Caprese Salad is an Italian Salad that is quick and simple to prepare! With a fresh and vibrant feel this salad has a balsamic glaze dressing that tantalizes your taste buds!
Light and easy recipes like our Panzanella Salad, Burrata Salad, Bruschetta with Feta and Grilled Chicken Bruschetta work as meals in one or as sides to the main event!
You can't get much easier a salad to make than this basic caprese salad, with easy to find ingredients and a 10 min prep time!
If you are looking for a quick salad that is packed with flavour then this recipe will be calling your name.
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What goes with Caprese Salad?
A Caprese Salad is healthy with a good balance of simple ingredients. You might like to enjoy it on its own for a light lunch!
It also works well with grilled meats, chicken and fish. It is a great salad to have at a BBQ, take to a picnic (or pot luck).
Some creative serving ideas are:
- a caprese grilled cheese
- caprese pasta salad
- Caprese Brushetta (with pesto!)
- stirred through pasta
- stuffed into chicken breast
Do you eat the basil in a Caprese Salad?
The basil in a Caprese Salad is a light flavour packed ingredient.
You want to tear the leaves from the stem and add them to the salad to bring a fresh zestyness to the recipe.
You definitely do eat them as part of the salad and I encourage you to try it as the basil is delicious and a perfect compliment to the tomatoes.
If you grow your own then throw that in!!
Caprese Salad ingredients
The ingredients for this recipe are simple and easy to find. They are set out in the photo below so you can see exactly what you need:
You will need:
- cherry tomatoes
- mozarella balls (or bocconcini)
- basil
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- balsamic glaze
The balsamic glaze is slightly different to balsamic vinegar. In that it is thick and more concentrated in flavour.
It works especially well with this salad as we are using such basic ingredients that the thick, syrupy glaze compliments the light zesty-ness of the rest of the salad.
The mozzarella has a very subtle mild flavour. It is not a strong bitey cheese with a sharp flavour. The glaze elevates the cheese and tomato combination in an effortless manner!
How to Make Caprese Salad
- Use a knife to slice the tomatoes in ½ (Photo 1)
- Pull the basil leaves from the stems (Photo 2)
- Use a knife to slice the mozarella in halves (Photo 3)
- Season the tomatoes with a little salt and pepper (Photo 4)
If making this salad in advance, hold off on seasoning and combining ingredients. When ready season and drizzle to avoid sogginess as the tomatoes are soft and sensitive.
- Begin plating the salad by combining the tomatoes and mozzarella (Photo 5)
- Drizzle with a little olive oil (Photo 6)
- Add the basil leaves to tomato and mozzarella (Photo 7)
- When ready to serve, drizzle with balsamic glaze (Photo 8)
Caprese Salad quick info
- there is 6 total ingredients for this recipe!
- you can substitute rocket (arugula) for the basil if you prefer
- go for firm cherry tomatoes not soft over ripe ones
- the balsamic glaze will be in a small squeezy bottle with the other vinegars at the supermarket
FAQs about Easy Caprese Salad
- this is a quick, easy and simple recipe!
- the salt, pepper and olive oil is used to season the tomatoes and cheese
- this recipe is not suitable to freeze
- the balsamic glaze has a sweet, sticky taste
Your quick questions answered:
- if you can't find mozzarella you can use bocconcini
- don't dress the salad till ready to serve
- the recipe takes approx 10 mins to bring together
- serve as a side salad with grilled meats, chicken and ham
Expert tips:
- Use a knife and chopping board for the tomatoes and mozzarella
- Simply pull the basil leaves from the stems and add to the salad
- To avoid the salad going soggy, prep everything but hold off seasoning and drizzling until serving
- Keep the cheese, tomatoes and basil separate until ready to season and drizzle
The balsamic glaze is thick, rich and sensational. You only need a small amount for delicious flavour!
Light and Easy meals for inspiration
Salad recipes to try:
- Panzanella Salad (tomato and bread salad)
- Roast Chicken Salad (using store bought chicken)
- Watermelon Cucumber Feta Salad
- Chicken Cucumber Salad
Pin and Save this recipe for later!
Caprese Salad
Equipment
- Chopping board
- Serving platter
- Small bowl
- Honey Dipper
- Knife
Ingredients
Caprese Salad
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes Note 1
- 220 grams mozzarella balls drained, not rinsed, Note 2
- ½ bunch basil pull leaves from stems
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp balsamic glaze Note 3
Instructions
Caprese Salad
- Use a knife and chopping board to slice each of the cherry tomatoes in half.
- Use the same knife and chopping board to slice the mozzarella balls in half.
- Gently pull the basil leaves from the stems and discard stems.
- Begin platting and season the tomatoes with salt and pepper Note 4
- Add sliced mozzarella balls to the tomato and drizzle with olive oil
- Sprinkle the basil leaves over the tomato and cheese evenly
- Use a honey dipper to drizzle the salad with balsamic glaze, serve immediately
Video
Notes
- Note 1 I use 2 x 500 gram punnets of cherry tomatoes, which measure approximately 2 cups.
- Note 2 The mozzarella balls will be in a small tub in the fridge section at the store, where the other cheeses are. If you can't find it, you can use bocconcini balls instead. They are a cream based mozarella and very similar.
- Note 3 For the balsamic glaze, drizzle only the slightest amount on the salad itself and have the rest of it there for people to add more. It is a strong flavour and some people will need time to work up to it.
- Note 4 I encourage very little 'stirring' with this salad as it is all so fragile. It is better to plate and season lightly, than to combine in a bowl.
Nutrition
Easy Salad recipes
This is the salad to whip up when you need one in a hurry!
The Caprese Insalata Salad comes together in minutes and is bright in colour and texture.
The thick sweet flavour of the balsamic glaze ensures this is anything but a boring garden variety salad.
Please give me a shout if you have questions or make the recipe as I would love to hear your feedback.
Let's get our Italian Salad on my friends!
Adrianne x
This is one of my favourite salads, and perfect for a summer evening. Yours looks beautiful.
One of my all time favorite salad recipes. It is so easy to put together. Good quality mozzarella makes such a difference.
Such a pretty salad and I can never resist Mozzarella!
I could eat this salad everyday it so delicious and what a great idea to use the honey dipper going to steal that idea!
Caprese salad is one of my favourite salads. You just can't go wrong with this classic. I love the idea of using cherry tomatoes too, delicious!