Caprese Salad with Balsamic Dressing

This easy 20-minute Caprese salad is dressed with a lovely balsamic dressing. It looks absolutely gorgeous and tastes like summer!

Course Salad

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 0

Total Time 20

Servings servings

Calories 216kcal

In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients (olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and Dijon mustard) with a small hand whisk until they emulsify into a smooth salad dressing. Set aside.
1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Slice the tomatoes thinly. Aim to get a total of 10 slices.
2 medium tomatoes
Using a sharp knife, slice the mozzarella thinly into 9 rounds.
8 ounces fresh whole-milk mozzarella
Arrange the tomato and mozzarella slices on a platter, alternating and overlapping each other. Arrange the basil leaves on top.
9 medium basil leaves
Sprinkle the salad with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the salad dressing. Serve immediately.
¼ teaspoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Seasonings, especially salt, are guidelines. Adjust to taste.
Turn this salad into a filling main-course salad by adding avocado slices and sliced hard-boiled eggs.
Use good tomatoes. Big, red, ripe but firm, not mealy, and definitely not refrigerated. If your tomatoes did spend some time in the fridge, take them out and bring them to room temperature.
Don't store the basil leaves in the fridge - they will wilt. Place them, like flowers, in a jar with a small amount of water, away from direct sunlight.
This salad is best enjoyed fresh. The tomatoes and basil won't do well in the fridge. I recommend only making as much as you can eat immediately.