Caprese Salad

An easy caprese salad with balsamic vinegar that tastes like summer. Healthy, keto and low carb, this is one of my favorite summer lunches.

Caprese salad (pronounced cah-preh-seh) is quick, fresh, and tastes like summer. It’s one of those super-simple dishes that are surprisingly delicious. Such a wonderful flavor combination!

I’ve come to strongly associate this fresh-tasting dish with summer – just as much as I associate this hearty vegetable stew with winter.

What’s the origin of the salad’s name?

It’s called “Insalata Caprese” in Italian, which translates to “salad of Capri.” So it probably originated from the Island of Capri.

The ingredients you’ll need

You’ll only need a few ingredients to make this tasty salad (exact measurements are included in the recipe card below):

1. Fresh tomatoes: They need to be truly red, ripe yet firm. Certainly not pale and mealy.
2. Fresh mozzarella: The fresher you can find, the better it will taste.
3. Basil leaves: Pick beautiful green ones, free of blemishes and brown spots. Fresh basil doesn’t keep for too long, so try to buy it shortly before you plan on making the salad.
4. Salt and pepper.
5. Olive oil: Extra-virgin may not be extra healthy, but it is sure extra tasty.
6. Balsamic vinegar.
7. Dijon mustard: It’s thicker, creamier and less vinegary than yellow mustard.

How to make caprese salad?

It’s so easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:

1. Whisk the dressing ingredients and set aside.
2. Slice the tomatoes thinly.
3. Using a sharp knife, slice the mozzarella thinly.
4. Arrange the tomato and mozzarella slices on a platter, alternating and overlapping each other. Arrange the basil leaves on top.
5. Sprinkle the salad with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the salad dressing, and serve.

Use the best ingredients!

As always when it comes to simple recipes, the individual ingredients must be of high quality to make this simple salad as good as it can be. So when you make this salad, I recommend that you follow these suggestions:

1. Make sure you use good olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar.
2. Choose Kosher salt or sea salt rather than table salt.
3. Pick fresh whole-milk mozzarella, as fresh as you can get.
4. Most importantly, use good tomatoes. Big, red and ripe but firm, not mealy, and definitely not refrigerated. If your tomatoes did spend some time in the fridge, take them out of it and bring them to room temperature.

Can I use low-fat mozzarella?

I don’t recommend it. Low-fat mozzarella is not very tasty. And it’s such an important part of this dish.

The best dressing for caprese salad

This is nontraditional, but I like to add a small amount of Dijon mustard to the dressing. This helps it emulsify.

You can skip the Dijon and simply drizzle the salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It won’t be as pretty, but it will be just as tasty.

Can I make it the night before?

It’s better not to. The whole thing can turn quite soggy overnight in the fridge. It’s a very easy recipe to make, so I don’t mind making it right before we plan on eating.

How to serve caprese salad?

It’s traditionally served as an Italian appetizer. But at home, I either serve it as a side dish with dinner (it goes really well with oven chicken kabobs) or as a main course for lunch.

More salad recipes that you might enjoy

Another simple summer recipe that I love is this recipe for cherry tomato salad. And if you like eggplants, I think you will love this eggplant caprese. It’s a bit more labor-intensive than this recipe, but it’s amazing.

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4.97 from 53 votes

Caprese Salad

An easy caprese salad with balsamic vinegar that tastes like summer. Healthy, keto and low carb, this is one of my favorite summer lunches.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time0 mins

Total Time15 mins

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: mozzarella, tomatoes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 216kcal

Author: Vered DeLeeuw

INGREDIENTS

Dressing:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Salad:

• 2 medium tomatoes
• 8 oz fresh whole-milk mozzarella
• 9 medium basil leaves
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt (or ¼ teaspoon sea salt)
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients with a small hand whisk until they emulsify into a smooth salad dressing. Set aside.
• Slice the tomatoes thinly. Aim to get a total of 10 slices.
• Using a sharp knife, slice the mozzarella thinly into 9 rounds.
• Arrange the tomato and mozzarella slices on a platter, alternating and overlapping each other. Arrange the basil leaves on top, as shown in the photos.
• Sprinkle the salad with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the salad dressing. Serve immediately.

NUTRITION INFO Nutrition info is approximate and may contain errors. It is calculated using the SparkPeople.com recipe calculator, and the carb count excludes sugar alcohols. Please feel free to make your own calculations. Please read the disclaimers in our Terms of Use carefully before using any of our recipes. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Please verify they are before using.

Nutrition Facts

Caprese Salad

Amount Per Serving

Calories 216 Calories from Fat 144

% Daily Value*

Fat 16g25%

Saturated Fat 8g50%

Sodium 532mg23%

Carbohydrates 4g1%

Fiber 1g4%

Protein 13g26%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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