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5.0 from 6 votes

Best Caprese Salad Recipe

This delicious, authentic Caprese salad uses six simple, fresh ingredients and packs a burst of flavor. It's the perfect summer salad recipe to use all those garden tomatoes.

Prep Time
15 mins
Total Time
15 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 265 kcal
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 8 oz mozzarella fresh (substitute with burrata if preferred)
  • 3 tomatoes heirloom and vine (fresh, medium size) - cut into 8 tomato slices
  • 10 basil leaves small to medium size, rinsed
  • 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon Flaky sea salt I use Maldon's and love it!
  • ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Slice the mozzarella into thin chunks - I typically get about 8 slices per mozzarella ball. Arrange this on a serving platter - this is the base for the Caprese salad.
  2. Use a serrated knife to thinly slice tomatoes into even chunks (I like to chop them about ¼" thick) - arrange them on a serving platter on top of the mozzarella
  3. Rinse the basil leaves and top the tomato and mozzarella with a few basil leaves
  4. Drizzle olive oil evenly across the platter - I typically do this in a back and forth motion along the length of the platter. Then, add salt (adjust to taste) as well as ground black pepper.
  5. Right before you serve, add some flaky sea salt crystals on top along with an extra teaspoon of olive oil, and enjoy away!

Notes

  • I like to use a mix of tomatoes since it provides a bit more variety and charm to the salad - but you can use whatever fresh and juice garden or vine tomato you can find (including green tomatoes!) I use a serrated knife to cut tomatoes (and will occasionally core them to remove the seeds). 
  • Buy fresh mozzarella - if it has ingredients listed, check to make sure it doesn't include curd or citric acid. Often, that artificially speeds up the process and the mozzarella doesn't taste as fresh as a result. Also, don't put your mozzarella in the fridge! If you're using fresh mozzarella - buy them when you need to make this salad, and leave them out on the counter!  
  • Sweet Genovese basil (the one with smaller leaves) is the best for this salad, but it works with other basil as well - better yet, you can easily grow basil in your garden!
  • I suggest not pouring straight from the packaged bottle and instead pouring out the quantity you need into a smaller ramekin, and then using a teaspoon to drizzle. Alternatively, if you a pour bottle like I do, you can just drizzle it straight!

Nutrition Information

Calories 265kcal (13%) Carbohydrates 5g (2%) Protein 13g (26%) Fat 22g (34%) Saturated Fat 9g (45%) Cholesterol 45mg (15%) Sodium 651mg (27%) Potassium 262mg (7%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 3g (6%) Vitamin A 1183IU (24%) Vitamin C 13mg (14%) Calcium 296mg (30%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 265

% Daily Value*

Calories 265kcal 13%
Carbohydrates 5g 2%
Protein 13g 26%
Fat 22g 34%
Saturated Fat 9g 45%
Cholesterol 45mg 15%
Sodium 651mg 27%
Potassium 262mg 6%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 3g 6%
Vitamin A 1183IU 24%
Vitamin C 13mg 14%
Calcium 296mg 30%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.