Caprese Salad is an easy to make Italian classic, with fresh ripe tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil leaves, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar!
Well, I’ve made this Caprese Salad two nights in a row for my husband and myself. Truth! It is so refreshing and delicious, especially with peak of season tomatoes and basil!
With very few ingredients, you can make this delicious salad. We enjoy it as a side salad OR sometimes as a main dish on a hot summer night.
Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page
Inspiration Hits
It all started innocently enough… I happened to see a post on my friend Elizabeth’s Facebook page, and it really looked delicious.
She made a Caprese Salad for her family and after seeing it I got to thinking that I should make a caprese salad for my husband and I, too!
I didn’t have an official recipe, but how hard could it be, right? After all, I grow basil and tomatoes in our little backyard garden.
My thought was “Wow- this would be a great light summer appetizer or salad. All I need is some fresh mozzarella”.
Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a MOZZARELLA plant, but two out of three main ingredients is a good start!
Caprese Salad… For the WIN!
Caprese salad is such an easy dish to prepare, and you can make it as large or small as you wish! My husband and I had late lunches the past couple of days, so we weren’t overly hungry at dinner time.
Because we weren’t too hungry, I decided to make us each a caprese salad and have us sit out on our deck to enjoy it for a light evening meal.
We enjoyed this simple dish along with a glass of wine for our dinner. Our caprese salad was deliciously tasty (and amazing) on that hot, summer night!
Last night, the same story. Late lunch, and we weren’t really hungry for a “normal” dinner, so I ran out to our garden and picked some more fresh basil and more tomatoes!
I made us another Caprese Salad for dinner and we gobbled it up.. Yee Haw! When you have the flavor of homegrown tomatoes, this salad SHINES! Can’t believe we enjoyed our salads two nights in a row.
So, what exactly is a “Caprese Salad”, you ask? Wikipedia defines it: “Caprese Salad is a simple salad, made of sliced fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil, seasoned with salt, and olive oil. It was made to resemble the colors of the Italian flag: red, white, and green.”
I also add pepper and drizzle balsamic vinegar on top (along with olive oil). Perfect! I’ve made caprese salad so many times now I’ve lost count!
Hope you will give this easy salad a try. The flavors of the fresh tomatoes and basil combined with creamy fresh mozzarella is wonderful!
Hope you and those you love will enjoy this delicious caprese salad! It is REALLY easy to prepare and is absolutely delicious!
Thanks for stopping by, and I invite you to come back soon for more family friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you, and have a great day.
Looking For More SALAD Recipes?
You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have lots of delicious salad (sweet and savory) recipes to choose from, including:
- Bacon Lover’s Spinach Salad
- Fruit Feta Green Salad with Candied Pecans
- Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
- Asian Cucumber Salad
- Cranberry Pineapple Jello Salad
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↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓
Caprese Salad is an easy to make Italian classic, with fresh ripe tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil leaves, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar!
- Fresh mozzarella cheese , room temp, sliced in 1/2 inch slices (2-3 slices per person)
- Fresh tomatoes , sliced in 1/2 inch slices (2-3 slices per person)
- Fresh basil sprigs ( one for each slice of cheese and tomato)
- Sea salt (to taste)
- Cracked pepper (to taste)
- Olive oil (enough to drizzle over the top of the salad)
- Balsamic vinegar (enough to drizzle over the top of the salad)
- Layer the serving platter with slice of cheese, then a slice of tomato. Repeat, until you have as much on the platter as you desire.
- Lightly salt and pepper the salad.
Lightly drizzle the salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Place a sprig or two of fresh basil leaves on, or in between each slice of tomato and cheese. Serve, and enjoy!
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!