Make these tomato onion salad jars the day after a BBQ and eat them all week for quick and healthy lunches! You cannot beat grab and go!
These tomato onion salad jars have a special place in my heart.
I grew up absolutely despising onions in all forms. Soon after I got married, I realized that cooking for my husband and myself was going to get really tricky if I didn’t learn to like onions.
Within 2-3 years, I was enjoying all the meals I made with cooked onions. And by the 8 year mark, I was eating raw onions and not gagging. Huge amounts of progress just because I decided early on to go all in.
Well, because it took so long for me to get on board with raw onions, I would make this delicious tomato onion salad for my husband and his family almost every time we had an asado, but I wouldn’t eat it.
By the time I finally tried it, I was kicking myself! Like, I had been missing out big time on this tasty treat of a salad.
It’s been 17 years since I first resolved to start eating onions, and now they are a big part of my culinary experience. Onions are the lifeblood of my meals!
If you don’t like onions, that’s fine, you don’t have to do what I did and try to like them. But I swear, if you like onions and have never had this salad, YOU MUST GO GET THE INGREDIENTS AND MAKE IT THIS WEEKEND!
How to Make Tomato Onion Salad Jars
These salad jars are best to make the day after you have a BBQ – not one with hamburgers and hot dogs, but the kind with steak and chicken, if you catch my drift. All you’ll really need are 2 pieces of meat.
You’re going to need:
- Rice (cooked)
- Tomatoes
- Onion
- Steak or chicken (cooked and diced)
- Arugula or spinach
- Olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar
- Oregano
- Garlic
- Salt (kosher or sea salt works)
- Black pepper
You also need pint-sized mason jars or something similar. You could use quart-sized mason jars, but you’ll need to double the recipe to get 4 of them.
Picture Instructions for Making Tomato Onion Salad Jar Salads
Start by making the vinaigrette. Add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, minced garlic, salt, and pepper to a pint-sized mason jar. Put the lid on and shake. Set it aside until you need to use it.
Next, prepare the tomatoes, onions, and meat by slicing and dicing.
Set out 4 pint-sized mason jars. Time to get them filled up!
To each jar add 2-3 tablespoons of vinaigrette. On top of the vinaigrette, add the rice first, followed by the tomatoes, onions, meat, and lettuce. The lettuce should absolutely be at the very top of the jar, far away from the dressing.
Put the lids on the jars and place them in the fridge.
You did it! You’re ready to eat a healthy meal at a moment’s notice. Doesn’t it feel great?
Frequently Asked Questions About Making Tomato Onion Mason Jar Salads
Can I leave the meat out?
Great question. You definitely can. I like it with the meat because it reminds me of an Argentine asado where we usually have chicken or steak with tomato onion salad and a green salad.
Is the rice necessary?
Nope! Leave it out or swap it with quinoa or something else if you’d rather. You could even put croutons on top of the lettuce if that’s how you roll. The croutons would probably be considered more “Argentine” than the rice because they eat bread with their asados. The reason I didn’t do that is because I wanted to make sure the salad was gluten-free.
Are these jars more convenient than picking up a salad kit from the grocery store last minute?
If you go through the trouble of making them ahead of time, then I believe they are way more convenient than a salad kit. You don’t have to leave your house to get it!
I used to buy salad kits a lot, but I steer clear of them these days because I refuse to eat or feed my family store-bought salad dressing anymore (too many seed oils and sugar).
How much time does it take to make these salad jars?
By my estimations, it will take about 30 minutes to get these salad jars packed and in your fridge.
Would my kids eat this salad?
I have no idea what your kids will eat. I can only tell you that my kids are hit and miss with this salad. I have been giving my kids salad since they were teeny so they are used to eating it. They prefer this salad, probably because it’s very sweet due to the grapes.
How long do these salad jars last in the fridge?
Since the salad has meat in it, these jars will last 3-4 days in the fridge.
What else could I eat with this salad?
You may find that you can fill up on just the salad. But, if it’s not enough, you can eat this salad with a variety of foods. We like smoothies or chips and guac or salsa.
Tomato Onion Salad Jars
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice cooked; 1/4 cup per jar
- 2 cups tomatoes sliced or diced; 1/2 cup per jar
- 1 cup onion sliced; 1/4 cup per jar
- 2 cups steak or chicken cooked and diced; 1/2 cup per jar
- 4 cups arugula or spinach 1 cup per jar
Vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup olive oil or avocado oil
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp salt to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper to taste
Instructions
Vinaigrette
-
In a pint-sized mason jar, add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Put the lid on tight and shake. Set it aside.
Salad
-
Set out 4 pint-sized mason jars.
-
To each jar add 2-3 tablespoons of vinaigrette.
-
On top of the vinaigrette, add the rest of the salad ingredients in the following order: rice, tomatoes, onions, meat, and lettuce. The lettuce needs to be on top so it doesn’t have a chance to touch the dressing and start going bad before you can ever eat it.
-
Put the lids on the jars and place them in the fridge.
Related Posts
- Versatile and Flavorful Pumpkin Chicken Soup - 01.03.26
- Easy Instant Pot Bone Broth Recipe - 09.20.25
- Healthy Make-Ahead Tomato Onion Salad Jars - 07.11.25
Leave a Reply