There's nothing quite like a Caprese Salad in the height of tomato season. I find myself making a traditional Caprese Salad 3-4 times a week during the summer. It's also an integral part of a dinner party spread or just paired with my summery turkey meatballs with angel hair pasta. Not only because it's delish, but it's too easy to assemble and works well with just about anything!
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
Caprese Salad is just actual perfection. Perfectly ripe sliced juicy tomatoes, fresh slices of buffalo mozzarella and basil. That's it in it's simplest form and I could live off of these during the summer. You know I love caprese in many forms.... Sun Gold Caprese, Caprese Orzo, Peach Tomato Caprese... but this is the traditional method and it's one that we all need in our back pockets.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Ripe Tomatoes – tomatoes should smell like TOMATOES. So look for some that are colorful, not too soft and fragrant.
- Fresh Mozzarella – get the kind that's stored in the water! It's fresh and the most tender and delicious.
- Basil – you can use a drizzle of basil vinaigrette if you prefer!
- Balsamic Glaze – optional but encouraged!
- Olive Oil – use one that is super delish and great for drizzling.
- Salt & Pepper – I love a flaky maldon here and some freshly cracked black pepper
*For full list of ingredients and instructions please see recipe card below
How to Make Caprese Salad
- Slice a few ripe tomatoes into ¼ inch slices.
- Do the same size slice for a few balls of fresh mozzarella.
- Start by layering slices of tomatoes on a serving platter. Tuck slices of cheese between each tomato so both are visible then tuck whole basil leaves between the cheese and tomatoes. Arrange the slices so you can see every layer.
- Season generously with salt and pepper, drizzle all over with extra virgin olive oil and drizzle with 2 tablespoon balsamic glaze or add it to taste.
Tips & Tricks
You can make this as simple as you want or jazz it up! Here are a few things I've done in the past:
- Add slices of peaches
- Use heirloom tomatoes that are different colors to make it even more colorful
- Tuck basil into each slice AND add a drizzle of basil vinaigrette on top.
FAQ's
What does caprese mean English?
Slices of tomato and fresh mozzarella cheese! That's it! It's a simple classic.
What to serve as a main with Caprese salad?
I love to serve a number of things with my Caprese like Ribs, Steak, Salmon, Pasta, Grilled Chicken... skies the limit.
More Caprese Salad Inspired Recipes
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Caprese Salad
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds ripe tomatoes (3-4 medium) sliced ¼" thick
- 12-16 ounces fresh mozzarella sliced ¼" thick
- 1 bunch fresh basil ⅓ cup basil leaves
- 3 tablespoons olive oil for drizzling
- Maldon salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons balsamic glaze
Instructions
- Start by layering slices of tomatoes on a serving platter. Tuck slices of cheese between each tomato so both are visible then tuck whole basil leaves between the cheese and tomatoes. Arrange the slices so you can see every layer.
- Season generously with salt and pepper, drizzle all over with extra virgin olive oil and drizzle with 2 tablespoon balsamic glaze or add it to taste.
Why does it have grill marks on it?
That' drizzled balsamic - not grill marks 🙂