Classic Caprese Salad is one of the best things you can make with summer garden tomatoes! Thick slices of tomato are layered with fresh mozzarella and basil leaves, then scattered with red and yellow cherry tomatoes for extra color and variety. A quick drizzle of olive oil, balsamic glaze, salt and fresh cracked pepper and this gorgeous summer salad is ready in just 15 minutes!
- A Classic Salad! - It's hard to believe that just a few ingredients can taste so good! A Caprese salad just feels like summer, and it's probably my favorite salad ever! Store-bought balsamic glaze makes it so quick and easy, perfect for summer bbq's and parties!
- Summer Fresh - Definitely save this salad just for summer, when those garden tomatoes are perfectly ripe and juicy! The extra cherry tomatoes over the top add a colorful unique spin, and you can use whatever varieties you have in the garden or from the farmer's market!
- When it's Tomato Season, try my Peach Caprese Salad and these 21 Ways to Use Garden Tomatoes without Canning!
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Ingredients & Substitutions
This salad is only as good as the tomatoes, and in late summer, they speak for themselves! Ripe, red, juicy, and absolutely delicious!
- Garden Tomatoes - Large garden tomatoes are the base of this salad, sliced thick and layered with the mozzarella. Use any variety you have, heirloom, beefsteak, or anything from the garden. Then add a few cherry tomatoes to garnish, the more color variety the better. These are optional, but they really make a beautiful salad!
- Fresh Mozzarella Cheese - Use a ball of fresh mozzarella. It keeps a pretty long time unopened in the fridge, so I like to always have one on hand for August tomatoes!
- Basil - Use full leaves between each slice of mozzarella with more to garnish the top. It's very easy to grow basil from seeds, I usually plant a whole pack each summer and have more than I need!
- Olive Oil, Balsamic Glaze, Salt and Pepper - This is the very simple dressing, and you don't need to mix it, just drizzle over the top. The salt really enhances the flavor of the tomatoes. Balsamic glaze is a reduced and thickened balsamic vinegar, making it sweeter. Store-bought is the easiest, but you can make your own by simmering balsamic vinegar to thicken it, you can add a bit of honey if you like.
See recipe card below for full quantities.
Instructions
Amounts don't need to be exact, and you can make a Caprese salad as large or as small as you like!
Step 1 - Slice the mozzarella and the tomatoes. Cut some of the cherry tomatoes in half.
Step 2 - Arrange the salad with a slice of tomato, then mozzarella, then a basil leaf.
You can use a round, oval or rectangular platter.
Step 3 - Add a few cherry tomatoes over the top, more basil leaves to garnish and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic glaze and it's ready to serve!
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Ripe Tomatoes, Don't Refrigerate - This salad is only as good as the tomatoes! Make sure they are ripe and fresh from the garden or farmer's market. Don't refrigerate tomatoes, they can be stored on the counter at room temperature.
- Use a Sharp Knife - How easily your knife glides through a tomato skin will tell you if it's sharp or not! It's best to use a very sharp knife, with a dull knife you'll have to press harder to get through the tomato skin and you'll squeeze out and lose some of the juice.
- Storage and Leftovers - Leftover Caprese salad can be stored in the fridge and eaten the next day. It will get a little watery as the salt pulls the liquid from the tomatoes, but it's still good to eat!
Recipe FAQs
This salad is best made fresh and eaten right away, but you can make it a few hours earlier the same day. It can be fully made and sit at room temperature for up to an hour. If you want to make it a few hours ahead and refrigerate, it will be fine, although the salt can make the tomatoes a bit watery. You may want to wait to add the salt until just before serving.
This salad is easy to adjust because the amounts don't need to be exact. Just figure that each person will eat 2 or 3 layers of tomato, cheese and basil. The salad pictured uses 1 ball of mozzarella and serves about 6 people. So you can use a half a ball for 3 people, or 2 mozzarella balls for 12 people. Or anywhere in between! If your amounts don't come out just right, you can easily tuck in an extra tomato or mozzarella slice here and there!
If you don't have balsamic glaze, you can make it by simmering a bit of balsamic vinegar with a drizzle of honey until it is slightly thickened. You could also make a quick dressing by shaking equal parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a jar and drizzle that over the salad.
More Summer Tomato Salads!
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Caprese Salad
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Print Pin RateIngredients
- 2 or 3 large slicer tomatoes
- ½ to 1 cup cherry tomatoes optional
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese sliced
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 grinds fresh black pepper
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic glaze
Instructions
- Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Cut a few cherry tomatoes in half if using.
- Arrange the salad in a spiral with a slice tomato, a slice of mozzarella, and a full basil leaf. Continue until all ingredients are used. Scatter a few sliced cherry tomatoes over the top for color variety (optional).
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic glaze. Garnish with more basil leaves and enjoy!
Notes
- Don't store tomatoes in the fridge, they can sit on the counter.
- Depending on size, large tomatoes can be sliced thick and the slices cut in half. You can cut your mozzarella as thin or as thick as you like, slices can also be cut in half, depending on how you want to stretch the salad.
- Balsamic glaze - Can be store-bought or make your own by gently simmering 3 Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar with 1 Tablespoon of honey until it thickens just slightly. Cool before drizzling over the salad. You can really use any amount of balsamic vinegar and just simmer it to reduce it into a glaze.
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