Enjoy the fresh taste of Italian Caprese Salad with this quick and easy recipe. Juicy tomatoes and creamy mozzarella are sliced and topped with fresh leaves of basil, olive oil and balsamic. Season with salt and black pepper for a delicious summer salad that anyone will love!

Together with prosciutto e melone and Italian pasta salad, caprese is one of dishes that could never miss in summer as a child. My mum was the chef this time, she makes probably the best insalata. With the freshest mozzarella from a local farm, juicy tomatoes picked from our garden, and flavorful basil leaves from our plant. It was one of my favorite recipes, probably the only way how I could eat greens. Oh and by the way, yes. I am Italian and my family still lives in Italy, but I moved abroad.

Before diving into the recipe, I want to tell you a quick story. In July 2008 we want on vacation in Sorrento, and one day we had a trip to Capri. That Friday it was scorching hot, and all I wanted was something fresh. So I ordered an expensive Insalata Caprese, thinking about mum's goodness. It turned out to be the worst caprese salad I've ever eaten in my life. That's why ever since that moment, I've never ordered caprese anymore. I make it at home, with mamma Melissa award-winning recipe. Simple and oh so delicious, I'm so excited to share it with you now.

How to make Caprese salad

Let an Italian tell you how do you make caprese salad like Italians do. First of all, you should start with high quality fresh ingredients. Don't go cheap on tomatoes, mozzarella and olive oil, or the salad will suffer. After selecting the best ingredients, the key is to cut both tomatoes and mozzarella in slices of even thickness. About ¼ inches thick, as a reference. Finish with fresh basil leaves, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to your own likings.

Here are some more details about the ingredients for this basil tomato and mozzarella salad.

• Tomatoes. The best tomatoes for Caprese salad are fresh and juicy tomatoes, ripe but not too soft. I recommend organic heirloom tomatoes or plum tomatoes without green spots. Back at home in Italy, I used the freshest produce from my grandma's garden and they were seriously the best - I miss you, Nonna.
• Fresh mozzarella. You'll need a ball of fresh mozzarella. Not the one that comes packaged in thin slices or shredded, this recipe requires juicy mozzarella that is packed in water. My recommendation is Mozzarella di Buffala - aka buffalo mozzarella.
• Fresh basil. Choose fresh leaves of basil to add plenty of flavor and color to the salad. I like topping tomatoes and mozzarella with whole basil leaves, but you can also tear them in smaller pieces.
• Olive oil. I recommend Italian extra virgin olive oil, it is flavorsome and perfect for our Italian caprese salad.
• Balsamic vinegar. My recipe features a pretty simple caprese salad dressing. In reality, it is not even a dressing but just balsamic vinegar and olive oil. As an alternative, you can replace the balsamic for tomatoes and mozzarella with balsamic glaze, balsamic vinaigrette, or balsamic reduction.
• Salt and pepper. Fish the dish with a pinch of sea salt and freshly grounded black pepper.

Recipe variations

A simple caprese salad with fresh heirloom tomatoes and juicy mozzarella remains the best. But if you want to change things up, why not experimenting with ingredients and combinations. Let me give you a couple of tasty ideas, I bet you will love these variations.

• If you don't want to make heirloom caprese salad, use plum tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, or grape tomatoes.
• Instead of regular mozzarella, make caprese with buffalo mozzarella, fresh burrata, or even goat cheese.
• Include additional fruit for extra color and a fresher touch. Some ideas are slices of peaches or persimmon and berries.
• Besides olive oil and vinegar, finish the salad with a drizzle of honey or a combination of honey and Dijon mustard.
• Experiment with extra toppings such as olives, capers, shaved Parmesan cheese, avocado, or pesto.
• Add some Prosciutto Cotto or Prosciutto Crudo and make caprese salad with a twist, an Italian twist that you won't be able to resist.
• For a tasty appetizer with tomato and mozzarella cheese, place cherry tomatoes and mozzarella bocconcini in a stick. Perfect for parties or as a refreshing summer snack.
• Soon is the 4^th of July, so why not arranging cherry tomatoes and mini mozzarella bites in a bowl before throwing in a handful of fresh blueberries? The perfect 4^th of July caprese salad that resembles a US flag.

Serving ideas

In restaurants, tomato caprese is often served as a side dish, entrée or appetizer. But in reality it's much more than just a simple salad. in Italy, people usually eat it for dinner as a standalone meal. Maybe with a slice of soft bread or some crostini.

This tomato mozzarella salad is also perfect as an appetizer and snack for summer parties. Or serve it in combination with fire roasted tomatoes, tuna cucumber boats and air fryer corn on the cob for cookouts, barbecues, and grilling as a side dish.

Insalata caprese is also great as in combination with pasta dishes, such as Italian pasta salad and creamy salmon pasta. Or pair it with a source of protein like grilled chicken, fish and salmon patties.

More summer salad recipes

• Watermelon salad
• Cucumber salad
• Deviled egg potato salad
• Cucumber tomato salad
• Creamy cucumber salad
• Mexican street corn salad