Caprese Salad – a stunning, fresh, delicious summer salad!
In case you haven’t noticed lately, I am a little obsessed with the combo of ripe, summer tomatoes and fresh basil (see my Panzanella salad HERE for evidence of this). Throw some creamy mozzarella into the mix and you have my favorite salad – Caprese Salad! It’s also my favorite dish to take to dinner at a friend’s house and is always a huge hit with everyone. Sometimes I like to add kalamata olives or some briny capers to the top of the salad. I just love the bright colors and fresh flavors!
And now for the educational part of this post – Caprese Salad actually means “the salad of Capri” – which is a beautiful island in Italy (the island is also known for starting the “trend” of capri pants….I’ll take the salad instead). The colors of the salad match those of the Italian flag – red, white, and green. Now when you serve this salad, you can tell your guests all about Capri and Italy. You’ll impress them with your cooking AND your smarts!!
How to make this simple salad:
- Find delicious summer tomatoes – heirlooms are my favorite!
- Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella and add them to a plate or platter. Sprinkle them with course sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Top with fresh basil leaves and sprinkle with minced basil.
- Top with a drizzle of olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
Additional options!!
Make your Caprese Salad as described above but add extra flavor by topping with the following:
- bacon pieces
- kalamata olives
- capers
- pesto instead of fresh basil
Caprese Salad
Ingredients
- 2-3 ripe tomatoes, sliced
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced thick
- 2 handfuls of fresh basil
- olive oil
- balsamic vinegar
- course sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella and place them on a plate or platter. Alternate the tomato and mozzarella slices. Sprinkle with course sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Wash the basil. Keep one handful of the basil leaves whole. Mince the other handful of basil.
- Place the whole basil leaves on top of the tomato and mozzarella slices. Sprinkle the minced basil over the everything.
- Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
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