Insalata Caprese, the quintessential Italian summer salad of fresh mozzarella and heirloom tomatoes, over mixed greens with a fresh basil vinaigrette.
I just came off a weekend marathon of tomatoes, gorgeous heirlooms that I picked at a farm down the road. I made a Caprese salad Saturday night for dinner. While a traditional Caprese has a drizzle of olive oil, I opted for a basil vinaigrette. This Insalata Caprese with Basil Vinaigrette is the perfect summertime dish. The bounty at the farm stands just doesn't get any better than in August. And the colors, I can't even.
So we're talking tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, sliced and arranged beautifully on salad greens and then drizzled with the basil vinaigrette. A sprinkling of sea salt, a few torn basil leaves and you have the most divine salad on earth. Really, so incredibly fresh tasting, you just can't get these flavors any other time of year.
I don't know much about heirlooms. At the farm, they have pictures with names at the end of the rows available to pick. A couple times, they let me just choose a few from the boxes they picked for local restaurants. I chose an assortment of red and yellow ones of various sizes and shapes, and a chocolate colored one.
I happen to think heirlooms are gorgeous, warts and all. Mine had streaks, cracks and some odd shapes but they were beautiful sliced, like a neon rainbow. And they were bursting with juicy, sweet, real tomato flavor. Just lovely.
I hope you're enjoying tomatoes from your garden or farm stand. I just can't get enough of them in salads, sandwiches, BLT's and on grilled pizza. And sometimes I just toss all these caprese ingredients in a bowl for lunch. So many options, I don't want August to end. Do you say "tomayto" or "tomahto"? Kelly🍴🐦
Looking for more seasonal summer recipes? Here are a few to try:
- Grilled Corn Salad with honey-lime dressing, all the sweet corn and summer veggies are in this one.
- Fresh Peach Pie with a flaky crust from scratch, the perfect summer fruit pie.
- Blackberry Peach Cobbler pairs two summer fruit favorites in one delicious dessert.
- Blackberry Crisp is lovely, and the topping recipe works for any fruit crisp.
HUNGRY FOR MORE? Subscribe to my Newsletter and come hang out with me on INSTAGRAM, or give me a follow on FACEBOOK or see what I’m pinning on PINTEREST.
Insalata Caprese with Basil Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 3 - 5 heirloom tomatoes, different colors and sizes, thickly sliced
- 1 - 2 balls, fresh mozzarella, drained and thickly sliced
- Mixed baby lettuces
- ½ cup good quality extra-virgin olive oil
- 1½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 garlic clove, chopped, preferably heirloom from the farm stand
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Scatter a serving platter with mixed baby lettuces. Arrange overlapping layers of tomatoes and mozzarella on top of the lettuces. Sprinkle with salt and fresh cracked pepper.
- Put olive oil, vinegar, water, chopped garlic, mustard and salt into a blender. Coarsely chop the basil leaves and add to the blender. Mix on high for about 30 seconds until smooth. If necessary, add a little more water or olive oil to thin. Transfer to a jar.
- With a spoon, drizzle basil vinaigrette all over tomato and cheese salad. Garnish with a few torn basil leaves and serve. Leftover vinaigrette will keep covered in the fridge for several days, bring to room temp for serving.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
*Basil vinaigrette adapted from David Lebovitz