This caprese salad is a quick and easy side for any of your weeknight dinners.
It boasts big flavor and no cooking time, making it foolproof to prepare and sure to please.
What You’ll Need to Make It
To make this caprese salad you’ll need things like tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, olive oil, and basil.
Tomatoes
Unless you can find some really good fresh tomatoes, I recommend using cherry tomatoes for this.
They tend to retain their quality more than other varieties, making them useful for tomato off-seasons.
Mozzarella
For the mozzarella, anything sold as “fresh mozzarella” should work. I personally think mozzarella pearls are a good size for this salad.
You’ll also save some time by not having to cut them into slices, chunks, etc.
Olive Oil
I really recommend using a good extra-virgin olive oil for this. It doesn’t need to be fancy, but you should like the way it tastes.
If you never sample your olive oil – either off a spoon or with bread – now’s the time to start. It’s far too easy to purchase low-quality oil with a comparable (or higher!) price tag.
Basil
While most people recommend using fresh basil, I think using dry is fine as well.
Fresh is certainly a better option, but it’s more expensive and requires more prep work. You’d also need to find a use for the rest of the basil before it goes bad, which I’m sure is a familiar struggle to many.
Also be sure your dry basil isn’t old. If you’ve had the bottle so long the expiry date has faded away, it’s time to replace it.
How to Make Caprese Salad
The only step besides mixing the ingredients is cutting the tomatoes (and basil, if you’re using fresh).
Cut the Tomatoes (and Basil?)
You’ll want to cut the tomatoes in half long-ways. I’ll leave a note below for the basil, since it’s a bit more complicated.
Mix Together, Then Serve
Once you’ve got everything measured, just mix it together and serve! If you’re not serving immediately, leave the salt out until the last minute, or the salad may get watery.
Conclusion and Recipe
Below I’ve listed the ingredients, ingredient amounts, and steps for making this caprese salad. If you like this recipe, consider sharing with friends and family, or check out my recipe for margherita crostini.
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Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup cherry tomatoes, 159 grams
1/4 cup fresh mozzarella pearls, 46 grams
1 1/2 tsps dry basil*
2 Tbsps extra-virgin olive oil, 28 grams
1/2 tsp kosher salt, 2 grams
Preparation
Cut your tomatoes in half long-ways, then add to a bowl with your other ingredients. Mix thoroughly, then serve.
Notes
* To cut fresh basil for this, stack several leaves and tightly roll them up.
Slice the resulting pile into thin strips, then turn and cut thinly a second time. This should leave you with relatively small chunks of basil.
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