Caprese Salad – Fresh Tomato, Mozzarella with Basil

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A fresh Caprese Salad is the perfect summer side dish. The classic Italian salad, Insalata Caprese that is made of marinated mozzarella balls, mixed cherry tomatoes, chopped basil and is seasoned with a perfect amount of balsamic vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper.

If you are looking for a summer salad recipe to use those summer vegetables or fruits from your garden, check out this zesty Tomato Mozzarella Salad recipe. It’s a refreshing and cool salad for summer months! Also, check out this TOMATO AND ANCHOVY SALAD recipe.

This Caprese Salad is light but satisfying. It’s an easy salad recipe so you can make it fast for your summer cookout or just to enjoy with the family in weeknight dinner.

Why you’ll love this Caprese salad recipe:

The Caprese salad has a very refreshing flavor from the juicy tomatoes. It is seasoned with a small amount of balsamic vinegar, therefore you will have a very flavorful salad that is not overpowered by the strong vinegar. Of course, you can always adjust seasoning by adding more balsamic vinegar according to your taste, I always like to start light and add a bit later if needed. Get that part right and you just can’t go wrong with this classic salad recipe.

Tomato is a great source of vitamin C, potassium, folate, and vitamin K. You can learn the health benefits here.

What’s inside the Caprese Salad:

• Fresh mixed cherry tomatoes
• Store-bought marinated bite-size fresh mozzarella cheese 
• Fresh Basil
• Balsamic Vinegar

How to Make Insalata Caprese :

To make this salad, I just chopped some fresh cherry tomatoes into halves. Then I add some mozzarella balls, plus 3 tablespoons of marinated oil. After that, I add some chopped fresh basil, balsamic vinegar and season it lightly with salt and pepper. Lastly, I put the salad in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to bring out more flavor in the dish before serving.

I chose marinated mozzarella balls to add a unique combination of flavors to the dish. If this is not an option or preference for you, feel free to use fresh mozzarella balls. You may need to increase the amount of balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper until you reach the desired taste.

Pair this Tomato Mozzarella salad recipe with INSTANT POT PULLED BEEF BRISKET FOR SLIDERS!

Caprese salad

A simple Italian salad made of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, seasoned with balsamic vinegar, oil, salt and black pepper.

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: italian, side dish, salad, tomato, balsamic vinegar, basil, summer

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Author: Rika Livingston

Ingredients

• 1 pound mixed cherry tomatoes (cut in halves)
• 20 marinated bite-size fresh mozzarella cheese balls (about cherry size ball, cheese only, remove juice) – feel free to add more cheese.
• 3 tablespoons marinated oil from mozzarella balls
• 3 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (use more according to your liking)
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

• In a large mixing bowl, add chopped cherry tomatoes, mozzarella balls, marinated oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt and black pepper. Sprinkle with fresh basil and mix well until combined.
• Cover and let marinate for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
• Season to taste with more salt and pepper if desired, and serve immediately.

Notes

Marinated Mozzarella Balls:

I purchased the Galbani brand at Costco.

If you want to use regular Mozzarella balls, you have to add about 4 tablespoons of olive oil into this recipe. 

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