Caprese Salad

Insalata Caprese (salad from Capri) is a simple and delicious salad made of fresh sliced mozzarella, tomatoes & basil, seasoned with olive oil and salt.  Caprese salad is a favorite in our house, and we make it in a variety of different ways.

I love to use heirloom tomatoes for Caprese.  Locally, Waterkist Farm grows amazing heirloom tomatoes that can be purchased on Saturdays at the Winter Park Farmers' Market.

Whole Foods has a great selection of fresh mozzarella, and they usually have heirloom tomatoes in stock.  My standard Caprese recipe consists of a plate of sliced tomatoes, a ball or two of fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, and kosher salt.  It's so easy to make and my daughters love it!

Tonight, I made a Caprese salad using ingredients I had in the house -- a pint of grape tomatoes, a package of BelGioioso Fresh Mozzarella Pearls, and leftover homemade pesto and balsamic glaze from the Pesto Pizza we made last night.  I cut the grape tomatoes in half, and tossed them with the mozzarella, 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, and kosher salt.  I then added a big dollop of homemade pesto, which I stirred in after taking this picture, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze when I served each plate.  We all loved this twist on a traditional Caprese Salad.

Caprese Salad

Ingredients

Tomatoes of choice - preferably heirloom
1 or 2 balls of fresh mozzarella - sliced
Fresh basil leaves
Kosher or sea salt
3 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T white balsamic vinegar or a drizzle of balsamic reduction
Optional - coarse ground black pepper

Directions

Slice the tomatoes and lay them out on a large plate or platter.  Sprinkle them with kosher salt.  Add the mozzarella and basil leaves.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and white balsamic vinegar.  Add another sprinkle of kosher salt before serving.  Optional - season with coarse ground black pepper.

May 15, 2015 Update -  For this Caprese salad, I used a package of mozzarella pearls, a couple of handfuls of Primodoro snack tomatoes that I cut in half, fresh chopped basil, 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon of white balsamic vinegar, and a good amount of kosher salt.  The second I sat this on the table, my kids dove in.  They always get excited for Caprese salad.  We also love Caprese panini.  You can read about our panini making here.