Caprese Salad Recipe
You know how when you make something for dinner on a whim, and it’s amazing and then you’re like, ummmm HELLO, why didn’t I make this sooner? Where has this salad been all my life and why is this not on my summer meal rotation already?
Why did it take me so long to discover this insanely simple recipe that takes 2 minutes to make? And I have so much basil?!
Seriously, where have I been living? Under a rock?
All I have to say is, “Try this Caprese salad recipe!”
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Caprese Salad Recipe
Description
Delicious Caprese Salad
Ingredients
- 16 ounces cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 10 ounces small, fresh mozzarella balls
- 6 fat basil leaves, sliced thinly into strips
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar {my husband says 1 tablespoon, I say 2!}
- a little sea salt to taste
Instructions
Place tomatoes and mozzarella in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Add a little sea salt to taste and sprinkle the basil over the top.
Give it a light toss and serve
Notes
yum, yum, yum?
Have a wonderful weekend everyone,
~Mavis
P.S. If you have another way of serving this, please let me know in the comment section below. I’d love to give it a try.
Mel says
I just made this last night! I served it as a side with lobster rolls. I used sliced fresh mozzarella and sliced larger tomatoes (alternating red and yellow), and my recipe didn’t have balsamic, but I added it anyway. My friend makes caprese pizza.
I’ve also been making a lot of bruschetta (which doesn’t usually have cheese but has similar flavors and garlic) and serving on toast. I gave some tomatoes to a college student I work with and gave her bruschetta dressing pre-mixed and fresh bread so she could try it.
Mavis Butterfield says
Mel do you have a recipe for lobster rolls?
Mel says
I haven’t been to New England since I was a kid, so I don’t have an authentic version. I think true lobster rolls just have a small amount of mayonnaise, sometimes celery, and maybe lemon juice or melted butter to serve. I just used Once Upon a Chef’s shrimp salad recipe, so mayo, a bit of vinegar and worcestershire, celery, green onion, and Old Bay. I used King Arthur Flour’s pretzel buns to serve, which are obviously not authentic, but they are super easy to make. It looks like KAF recommends their “Buttery Hot Dog Buns” recipe for lobster rolls, so maybe I’ll do that next time.
I’m wrapping up a massive freezer cooking project, so mostly I just wanted an easy dinner, and this was it!
Mavis Butterfield says
Thank you!!
A T says
could you tell us more about your massive freezer cooking project?
thank you.
Mavis Butterfield says
Yes, Mel, send in another post with pictures like you did the gift bags!!! We all want to know. 🙂
Mel says
Sure, I’ll put together a post when I’m all done. No one wants pictures of my freezer in its current state, I assure you, but I’m almost done and can take nicer pictures. 😉
Mavis Butterfield says
Wahoo!
Zoe says
I make a bed of chopped romaine, and then alternate slices of larger tomatoes and slices of fresh mozzarella on top then add my basil. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic, add salt and pepper. This salad is a favorite in my house. It looks so pretty and fancy and fussy, but is so quick and easy to put together. Great for when we have dinner guests.
Katie P NC says
Sometimes I’ll use a “balsamic glaze” if I have it on hand. Just buy a bottle at the grocery, you don’t have to cook anything. Its a tad sweeter than regular balsamic vinegar, and thicker so it clings to the tomato better. Guess I know what I’m having for dinner tonight!
Caroline says
Thank You
Deb says
I have made this a lot… especially in the heat and tomatoes overfloweth! You can also take a skewer and alternate the tomatoes and mozzarella with a basil leaf in between then drizzle with the balsamic dressing. Makes for an easy and attractive appetizer ( pickety-bits)
Linda Practical Parsimony says
I was going to say to use a small skewer. This is great to take to a party or potluck since the salad needs no utensil to serve.
Anne in VA says
I’ve done the skewer form of this as a Christmas party appetizer. Tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and drizzled with jarred pesto. In small town VA, grocery stores don’t carry fresh herbs and my garden has given up by Christmas. I drizzle with balsamic and the pesto and it always goes over well.
I think my kids would even eat the salad version.
Mel says
I do this for Christmas sometimes as well. I use sundried tomatoes instead of fresh since our tomatoes usually give up by October.
Karin says
If you can get Burrata, buy it! It is the creamy version of mozzarella. A big ball.
Just tear it open with your fingers and put it on the slices tomatoes. Olive oil, balsamic oil and some home made pesto. Heaven.
karen says
I make this all the time but use, white cream of balsamic, which is a bit thicker and sweeter. I also like to cook and take fresh corn off the cob and add some fresh corn. Sometime roasted and sometime just boiled. Also good with some diced cucumbers added to use.
Lina says
I always put cucumbers into this salad. It adds an extra layer of texture and color.
Ellen in Clackamas says
Ha…I saw something like this posted elsewhere and thought I wanted to try since the tomatoes are starting to come in…bought baby mozzarella balls yesterday so and fixing tonight. So, no Mavis you aren’t the last to know or fix!
Mavis Butterfield says
Great! 🙂
UpstateNYer says
Mavis~ you need more Italian friends to introduce you to the deliciousness of easy cooking, 🙂 Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Pat says
We alway have French Bread with Caprese to soak up the dressing. Extra dressing in a plate is how it comes in the restaurants. Yummy.
Margery says
Yes lightly toasted. Yum on the menu once a week in the summer
Lilypad says
I add crouton-sized pieces of rosemary bread (toasted) from from Trader Joe’s (the fresh round one with salt on top, so good!!) into the caprese salad itself, so it’s kind a caprese/panzanella hybrid. I could eat it every night.
Noelle says
I second the balsamic glaze! It coats the tomatoes and tastes so good. You can reduce your balsamic in a pan but i tend to burn it. So it is easier to buy the glaze.
Lynne says
In Rome I had it on a pizza. My oh my was it delicious. They used slices of regular tomatoes and mozzarella, which I prefer. Too high of a skin to meat ratio for those little tomatoes lol.
Diana says
We also use thin sliced red onions in our salad. Yummy!
Donna says
We make this frequently in the summer. It’s amazing with avocado and shredded Parmesan also.
dj_1973 says
I love this with sliced heirloom tomatoes, and similarly sized mozzarella. I up the balsamic and just use a little olive oil. This is the flavor of summer – SO GOOD!!
Toni says
This had nothing to do with you salad, but it does have to do with your cherry almond jam. I made it today and it is delicious! I am wondering though if I did something wrong… It made 9 half pints and it doesn’t really have a amaretto flavor. Any ideas. I fallowed the recipe.
Mavis Butterfield says
Mine didn’t have too much of an amaretto flavor either. More cherry almond.
Gina says
As an hors d’oevrs, or pickety bits…on a toothpick, put small mozzerella ball with cherry tomato w basil leaf inbtwn. Drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar.
Beth says
One of my favorite salads. I also grill Zucchini boats – zucchini cut in half drizzled with a little olive oil salt and pepper and then I put cut cherry tomatoes, fresh mozz, basil and drizzle with a reduced balsamic dressing and it’s simply delicious. Glad you finally discovered it, so worth it. Now you’ll start to see it on menu’s too.
Betta from daVille says
Re: Lobster Roll
I grew up in CT and am faithful to a CT lobster roll, which is warm with melted butter, on a butter toasted bun.
Meredydd says
I love caprese salad! I could eat it straight from the bowl, but I will use it as a base for many cold proteins in the summer. Cold chicken, cold seafood…you name it, the stuff goes well with almost everything. I don’t use balamic vinegar, but a good wine vinegar, lemon juice or white vinegar works well. It is a very forgiving dish.
Enjoy! – Meredydd
Susan Stanley says
I put a slice of garden tomato, slice of moz cheese and basil leaves on a nice crusty roll. A little olive oil and balsamic vinegar. M m m m good!
Terry says
My daughter doesn’t like fresh tomatoes (like her father) and has discovered recipes substituting figs or peaches for the tomatoes. Delish
Hawaii Planner says
We buy the mozzarella balls from Costco (they are marinated in olive oil & seasonings). We slice fresh tomatoes (hopefully from the garden), top with mozzarella balls, add thinly sliced basil, fresh ground pepper, and balsamic + salt. We also usually drizzle with additional oil, but can pull it from the marinated mozzarella ball container as well.
charwelsh says
Kalamata olives are a must in a caprese salad! I use white wine vinegar instead of balsamic.
PMHTX says
Burrata is basically a shell of solid mozzarella, while the inside contains stracciatella and cream. It is extremely tasty and I use it on an arugula or spinach and tomato pizza.