Caprese Salad

A salad doesn’t have to be about just salad greens. Our delicious Caprese salad is proof that sometimes the simplest ingredients can be composed into the loveliest dish. Featuring fresh tomatoes, thick-sliced mozzarella cheese, basil and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette, this Caprese salad comes together in just minutes, and it’s utterly refreshing on a summer day, when tomatoes are at their ripest.

Ingredients for Caprese Salad

• Tomatoes: Look for the juiciest medium-sized ripe tomatoes for this dish.
• Mozzarella cheese: You’ll want fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into slices of similar thickness to the tomato slices.
• Fresh basil: Fresh basil leaves add incredible flavor to a Caprese salad.

Balsamic vinaigrette:

• Olive oil: Olive oil is one of the main ingredients in any vinaigrette dressing, and it also helps the dressing stick to the ingredients in the salad.
• Balsamic vinegar: Balsamic vinegar gives this dressing a lovely, rich flavor. This type of vinegar is made from grapes and aged in oak barrels, giving it a deep sweet flavor that’s quite different from standard white vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
• Ground mustard: Just a teaspoon of ground mustard gives the dressing a little bite, making it even more delicious.

Directions

Step 1: Layer the salad

Kayla Blydenburgh for Taste of Home

Arrange the tomatoes, mozzarella slices and basil on a serving platter, alternating the tomatoes and cheese and tucking the basil leaves between the stacks.

Step 2: Make the dressing

Kayla Blydenburgh for Taste of Home

In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, ground mustard, salt and pepper, then drizzle the dressing over the salad. If desired, sprinkle the composed salad with additional salt and pepper.

Kayla Blydenburgh for Taste of Home

Caprese Salad Variations

• Skip the mustard: If you don’t care for ground mustard in a dressing, it’s okay to leave it out.
• Add pine nuts: Add pine nuts or toasted pine nuts to give your Caprese a little crunch.
• Slice the basil into strips: Cut groups of basil leaves into thin strips for a stunning presentation, sprinkling the basil strips onto the layered tomatoes and cheese.
• Chop it up: Chop or dice the tomatoes and the mozzarella and tear up the basil leaves to make the Caprese salad more like a traditional salad served in bowls. This is a nice option if you’re serving the Caprese as a side dish. Serve the balsamic vinaigrette at the table to let guests choose how much to add.
• Add pesto: Dollops of pesto atop the Caprese salad bring the basil flavor to the front for even more deliciousness.

How to Store Caprese Salad

Once you know how to make Caprese salad, you’ll probably guess that it’s best enjoyed fresh. But it can be kept in the refrigerator as well. Cover it, and it’ll keep for a day or two in the fridge, though the sliced tomatoes may leave some juice behind.

Can you make Caprese salad ahead of time?

The best way to make Caprese salad ahead of time is to store the components separately, such as the dressing, the sliced tomatoes and the sliced mozzarella. Prepare the ingredients a day or so ahead of time, then assemble and dress the salad when you’re ready to serve it.

Caprese Salad Tips

Kayla Blydenburgh for Taste of Home

Can I make this Caprese salad recipe with grape or cherry tomatoes?

Sure! For a playful party dish, alternate one cherry or grape tomato, a similarly sized ball of mozzarella and a few basil leaves on a skewer, repeating until the skewer is full. These serving-sized treats looks beautiful and taste delicious, and the skewer makes them finger food.

What is ground mustard?

Ground mustard is mustard seeds that have been ground into a powder. It’s the same thing as powdered mustard and dry mustard, and it’s quite a bit spicier than prepared mustard, which is the liquid version you use on burgers.

Can I turn this salad into a Caprese sandwich?

Absolutely! Caprese sandwiches offer all the flavor of a Caprese salad, but in lovely handheld-meal form. On ciabatta bread or a baguette cut in half horizontally, drizzle some of the balsamic vinaigrette, followed by the tomato slices, mozzarella, basil and basil pesto. Add balsamic glaze inside the sandwich as well, if you like. Sun-dried tomatoes and arugula are also tasty in a Caprese sandwich.