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Easy Caprese Salad

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5 from 10 votes

This Easy Caprese Salad makes a beautiful appetizer and takes minutes to assemble. Made with deliciously flavorful and fresh ingredients!

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Easy Caprese Salad is always one of our go-to salads when craving something fresh, flavorful and light. This simple and elegant salad is layered with fresh tomatoes, creamy mozzarella cheese and fresh basil leaves. The light drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar blends perfectly together on top of the salad. 

I first made this Caprese recipe last Fall as a fun side project I was working on for Rocket Farms based out of Half Moon Bay, California. Rocket Farms is the largest grower of indoor flowers, fresh cut herbs and potted edibles in the country and I used their incredibly fresh basil and herbs that you’ve probably seen at most grocery stores.

I helped create multiple recipes using their fresh herbs and the recipes and photos are used for their new packaging and website. It was such an amazing experience and the project was so fun to work on. You can find all of their herb products here

Anyways, back to this caprese! You can serve this salad with just about any meal! It goes great with any chicken, beef or pork dish. You can also serve it with a pasta dish as well. 

This Easy Caprese Salad takes 5 minutes to whip up and can be eaten as a meal. Simply add baby shrimp, prawns or prosciutto on top for protein! Keep reading below on other ingredients to add to this salad. 

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CAPRESE SALAD INGREDIENTS

  • Fresh tomatoes: fresh is always best because the fresher the tomatoes, the sweeter they will be naturally. You could use heirloom tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes or tomatoes on the vine.
  • Fresh mozzarella cheese: you want to be sure to use fresh, soft and spongy like mozzarella cheese. The fresh mozzarella cheese that you want to use is usually packed in water. 
  • Fresh basil leaves: it’s important to use fresh basil leaves, not dried. The delicate leaves make this salad vibrant, sweet and slightly peppery in taste. 
  • Balsamic vinegar: I prefer using balsamic vinegar over red wine vinegar because it’s sweeter and pairs perfectly with the ingredients. You could also use a balsamic reduction or buy a premed reduction.  
  • Extra virgin olive oil: good quality olive oil is important because you can really taste the fruitless of the olive oil in this salad. It’s one of the finishing touches and I don’t recommend using any other oil. 
  • Salt + pepper: to taste. I love using Himalayan or sea salt. 

HOW TO MAKE CAPRESE SALAD

This couldn’t be easier to prepare! Arrange the sliced tomatoes, mozzarella cheese slices and basil on a serving platter. Drizzle the extra virgin olive oil and vinegar on top. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. 
 

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RECIPE VARIATIONS

There are so many different variations you can use for this recipe. I love adding different ingredients to my caprese salads sometimes if I’m in the mood for something different other than the original recipe! Try my Melon Caprese Salad and my Tomato Prosciutto Caprese

Some other different variations you could use add to your caprese are: 

  • Sliced avocado
  • Fresh peaches (when in season) 
  • Sliced grapefruit 
  • Fresh Strawberries (when in season)
  • Sliced red onions
  • Sliced cucumbers
  • Balsamic vinegar reduction
  • Pesto

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Easy Caprese Salad

This Easy Caprese Salad makes a beautiful appetizer and takes minutes to assemble. Made with deliciously flavorful and fresh ingredients!
5 from 10 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer, Salad
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: caprese, caprese salad, how to make caprese salad
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 large tomatoes; sliced
  • 8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese; sliced into 1/4 inch slices
  • 7-10 fresh basil leaves
  • 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
  • salt + ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Arrange the sliced tomatoes, mozzarella cheese slices and basil on a serving platter. Drizzle the extra virgin olive oil and vinegar on top. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Enjoy!
Find Kathryn's Kitchen Blog on Instagram!Mention @Kathryns.Kitchen.Blog or tag #kathrynskitchen!

Notes

This recipe was originally created for Rocket Farms

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Recipe Rating




20 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Thank you so much for sharing this super easy and tasty caprese salad~This is our new favorite, we’ll make it again for sure! Highly Recommended!

  2. Hands down one of my favorite summer time recipes…so easy and fresh! Look at those gorgeous colors…cannot wait for my garden tomatoes to come in so I can make this ^_^

  3. 5 stars
    Color full and perfect summer salad! Loved your pictures too… We have garden-fresh tomatoes and I love to add those in salads.

  4. 5 stars
    What a great appetizer and yummy salad for summer. I love the way it makes use of such tasty vegetables and flavors.

  5. 5 stars
    Many thanks for sharing this recipe. I love mozzarella and tomato salad. So I will definitely try your version.

  6. 5 stars
    Tried this salad for lunch. The flavors were simple but prominent. Loved the recipe. This goes on my top pinned salad list. Making it again for sure.