Caprese Salad Recipe with Cherry Tomatoes

For this 10 minutes or less salad

• ADD TOMATOES: Add grape or cherry tomatoes
• ADD CHEESE: If desired, you can cut the cheese into halves or even quarter them. I left them whole because it looks prettier/more contrast of large and small and white. I do like to cut them smaller so that I can easily eat the combination of the three delicious ingredients! I’ll leave that choice up to you and what you want out of your salad.
• MAKE HONEY BALSAMIC DRESSING:  a small bowl, add the balsamic and honey to make a sweet vinaigrette. Whisk well. Drizzle over tomato, mozzarella balls, and basil.  Serve immediately.

Store covered in a refrigerator.

Balls of Mozzarella or Fresh Slices? 

My favorite part of Caprese Salad is the cheese.  I’ll be honest, sometimes not a lot of cheese makes it into the salad because I’m scarfing it all in the kitchen! Thankfully now that just about every grocery store has a specialty cheese section, there are so many different types of fresh mozzarella to add. While the original recipe was believed to use cow’s milk fresh mozzarella, buffalo-milk mozzarella has become the modern favorite.

When I’m looking to get this appetizer on the table even faster, I use balls of mozzarella – no slicing necessary. However, ff you’re looking to add a boost of flavor to your salad try smoked mozzarella – not only is the color lovely, the additional flavor from the cheese adds something new and tasty to the salad.  The slight smoky flavor plays well with the balsamic vinegar and basil.

Grape Tomatoes or Cherry Tomatoes?

As far as the tomatoes go, I used grape tomatoes in my Caprese Salad but you can use cherry tomatoes as well. Cutting them in half is usually best. Not only to help eliminate a choking hazard but also you get more salad out of your tomatoes. Cutting tomatoes also let you know that its a fresh ripe tomato. There is nothing worse than biting into a bad tomato!

Although the classic Caprese Salad uses stunning vine-ripened red tomatoes, you shouldn’t feel limited to these alone!  Experimenting with other types of tomato varieties can really change the flavor of the overall salad or sandwich.  It might even convert any anti-tomato diners to appreciate this salad.

When making Caprese Salad for a crowd, I love to use several different varieties of tomatoes.  The unique colors and flavors blend to make a super easy stand-out dish to share.

• While red tomatoes have a rich and robust flavor to them, other colors of tomato have totally different flavors.  While pinks are much like reds, orange tomatoes are sweet tasting nearly like eating fruit!  The sweet flavor is lovely beside the creamy mozzarella and the balsamic vinegar.
• Yellow tomatoes are less tangy than their red counterparts, partially because they are a lower-acid tomato variety.
• On the other hand, green, purple, and black tomatoes have stronger flavors than reds.
• If you’re interested in making your salad even easier, consider using grape or cherry tomatoes.    While you can use them interchangeably, cherry tomatoes tend to be sweeter and more watery than grape tomatoes, but grape tomatoes tend to last longer in the fridge and are easier for growers to get to the grocery store safely.

Fresh Basil

The finishing touch to top off any Caprese Salad is freshy torn basil.  Peppery and totally unique, I love basil for the warm spice it gives my taste buds.  Plus, I don’t really think the dish is the same thing at all without that minty tang.

• Oregano – minty with a hay-type flavor – and lemony-thyme are great basil alternatives to try.  The mild tomatoes and mozzarella could also tolerate stronger flavors like tarragon, dill, or even green onion.

When it comes to herbs, I always encourage people to follow their nose – give the fresh herbs at your grocery store a sniff and try something new! Whether you go for the classic version or try something a bit more unique, it is hard to beat a fresh Caprese Salad (or sandwich) that you can have on the table in near minutes. Create your own version with a dash of inspiration and bit of experimentation – no matter what you do, it’s likely to be delicious!

Caprese Recipes

• Caprese Mozzarella Ladybugs
• Ensalada Caprese with Pear
• Cherry Tomato Salad with Balsamic
• Caprese Salad Salsa
• Caprese Pizza