I love a good, simple summer recipe that comes together quickly. And, I love tomatoes so combine the 2 and we’re halfway to the perfect lunch or a light dinner.

These buttermilk tomatoes make the wonderful side to a sandwich, but they really could go with almost anything. They’re great with grilled chicken and some nice bread, but you could also take this recipe and add cooked and rinsed pasta for an effortless pasta salad with no mayo!

To begin making this recipe you’ll need to cut your cherry tomatoes in half. We used red tomatoes for this one, but you can use yellow cherry tomatoes or even small plum tomatoes if you have them. Full size tomatoes work well for this recipe as well, and I personally love any kind of heirloom varieties (purple tomatoes, I’m looking at you).

If using cherry tomatoes you can use the simple plate hack to slice them all quickly. Place the tomatoes on a plate, place another plate on top and press down slightly. Run your knife through the tomatoes and remove the top plate. Voila! Each one is cut in half in only a minute. Click here to see how it’s done.

Toss the tomatoes with salt pepper in a large bowl and leave them to sit while you make up the dressing. In a separate bowl whisk together buttermilk, sour cream, minced shallot, and garlic and then fold in some chopped, fresh basil. These flavors come together beautifully for a fresh and zingy summer sauce that’s not too heavy.

Pour the dressing over the tomatoes and then toss and this dish is ready to go. It can be served immediately at room temperature or chilled and served cold.

What a refreshing take on the classic tomato side at dinner. And, the out-of-this-world dressing is great on lots of other types of veggies as well. This recipe is my new go-to for perfect a summer side.