Brazilian

Serving

Vinagrete (Brazilian Tomato Onion Relish)

Name: Vinagrete (Brazilian Tomato Onion Relish)
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Brazilian
Ingredients: 3 tomatoes, finely diced; 1 small onion, finely diced; 1 green bell pepper, finely diced; 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley; 3 tbsp red wine vinegar; 3 tbsp olive oil; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp black pepper

A refreshing, tangy chopped salad of tomato, onion, and bell pepper marinated in vinegar and oil, the classic churrasco condiment.

15 minutes

Serves 6

Side

7 min prep

11 min cook

No common allergens detected

Based on this recipe's ingredient list. Always verify with your own brands and labels.

Good to know

Ready in under 30 minutes

Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: 30-minute meals

Instructions

6 steps

1
Combine the diced tomato, onion, and bell pepper in a large bowl.
2
Stir in the chopped parsley.
3
Whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
4
Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss well to coat.
5
Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes to let the flavors meld before serving.
6
Serve chilled alongside grilled meats or sausages.

Vinagrete (Brazilian Tomato Onion Relish) — plated and served — Serving moment. How Vinagrete (Brazilian Tomato Onion Relish) looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

76/100

Good fit for most families

Allergen-friendly 100

Kid-friendly 55

Weeknight-easy 86

Budget-friendly 72

Great leftovers 50

Pantry-friendly 74

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

Calories

1 g

Protein

6 g

Carbs

7 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Despite its name, Brazilian vinagrete isn't a dressing drizzled over salad - it's a chunky, marinated relish that shows up at nearly every churrasco across the country, served in a communal bowl alongside grilled meats. It reflects Brazil's barbecue culture, where a fresh, acidic counterpoint is considered essential to cutting through the richness of fire-grilled beef.

Listahan note

This version rests the relish covered in the fridge for a real window before serving, since the flavor changes noticeably once the vinegar and oil have had time to soften the raw onion and pull juice from the tomatoes.

Technique cues

Dicing everything to a uniform small size, rather than the larger chop common in North American salsas, is what lets vinagrete be eaten by the spoonful alongside grilled meat.
Salting the vegetables lightly before they meet the dressing draws out a bit of their own liquid, which mingles with the vinegar and oil into a thin, flavorful pool at the bottom of the bowl.
A minimum rest time in the fridge is non-negotiable - vinagrete served immediately tastes sharp and raw compared to one given even twenty minutes to mellow.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: Dice all the vegetables while the dressing ingredients sit whisked together in a small bowl, ready to combine at once
Make-ahead: Vinagrete is best made several hours or even a day ahead since the flavor only improves with more resting time
Leftover move: Spoon leftover vinagrete over grilled chicken or fish the next day instead of letting it sit unused
Cleanup rhythm: Use one bowl for dicing and whisking so there's only a single dish and cutting board to wash

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

tomatoes

Juicy, acidic base

Purpose: Their juice mixes with the dressing to form the relish's characteristic light, flavorful liquid

Handling: Dice small and uniform so each spoonful gets a balance of every ingredient

Adaptation: Firm, slightly underripe tomatoes actually hold their dice better than very soft, ripe ones

onion

Sharp, pungent contrast

Purpose: Raw onion is essential to the dish's bite, though the rest period softens its rawness

Handling: Dice fine and let it sit in the dressing at least twenty minutes to mellow

Adaptation: Soaking the diced onion in cold water for 10 minutes before mixing tames the sharpness further for a milder relish

green bell pepper

Crisp, grassy crunch

Purpose: Adds textural contrast against the softer tomato and onion

Handling: Dice to match the size of the tomato and onion for an even bite

Adaptation: Red or yellow bell pepper gives a sweeter, less grassy version

red wine vinegar

The dressing's acidic backbone

Purpose: Its sharpness is what actually turns the raw vegetables into a relish over the resting time

Handling: Whisk with the oil, salt, and pepper before pouring over the vegetables so it's evenly distributed

Adaptation: White wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar both work with a slightly different fruitiness

olive oil

Rounds out the acidity

Purpose: Balances the vinegar's sharpness and coats the vegetables so the dressing clings rather than pooling

Handling: Whisk together with the vinegar until slightly emulsified before combining

Adaptation: A neutral vegetable oil works if a milder flavor is preferred

Technique notes

Dice everything to roughly the same small size - uneven pieces mean some bites are all crunchy pepper and others all soft tomato.
Whisk the vinegar and oil together before adding to the vegetables rather than pouring each in separately, so the dressing coats everything evenly from the start.
Give the relish more than the minimum rest time if you have it - an hour or two develops noticeably more depth than the twenty-minute floor.

Ingredient swaps

Lower-sodium direction: Cut the added salt and let the resting time do more of the flavor work, since the vegetables release their own juices over time
Weeknight shortcut: Use a food processor's pulse setting for a rough dice on all the vegetables at once, cutting prep time significantly
Milder-onion direction: Soak the diced raw onion in cold water for ten minutes before mixing to tame its sharpness for guests sensitive to raw onion

Serve alongside

Grilled picanha or other churrasco cuts
Farofa (Toasted Cassava Flour with Bacon)
grilled linguiça sausage
warm French bread rolls
Cold Brazilian lager
caipirinha
sparkling water with lime

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 4 days
Serve cold or at room temperature straight from the fridge, no reheating needed
Not suitable for freezing since the vegetables turn watery and limp once thawed

Equipment

Cutting board and sharp knife
Mixing bowl for the vegetables
Small bowl and whisk for the dressing
Airtight storage container

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