Caprese Salad Recipe

My delicious Caprese Salad recipe uses fresh-ripened tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, fresh herbs, and extra virgin olive oil. It’s light, refreshing, and full of classic flavors. From an Italian to your table, this one is sure to become a family favorite.

Summertime is full-on tomato season, so I always try to take advantage of these peak months by making my family favorite Caprese Salad – of course, coming from an Italian, that’s a must. I also love leaning on other classics that use fresh tomatoes, like my delicious Italian panzanella salad or the easy fresh salsa I serve with Baja fish tacos.

Caprese Salad

Caprese salad is a cold or room-temperature salad of fresh tomatoes with herbs, cheese, salt, pepper, and olive oil. It’s meant to be a light, tasty dish where all the ripe tomatoes are dominant in flavor. This is a salad that can have variations with different types of tomatoes, herbs, and oils.

This salad has its roots in Italy and dates back to the 1920s. A chef at Hotel Quisisana, after World War I, wanted to create a dish that honored everything about Italy—including the colors of the flag—and that’s how the Caprese Salad was born.

My caprese salad recipe is a true classic, which means no balsamic vinegar here. It’s ridiculously delicious, packed with key ingredients like juicy fresh tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella, and it always gets a fantastic reaction. I make it for myself just as often as I serve it to others. When something tastes this fresh, you want to share it all the time.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Tomatoes — There are no bad tomatoes to use for this. The biggest thing is to make sure they are ripe and firm. You can use heirloom, cherry, grape, vine-ripe, beefsteak, Roma, cocktail, San Marzano, etc.
• Cheese — It’s classic to use a sliced mozzarella ball made from buffalo’s milk. However, you can also use whole cow’s milk mozzarella in different sizes, scamorza, burrata, chunks of provolone, or fontina.
• Herbs – I used dried oregano and fresh basil leaves. You can also use dried basil if that’s all you have. I do not advise using fresh oregano as it can be too pungent.
• Oil – Any good extra virgin olive oil will work.
• Seasonings – I only used coarse salt and freshly cracked pepper.

How to Make the Best Caprese Salad

Prep the Main Ingredients: I slice the tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella into bite-size pieces, making sure they’re just the right size for easy eating.

Mix: On a serving plate, in a bowl, or on a tray, I gently mix the tomatoes and mozzarella until they’re evenly combined and nicely spread out.

Season: Next, I sprinkle on the dry oregano, followed by a pinch of sea salt and a few twists of fresh cracked pepper to bring out the flavor.

Drizzle: Then comes my favorite part, I generously drizzle extra virgin olive oil over everything, making sure each piece gets a little shine and richness.

Finish: To bring it all together, I tuck in a handful of fresh basil leaves right on top.

Serving Suggestions

I usually serve this as a starter when I’m entertaining, especially during the summer months. It goes perfectly with grilled meats like my grilled salmon, a few slices of crusty artisan bread, or even as part of a relaxed brunch spread.

To be honest, if I’m in the mood, I’ll sometimes add a light drizzle of balsamic reduction, but only when I’m not sticking to the traditional version.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: This salad is meant to be eaten right away. However, if you keep all of the ingredients prepared and separate, you can make it up to one day ahead of time.

How to Store: Cover in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. This will not freeze well.

More Salad Recipes

• Caesar
• Shaved Brussels Sprouts
• Watermelon Feta
• Panzanella
• Strawberry Spinach