Caprese Salad with Garlic Balsamic Dressing

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Nothing beats a Caprese Salad Recipe made with cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, sweet basil, and a homemade garlic balsamic dressing! The perfect salad all year long.

There are very few {healthy} foods I love much more than brownies. And cookies. And fries. But one thing that actually makes my heart go pitter patter is a really good salad. More specifically, this Caprese salad.

What is Caprese Salad?

Caprese Salad is a simple Italian salad made with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, salt, and olive oil. Like the Italian flag, this salad features the white, red and green colors.

Caprese Salad Recipe

I like to make my version of this salad very similar to the classic version, but use Bocconcini (mini mozzarella balls), sweet grape tomatoes, add coarse ground black pepper and make a balsamic-garlic dressing. I also added in a few extra greens to fill the salad out more and make it go a little further…slash so I didn’t just eat all the fresh mozzarella on its own….by myself. If you’re feeding a crowd, this is a great way to stretch a dollar. Of course, the addition of lettuce is totally optional.

Plus you could add this with a protein to make it a meal. Chicken Parmesan would be super tasty with this salad recipe.

How to Make Caprese Salad

This Caprese Salad could not be any easier to make. Follow these quick and simple steps to make your tasty salad.

1. Place baby greens onto a serving platter. Top with bocconcini, tomatoes, basil, and pepper.
2. To serve, try putting blocks of color together instead of spreading everything out evenly over the top to make it look pretty. That’s just my personal preference.

Can this be Made Ahead of Time?

Yes! But just so you know, the salad tastes best when freshly made and assembled. Plus it’s super quick to throw together. However, you could probably make it then store it in the fridge the day before and still be fine. But make sure not to store the dressing and salad together. You can make the dressing ahead of time and store in an airtight container. Right before serving drizzle on the dressing and enjoy!

More Italian Salads!

• Italian Pasta Salad
• Watermelon Caprese Salad with Balsamic Glaze
• Grilled Herb Pizza with Smoked Mozzarella and Basil

Anyways, the moral of this blog post is…

1. I like this salad recipe slightly more than fries.

2. I like to eat copious amounts of fresh mozzarella.

And there you have it. Printable recipe card is below, make sure to save/pin/print this one out. Enjoy!

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5 from 17 votes

Easy Caprese Salad

Nothing beats a Caprese Salad made with cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, sweet basil and a homemade garlic balsamic dressing! The perfect salad all year long.

servings 4 servings

Prep Time 15 mins

Total Time 15 mins

Ingredients

• 1 plastic container of washed baby greens any kind {about 6 cups}1 plastic container of washed baby greens any kind {about 6 cups}
• 1 lb. Bocconcini drained, patted dry and halved {baby mozzarella balls}1 lb. Bocconcini drained, patted dry and halved {baby mozzarella balls}
• 1 lb. grape tomatoes washed and halved1 lb. grape tomatoes washed and halved
• 12 large basil leaves chopped12 large basil leaves chopped
• cracked black pepper to taste cracked black pepper to taste

for the dressing-

• 1 clove garlic grated1 clove garlic grated
• 4 teaspoons dijon mustard4 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 7 tablespoons olive oil7 tablespoons olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste salt & pepper to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Place baby greens onto a serving platter. Top with bocconcini, tomatoes, basil, and pepper.
• Measure all ingredients for dressing into a small jar with tight-fitting lid. Shake and drizzle over salad. Serve immediately.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 539kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 49g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 147mg | Potassium: 286mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1010IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 424mg | Iron: 0.6mg

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: caprese salad, italian salad, side salad