Mini Heirloom Tomato Caprese Salad
It’s really starting to heat up around the country and with warmer temps come lots of opportunities for cookouts and potlucks. Whip up this easy salad to impress your family and friends with minimum effort but maximum flavor!
One of my favorite parts of summer is grilling and eating meals outside with my family. For the last few years that I was living at home my mom was obsessed with Caprese Salads, I swear we would eat them like every day during the summer. Her obsession was contagious and is still alive and well in me today. When tomatoes are in season around here you can almost guarantee that Caprese Salad will be on the menu 2-3 times each week. It’s just one of those food obsessions that I just can’t shake.
As much as I love the traditional Caprese Salad it can take a lot of time to slice and assemble the ingredients… and have you ever tried slicing fresh mozzarella cheese? Not the easiest thing in the world. A few weeks ago I grabbed a container of mini heirloom tomatoes at Trader Joe’s to make a fresh pasta sauce and when I was cooking with them I had an epiphany that along with some Ciliegine Mozzarella (teeny, tiny balls of mozzarella cheese) they would make a delicious and very easy Caprese Salad – with no slicing required!!
That same weekend I had to bring I idea to reality and when our friends came over for a cookout this was one of my contributions. There were only 4 of us and we did pretty good work on this salad by the end of the night. If you are looking for the perfect, fresh and seasonal salad for your next summer get together look no further than THIS Mini Heirloom Tomato Caprese Salad!
- 8 oz Ciligine Mozzarella (drained)
- 16 oz Mini Heirloom Tomatoes
- 1/4 cup basil leaves, sliced
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- Add mozzarella, tomatoes and basil leaves to a medium bowl.
- In a small bowl whisk together the remaining ingredients and pour the dressing over the mozzarella mixture.
- Stir until well combined.
- Enjoy as an appetizer or as an accompaniment to your dinner.
- Refrigerate until serving, eat the same day as it is made as the vinegar will make the mozzarella a bit rubbery if it sits too long.
