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    Home » 30-Minute Recipes

    Cherry Tomatoes Caprese Salad (Easy!)

    Published: Sep 18, 2022 · Modified: Aug 22, 2023 by Natasha Levai · This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment

    Jump to Recipe

    Caprese salad is a traditional Italian dish that is a great meal on its own! Drizzled with some balsamic vinegar or olive oil with garlic adds the final touch to already rich ingredients. Don't miss this list of main dishes to serve with the Caprese!

    Cherry tomato caprese salad on a plate.
    Jump to:
    • Why You Will Love This Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Variations
    • Step-by-step instructions
    • Expert Tips
    • FAQ
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Community

    Why You Will Love This Recipe

    - Easy All you need to do is chop fresh tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella, drizzle it with some olive oil or balsamic reduction and you are good to go!

    - Low-carb and keto friendly. Caprese salad is very healthy and good for you! To make this dish more filling, serve it with low-card oven-baked pork chops.

    - Budget-friendly. All you need is three simple ingredients that are available at every grocery store and are not expensive.

    Ingredients

    Ingredients for Caprese Salad

    Mozzarella - you can get mozzarella pearls to skip chopping, otherwise use a regular mozzarella ball. You can also use burrata mozzarella for burrata Caprese!

    Tomatoes - if you don't have cherry tomatoes you can use regular larger tomatoes. In that case, you just need to slice them more and cut the cores out.

    Basil - fresh basil is a must in this recipe!

    Variations

    - Add balsamic vinegar or balsamic reduction to the finished dish;

    - Add avocado or replace mozzarella with it for the vegan Caprese salad;

    - Place the salad in between fresh pieces of bread for a Caprese sandwich;

    - Put tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella onto skewers for a bite-size salad for a party.

    Step-by-step instructions

    Step 1. Chop up the tomatoes (optional), mozzarella, and basil (optional). Make sure your ingredients are fresh!

    Cherry tomatoes and mozzarella chopped up on a cutting board

    Step 2. Place the ingredients onto a plate in layers (mozzarella, tomato, basil) or put them into a bowl and toss with some salt, pepper (optional), and olive oil or balsamic reduction.

    You can also toss all the ingredients into a larger bowl and mix it that way. This will save you time!

    Caprese Salad with Cherry Tomatoes on a plate

    Expert Tips

    - If you are making this recipe ahead, don't chop cherry tomatoes ahead of time. In fact, you don't have to chop them at all as they are already bite-size!

    - If you don't like balsamic vinegar you can use white wine vinegar instead.

    - If you are short on time, just toss all the ingredients into a deep bowl and toss with oil or vinegar. No need for layering the ingredients!

    - This recipe is for one person, so multiply the ingredients by how many people you would like to serve!

    FAQ

    How to Cut Basil for a Caprese Salad?

    You may chop basil for the salad but you can also leave it as is! If you do decide to chop the leaves then you want to do it right before using them as they will start browning if you leave them to sit on the counter after cutting.

    Can Caprese Salad Be Made Ahead?

    It is best to make Caprese salad right before serving it as basil loses its shape and beauty when you leave it to sit in the refrigerator. However, you can make this salad ahead if you don’t mind your basil looking slightly wrinkly and darker (avoid cutting basil if you are making the salad ahead of time). With cherry tomatoes, you can leave them in the salad without cutting them so that they don’t lose their shape. The salad will last up to 2-3 days in the refrigerator.

    What Goes Well with a Caprese Salad?

    You can eat the salad with a piece of crunchy fresh bread if you want a light meal on a hot summer day but if you are looking for something more filling then there are plenty of options for you! You can serve Caprese salad along with pasta with pesto sauce or bolognese sauce, Parmesan risotto, you can add some grilled chicken, pork, or beef to the plate, or serve Caprese as an appetizer before any other main course.
    In fact, you can serve Caprese with pretty much anything you like, just follow your intuition when it comes to what flavors pair up with each other. If I had to guess I would say that when it comes to food there are as many preferences as there are people!

    📖 Recipe

    Cherry tomato caprese salad on a plate.

    Caprese Salad with Cherry Tomatoes (Easy!)

    Natasha Levai
    Delicious and light salad that can serve as an appetizer, a side dish, or even a meal on its own if you are looking for a light lunch!
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 10 minutes mins
    Course Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 1 person
    Calories 268 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 mozzarella ball
    • 5-10 cherry tomatoes depending on their size
    • 10 fresh basil leaves
    • olive oil for drizzling or balsamic reduction
    • salt and pepper to taste

    Instructions
     

    • Chop up the tomatoes (optional), mozzarella, and basil (optional).
    • Place the ingredients onto a plate in layers (mozzarella, tomato, basil) or put them into a bowl and toss with some salt, pepper (optional), and olive oil or balsamic reduction.

    Notes

    If you want to make this recipe ahead then it is best to avoid cutting basil and cherry tomatoes. In that case, it is easier to just toss the ingredients in a bowl instead of layering them onto a flat plate. 
    Balsamic vinegar or reduction is not originally a part of the dish and overpowers the ingredients' natural flavors. However, it is popular to add balsamic reduction to this salad, so you can try it and see if you like it!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1recipeCalories: 268kcalCarbohydrates: 14.5gProtein: 13.4gFat: 19.1gSaturated Fat: 6.4gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 670mgPotassium: 889mgFiber: 4.5gSugar: 9.7gCalcium: 146mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword Caprese Salad, Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad, Easy Caprese Salad
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Have you made this Caprese salad recipe? Please, share your experience and questions in the comment section below!

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Terry says

      October 25, 2022 at 7:07 pm

      5 stars
      I love this Italian salad. Balsamic reduction is my favorite dressing for this one!

      Reply

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    Natasha, the author of the blog.

    Hi, I'm Natasha! My gluten-free adventure began when I met my amazing husband, who has celiac. From that moment on, I've been happily baking gluten-free goodies almost every day. I can't wait to spread the love and share my tips and recipes with all of you!

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