An open-faced tomato sandwich with garlic herb aioli over toasted crusty bread. It’s the perfect tomato toast to enjoy in the summertime!

Crisp toast topped with garlic-herb mayonnaise and sweet juicy heirloom tomato slices. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner at its finest | littlebroken.com @littlebroken

Love sandwiches? Try our Italian Pressed Sandwich.

Tomato Sandwich

A tomato sandwich just might be one of the best things to make in the summer! It’s nothing fancy. Simply toasted piece of bread spread with garlic herb aioli and topped with sliced tomatoes, preferably heirloom tomatoes.

Aioli adds creaminess and so much flavor to the tomato sandwich. It takes 5-minutes to make with store-bought mayonnaise, fresh herbs, garlic, and lemon juice.

Enjoy this open-faced sandwich alongside a light soup, such as Zucchini Corn Chowder, or a salad, such as Avocado Tuna Salad.

Crisp toast topped with garlic-herb mayonnaise and sweet juicy heirloom tomato slices. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner at its finest | littlebroken.com @littlebroken

Best Tomatoes for Sandwiches

The best tomatoes for a tomato sandwich are in-season, ripe tomatoes. Whether homegrown, from the farmer’s market or the supermarket. Just make sure they are seasonal tomatoes.

My personal favorite are the heirloom tomatoes.

They are lumpy, sometimes with splits or cracks in the skin, and are soft to touch when ripe. They come in different colors, sizes, are incredibly juicy, sweet, and absolutely the best.

Crisp toast topped with garlic-herb mayonnaise and sweet juicy heirloom tomato slices. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner at its finest | littlebroken.com @littlebroken

How Can You Make Tomatoes More Tasty?

  • Buy in-season tomatoes: Nothing compares to juicy taste of a summer tomato straight out of the garden. No garden? No problem. Check out your local farmer’s market before hitting up the supermarket.
  • Keep tomatoes at room temperature: Tomatoes taste the best when stored at room temperature, especially if they are not fully ripe. Once they are fully ripe, enjoy them right away.
  • Salt the tomatoes: Salt will cause tomatoes to release their juices and bring out their sweetness. Add salt to tomato sandwich just before serving to ensure the sandwich does not turn soggy.
Crisp toast topped with garlic-herb mayonnaise and sweet juicy heirloom tomato slices. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner at its finest | littlebroken.com @littlebroken

Ingredients for Tomato Sandwich

You’ll need the following ingredients to make an heirloom tomato sandwich:

  • crusty bread, such as bakery style bread
  • heirloom tomatoes
  • olive oil
  • kosher salt

For the garlic herb aioli, you’ll need:

  • mayonnaise
  • fresh herbs, such as chives, basil, parsley
  • garlic
  • olive oil
  • lemon juice
Crisp toast topped with garlic-herb mayonnaise and sweet juicy heirloom tomato slices. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner at its finest | littlebroken.com @littlebroken

How to Make Heirloom Tomato Sandwich

Make the Garlic Herb Aioli: You’ll need a food processor to make the aioli. Add more or less of the herbs, garlic, and lemon juice to suit your taste. Pack everything into a food processor, pulse until blended and smooth.

Toast the Bread: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place slices of bread on a baking sheet and brush with little olive oil. Toast for 12-15 minutes or until golden and lightly crisp. Remove from the oven and cool.

Assemble the Sandwich: To assemble the sandwich, spread a little garlic herb aioli over toasted bread. Top with tomato slices, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil and enjoy.

Crisp toast topped with garlic-herb mayonnaise and sweet juicy heirloom tomato slices. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner at its finest | littlebroken.com @littlebroken

Too Many Tomatoes?

From pasta to salads to soups, make these tomato recipes all summer long:

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Crisp toast topped with garlic-herb mayonnaise and sweet juicy heirloom tomato slices. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner at its finest | littlebroken.com @littlebroken

Heirloom Tomato Sandwich

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Katya
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 25 mins
  • Yield: 4-5 1x
  • Category: Main
  • Method: Blend
  • Cuisine: American

Description

An open-faced tomato sandwich with garlic herb aioli over toasty bread. It’s the perfect tomato toast to enjoy all summer long!


Ingredients

Units Scale

Garlic-Herb Aioli (yields: 1/2 cup)

  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/3 cup (packed) fresh mix of chives, basil, parsley
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Sandwiches

  • 45 sliced crusty bread, sliced 1/2-inch thick (such as Pane Italian Bread, Ciabatta, or any type of “rustic” bakery-style bread)
  • 23 heirloom tomatoes, sliced
  • Olive oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. In a bowl of a food processor, combine the mayonnaise, herbs, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice. Pulse until blended and smooth. Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
  2. To prepare the toast, preheat the oven to 400F.
  3. Place sliced bread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Brush each slice on both sides with olive oil. Toast for 12-15 minutes or until crisp and browned. Remove from the oven and cool. Alternatively, you can toast the bread in a bread toaster.
  4. To prepare the sandwiches, spread the aioli over toast. You can add as much as you like. Layer as many tomato slices as you like over toast, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 297
  • Sugar: 2.7 g
  • Sodium: 253.2 mg
  • Fat: 28.2 g
  • Carbohydrates: 10 g
  • Protein: 2.5 g
  • Cholesterol: 11.6 mg

Recipe published 7/31/2015. Updated 8/9/2021.