripe tomatoes (bonus points if they're from your local farm stand or farmer's market) and a few good tomato recipes up your sleeve, a tomato girl summer is yours to have.

Not sure what to do besides drizzling with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt? Ahead, you'll find plenty of inspiration and tomato recipes you can indulge in all season long.

Tomato Tart

If you're not a fan of fruit tarts, this savory tomato tart might be more up your alley. To make it, you arrange sliced cherry tomatoes on top of a layer of goat cheese spread, resulting in a tart that's bright and fresh yet rich and creamy.

Crème Fraîche Risotto
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Crème Fraîche Risotto

It may not be traditional, but this crème fraîche risotto is certainly a tasty way to highlight the natural flavor of heirloom tomatoes. Only the rice element of the dish is cooked and served warm, while the tomato topping needs nothing more than to be dressed with olive oil, salt, and basil.

Upside-Down Tomato and Basil Cream Cheese Pastry

There's no denying that the upside-down puff pastry trend was basically made for tomatoes. This version calls for creating pools of olive oil and parmesan cheese then topping each of them with a slice of tomato and covering them with dough. Once baked, you invert them to reveal a flakey upside-down tomato pastry.

Watermelon Caprese Salad
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Watermelon Caprese Salad

Watermelon may not be the first thing you'd think to serve with tomatoes, but this summery watermelon Caprese salad brings out their natural sweetness. Bocconcini and basil make up the remaining salad ingredients in this tomato recipe along with a balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing.

Tuscan Tomato Bread Soup
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Tuscan Tomato Bread Soup

If your favorite part of panzanella salad is when the bread starts to soak up the juices from the tomatoes, you'll love this Tuscan tomato bread soup. The broth is made extra hearty with the addition of whole, softened plum tomatoes as well as chunks of ciabatta bread.

Tomato Confit

Take any basic piece of toast to the next level with this four-ingredient tomato confit. All it takes is tomatoes, olive oil, saffron, and salt, plus a good 30 minutes on the stove. Pro tip: make a big batch of this tomato recipe and jar it to enjoy all summer.

Tomato and Feta Zucchini Boats
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Tomato and Feta Zucchini Boats

Make sure to set aside some extra tomatoes for your next barbecue this summer, because you'll definitely want to make these tomato and feta zucchini boats when you fire up the grill. This tomato recipe is as simple as charring some zucchini and topping it with fresh tomatoes, feta, mint, parsley, lemon juice, and olive oil.

Pesto and Roasted Tomato Pasta
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Pesto and Roasted Tomato Pasta

Sometimes pasta with marinara really hits the spot, but if you want something that's a little less saucy but still uses tomato as a main ingredient, this pesto and roasted tomato pasta can easily satisfy that craving. You simply dress linguine (or your pasta of choice) with pesto, and add toasted garlic breadcrumbs, basil, parmesan cheese slices, and, of course, tomatoes.

Tomato Galette

Wondering the best way to use those big juicy tomatoes you get from the farmer's market? Pair them with shallots, fennel pepper, and basil, and make them the star of this baked tomato galette.

Sundried Tomato and Ricotta Grilled Cheese
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Sundried Tomato and Ricotta Grilled Cheese

If a tomato girl were to reinvent grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches, it would look exactly like this sundried tomato and ricotta grilled cheese. Sliced tomatoes get swapped for sundried ones, while American cheese is upgraded to ricotta, provolone, and parmesan. Add a bit of spinach and you have a new way to enjoy a classic.

Tomates Farcies

A classic French recipe, these tomato farcies come together by stuffing vine-ripe tomatoes with a filling of zucchini, herbs, garlic, and rice or sausage. They're then slow cooked in the oven before being served, typically as a starter.

Sun Dried Tomato Dip
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Sun Dried Tomato Dip

Though it's packed with flavor, It doesn't take much effort to prepare this sun-dried tomato dip. It's made almost exactly like hummus, with ingredients like chickpeas and lemon juice, except instead of tahini, it uses sun-dried tomatoes.

Tomato Basil Focaccia
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Tomato Basil Focaccia

You'll need to set aside a few hours to make this tomato basil focaccia from start to finish, but the flavor will be well worth it. It starts off like a traditional focaccia, but after dimpling the dough, you add grape or cherry tomatoes so they get baked right into the bread.

Oven Roasted Tomatoes
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Oven Roasted Tomatoes

For those times that you have more tomatoes than you know what to do with, use them up in this easy oven roasted tomato recipe before they go bad. Just slice them in half, and let the oven do all the work. In about three hours, you'll be left with a near-perfect sun-dried tomato substitute that you can store until you need them.

Mac and Cheese Caprese
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Mac and Cheese Caprese

Mac and cheese gets a tomatoey upgrade with this Caprese-inspired recipe. Mozzarella, parmesan cheese, crumbled goat cheese, and basil make up the sauce, but this mac and cheese Caprese isn't complete until you add the tomatoes.