Caprese Salad Recipe

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Now that summer is here (Friday was the last day of school…God help me!), I thought it was time to post this summer favorite recipe. When I first had Caprese Salad, I loved finding something that was delicious and unique to take when we go somewhere. Since then I’ve started to see it around more, so it may not be new to you, but the way I prepare it may be a little different – most pictures you see of this recipe show slices of tomato arranged around the mozzarella cheese and basil. I like to either use cherry tomatoes, or cut the tomatoes smaller, so it can all be tossed together and easily eaten with a fork. Using local and organic ingredients make this salad even healthier and more flavorful, too.

(Note:  see some more delicious ways to make this recipe here:  fresh basil pesto with tomatoes.)

Caprese Salad

Note: toss together just before serving, otherwise the oil sets up when you put it in the frig and it no longer looks very appetizing!

• 1 pint (organic if possible) Cherry tomatoes cut in half, or larger tomatoes cut into bite-sized pieces.
• 2-3 balls of the soft mozzarella cheese that you find in the deli or specialty cheese section, cut into bite-sized pieces.  (I’ve since had this with the cheese cut up even smaller than in the above picture and liked it better.)
  
• A bunch of fresh basil/about 2 oz., rinsed (organic if possible)
• Dressing: 1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil (cold pressed) and 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar (If you use the darker/extra virgin olive oil, it can have a strong taste, so sometimes I’ll use half expeller pressed or cold pressed sesame oil.)  See my resources page for quality brands of olive oil that are nice and mild.
  

Toss it all together and enjoy!

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