Vidalia Onion and Grape Tomato Salad Vidalia Onion Series Recipe #2

Recipe number three from the 10 lb bag of Vidalia onions my husband brought home from the local Civitans as a fundraiser. Vidalia onion season is short, so make this now!

  The buying season for Georgia-grown Vidalias is typically from April to early August. Only 20 counties in southern Georgia are sanctioned to grow these sweet onions. The mild winters, lots of rain, and low sulfuric acid in the soil make them uniquely sweet.

We Southerners know that once the Georgia Department of Agriculture sets the date for the first day of shipping these babies, we start watching for them in our local stores to make our favorite sweet onion recipes… or your husband brings home a 10 lb bag!

This is one of those super simple recipes you will want to make several times this summer before the Vidalia onion season comes and goes. I make it as a side salad, pile it on a hamburger, or top a summer chopped salad with it.

It’s as simple as cutting grape tomatoes in half and cutting a Vidalia onion into slivers and marinating it in your favorite Italian or balsamic bottled salad dressing, then tossing in some fragrant tiny basil leaves. Yum!

For the salad in this picture, I used Ken’s Steak House Lite Northern Italian with Basil & Romano Dressing & Marinade. I’m partial to the flavor of a balsamic vinaigrette adds to the salad, but keep in mind it will discolor the tomatoes and onion.

The flavors blend best when the salad marinates at least a few hours but mighty tasty when you just toss together and serve immediately.

Print Recipe

Vidalia Onion Tomato Salad

The shortcut here is using bottled salad dressing. The flavors blend best when the salad can marinate in the fridge a few hours. 

Prep Time8 mins

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: tomato, vidalia onion, onions

Servings: 4 servings

Author: GritsAndGouda.com

Ingredients

• 1 10 oz container grape tomatoes (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 of one small Vidalia onion
• 1/2 cup good quality Italian salad dressing (such as Ken's Steak House Lite Northern Italian with Basil and Romano)
• 2 tablespoons tiny basil leaves or chopped basil

Instructions

• Wash tomatoes and cut in half.
• Cut onion into slivers by cutting vertically from top to bottom.
• In a medium bowl, toss together tomato, onion, and salad dressing. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Stir in basil and serve.

Notes

The basil can be added before marinating but be aware it might discolor a bit.