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    You are Here: Masala Herb Β» Recipes Β» Italian

    Italian Caprese Salad Recipe

    Published: Jan 27, 2020 Β· Modified: May 15, 2022 by Helene Dsouza

    723 shares
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    Helene Dsouza
    Caprese Salad is an Italian classic. Serve it up with bread.
    Total Time: 5 minutes
    5 from 9 votes
    Jump to Recipe
    tomato, mozzarella basil
    quick and easy lunch salad with tomato mozzarella and basil

    Caprese Salad is an easy Mediterranean salad prepared with a handful of fresh ingredients.

    Make this Italian salad all year round and enjoy for lunch or as an appetizer or make it your own with my flavor options!

    caprese salad arranged in the colors of the Italian flag
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    Caprese Salad makes me happy and I can eat it all the time, not just in summer.

    My husband was mesmerized by the flavors the moment he was introduced to it.

    He describes the tomato mozzarella and basil as a brilliant marriage between ingredients and the olive oil completes the dish.

    Sounds promising right?

    Jump to:
    • What is Caprese Salad?
    • How to make it?
    • Ingredients
    • Variations
    • FAQs
    • More international salads:
    • πŸ“– Recipe
    • πŸ’¬ Comments

    What is Caprese Salad?

    Caprese Salad, Insalata Caprese in Italian, means salad from Capri, which is an Italian island.

    The salad consists of fresh basil leaves, fresh buffalo mozzarella and tomatoes.

    The green white and red ingredients represent the Italian flag in the Caprese Salad.

    Green for the basil, White for the buffalo mozzarella and red for the tomato.

    How to make it?

    The best homemade caprese salad is easy to make. This is how it's done

    Print the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

    italian caprese salad close up

    Step 1

    Cut open the mozzarella packet and remove the cheese ball from the brine. Drip off excess water.

    Cut the soft mozzarella into slices.

    Step 2

    Wash your tomato, pat dry and slice.

    Rinse off fresh basil leaves to get rid of impurities and pat dry as well.

    Step 3

    Either arrange salad the traditional way by placing a basil leaves to a mozzarella slice and a tomato slice (for the Italian flag) or place all ingredients in salad bowl.

    Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and black pepper (optional).

    Serve your salad cold!

    Ingredients

    Getting and using the right ingredients for your Caprese salad is crucial!

    Mozzarella

    Use only fresh buffalo mozzarella, not the processed mozzarella cheese which is used on pizzas and which looks like cheddar.

    Soft fresh buffalo mozzarella is turned into a ball and then kept in brine.

    Soft mozzarella can be stored for a few days in the brine in the fridge. Follow the expiry date.

    You can use small mozzarella balls too.

    Basil

    Use Italian fresh sweet basil for this recipe. That's the most common basic basil in stores.

    Don't use Thai Basil or Holy Basil (Tulsi), they taste different.

    Tomato

    Pick a juicy red tomato variety.

    You can use cherry or grape tomatoes too, which are great with small mozzarella balls.

    caprese tomato bail mozzarella platter

    Variations

    You can enhance your salad by adding the following ingredients to it:

    • leafy greens such as lettuce, arugula and baby spinach.
    • strawberries {Panera Copycat]
    • other fruits such as peach and watermelon
    • chicken cooked such as leftover rotisserie chicken
    • avocado

    For the dressing, you can also sprinkle balsamic vinegar over the salad or enjoy it with basil pesto.

    Another idea is to use burrata instead of a mozzarella ball in this caprese salad recipe.

    FAQs

    Can this salad be made ahead of time?

    Yes, you can make this salad ahead of time. Just slice and place all ingredients into an airtight container. To serve sprinkle olive oil and seasoning over the arranged fresh ingredients.

    How to assemble a Caprese salad?

    Italians always assemble this salad according to the Italian flag. Start with a fresh leave of basil, a slice of mozzarella cheese touching a tomato slice. Repeat the process and create as many rows as you like. You can serve up a whole caprese platter!

    Is this salad healthy?

    Yes! It's a well-balanced salad with fresh ingredients that is served with olive oil. The salad is low-carb keto.

    More international salads:

    • Greek Salad
    • German Cucumber Salad
    • Mexican Salad with Corn and Black Beans
    • Mediterranean Salad by unicornsinthekitchen.com
    Mediterranean fresh caprese tomato bail salad
    Recipes from around the world E-Book

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    with Spices and Herbs

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    πŸ“– Recipe

    tomato, mozzarella basil

    Easy Caprese Salad Recipe

    Caprese Salad is an Italian classic. Serve it up with bread.
    5 from 9 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Salad
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: how to make caprese salad, italian caprese salad
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Total Time: 5 minutes
    Servings: 2 servings
    Calories: 35kcal
    Recipe by: Helene Dsouza

    Ingredients

    • 3 Tomato medium
    • 1 large Fresh Mozzarella
    • Basil Leaves fresh
    • pinch Salt
    • pinch Black Pepper optional
    • dash Olive Oil extra virgin
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Rinse tomatoes, pat dry and cut into medium to thick slices.
    • Cut open the mozzarella cheese bag, discard all the water, shake off liquids from the cheese ball. Cut mozzarella into slices. You may cut the ball first into half if it's a large one.
    • Rinse fresh basil leaves to get rid of impurities. Pat dry.
    • Arrange your salad. Place basil leaves, mozzarella slice, and tomato slice alternating on a plate.
    • Sprinkle olive oil, salt and if you like black pepper, over the arranged Caprese salad.
    • Serve your salad cooled.

    Notes

    You can grow a small batch of Italian Basil in your kitchen too. That way you have always fresh basil in your kitchen!

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Easy Caprese Salad Recipe
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 35 Calories from Fat 9
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 1g2%
    Saturated Fat 1g5%
    Cholesterol 1mg0%
    Sodium 11mg0%
    Potassium 437mg12%
    Carbohydrates 7g2%
    Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 5g6%
    Protein 2g4%
    Vitamin A 1537IU31%
    Vitamin C 25mg30%
    Calcium 30mg3%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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    Comments

    1. Maureen says

      March 25, 2017 at 9:44 am

      5 stars
      This combination was made in heaven.

      Reply
    2. Nilesh says

      March 24, 2017 at 7:23 pm

      Love basil, growing Sweet Basil, makes great Pesto. I have been growing basil in a pot here in State of Gujarat in India. Have been regularly fertilizing using Goat poop. Too bad can't find fresh mozzarella in my neck of the woods!

      Reply
      • Helene Dsouza says

        March 24, 2017 at 9:21 pm

        Hi Nilesh,
        really goat poop as fertilizer? That's interesting. When do you plant your basil seeds? That's a pity that you are not getting mozzarella in your corner of Gujarat. I think retail market will be selling those sooner or later. We have lots of cheese choice for the past 4 years now in Goa and I think the cheese market is gradually expanding in India, which is good. πŸ™‚

        Reply
    3. Eva Taylor says

      March 24, 2015 at 6:33 pm

      I agree, this is the ultimate summer food, sadly we have a few more months to go before this delicious salad reappears in our lunch and dinner platesβ€”tomatoes this time of year are so bland and mealy they actually gross me out. I usually serve oven dried tomatoes in this recipe during our winter. Such beautiful photos too.

      Reply
    4. Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says

      July 29, 2014 at 4:18 am

      5 stars
      I can't wait for summer and fresh tomatoes. I've made mozzarella a couple of time. I'll be honest and say I didn't find that it was a lot better than I could buy so I haven't made it again.

      This is the salad that definitely says it's summer to me.

      Reply
    5. Maria Grazia (Picetto) says

      March 31, 2014 at 8:51 pm

      Ciao Helene, sono contenta che una ricetta italiana ti ha resa felice e che tu riesca a trovare la mozzarella anche in India! Un grande saluto
      M.G.

      Reply
    6. Cher says

      March 27, 2014 at 9:47 pm

      What a lovely presentation!

      Reply
    7. nandoo says

      March 26, 2014 at 6:18 pm

      yummy, tempting salad..

      Reply
    8. Prash @ YummilyYours says

      March 26, 2014 at 5:52 am

      Hey Helene!
      Beautiful photos. I agree with you. Something so ordinary to us might be totally new to someone else. I am super crazy about tomatoes but I've never had Caprese Salad before! So, thanks for sharing this πŸ™‚

      Reply
    9. Shashi @ http://runninsrilankan.com says

      March 26, 2014 at 12:15 am

      Delightfully refreshing combination of flavors - makes me long for summer more! πŸ™‚

      Reply
    10. Roy says

      March 26, 2014 at 3:16 am

      Sorry! I should have have read your post a little closer. It waw self explanatory.

      Reply
      • Helene Dsouza says

        April 08, 2014 at 8:20 pm

        oh that's alright, glad you asked. =)

        Reply
    11. Roy says

      March 26, 2014 at 3:15 am

      I didn't know you could get fresh mozzarella in Goa? Is it from the Indian buffaloes?

      Reply
      • Helene Dsouza says

        March 26, 2014 at 11:23 am

        I don't know since I couldn't find a way to contact the dairy I am buying from. But I know an Italian lady who was one of the first to make mozzarella here and she told me that they used the milk from Indian buffalos and also from cows.

        Reply
    12. Kitchen Belleicious says

      March 25, 2014 at 7:21 pm

      so simple but so delicious and so fresh and screams spring

      Reply
    13. Tina Muir says

      March 25, 2014 at 4:33 pm

      I have had something very similar to this, but not with the love put into it that you have. Beautiful presentation, and I am sure it tastes even better! Perfect summer afternoon appetizer. Thanks for sharing πŸ™‚

      Reply
    14. Choc Chip Uru says

      March 25, 2014 at 7:57 am

      I'm in love with how fresh it looks and such a delicious dish πŸ˜€

      Cheers
      Choc Chip Uru

      Reply
    15. Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says

      March 25, 2014 at 6:32 am

      5 stars
      When the ingredients are fresh, I swear there is no better salad than this. It looks beautiful on that plate, Helene.

      Reply
    16. Eva Taylor says

      March 25, 2014 at 5:17 am

      5 stars
      This is by far one of my favourite summer salads and if I see it on a menu, I will almost always order it. Except when tomatoes are out of season and they taste like nothing, it is infuriating to see it on a menu out of season. The combinations you mention are exquisite and satisfy the emotional hunger as well as the physical hunger. It's nice to know you can find this cheese in Goa; my friend John (from the Bartolini Kitchens) made soft mozzarella some time ago, I haven't tried making it yet but will sometime soon.

      Reply
    17. Judit & Corina says

      March 24, 2014 at 10:55 pm

      5 stars
      So glad to found your beautiful Caprese salad , Helen! This is so funny, we all created something delicious with tomato, basil and mozzarella this weekend. How wonderful for you to be able to experience life in Goa. We have many friends form India from the Pune region and they often tell us about their vacation to the scenic coast of Goa.
      J+C

      Reply
    18. Ansh says

      March 25, 2014 at 3:56 am

      Oh this speaks of summer! I can't wait to have fresh tomatoes and make this.

      Reply
    19. [email protected] Riffs says

      March 24, 2014 at 9:57 pm

      Great salad, and I love the presentation. We can get great mozzarella here, too. But it's too early for tomatoes and basil from my garden. But in a few months, this will be on our table! Really nice -- thanks.

      Reply
    20. Rosa says

      March 24, 2014 at 6:56 pm

      Fresh and delicious!

      Cheers,

      Rosa

      Reply

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