When your garden-fresh tomatoes are ripe on the vine, it's time to make a simple, but delicious Tomato Basil Salad with Mini Mozzarella.
Whip this tasty salad together in no time at all for a perfect summer salad.
Caprese salad
The key to a great tomato salad, or caprese salad is using the freshest ingredients you can find. Juicy sun-ripened tomatoes, fragrant basil leaves, and creamy mozzarella come together in the most delicious way. A drizzle of a good-quality olive oil and a bit of balsamic vinegar is the only dressing this salad needs.
Serve as a light lunch, or a side dish at your next BBQ. It also makes a great appetizer served with some crusty bread.
This salad takes just minutes to prepare. When produce is at its peak, you don't need to do much to make the tomatoes taste amazing.
If you love the combination of tomatoes and basil, you'll also want to try this tomato basil soup.
Key ingredients for tomato salad
- Tomatoes - Fresh tomatoes are the star of the show in this salad. I pick vine-ripened tomatoes. Use any size tomatoes and cut them into small pieces.
- Basil - Use fresh basil leaves.
- Mozzarella - I love to use the mini mozzarella balls that are packed in liquid. I usually find these in the deli area of my grocery store if you have larger balls, cut into bite-sized pieces. Use any amount of the mozzarella as you'd like. Sometimes I even make this salad without any at all!
- Olive Oil - This is a perfect salad to bring out your very best olive oil!
- Balsamic Vinegar - Use a vinegar, not a balsamic glaze.
- Salt and Pepper - I use freshly ground pepper and flaked sea salt, like Maldon salt.
Making tomato salad with basil and mozzarella
- Cut tomatoes into wedges or bite-sized pieces.
- Slice basil into small strips or chiffonade. Stack leaves together and then roll into a bundle. Use a sharp knife to slice thin strips through the bundle.
- Gently combine tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella.
- Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic.
- Toss again.
- Add salt and pepper and garnish with additional basil leaves.
- Serve right away.
Recipe tips
- Use the freshest, ripest tomatoes you can find.
- Best when served right away.
- Leftovers are good, but a lot of juice from the tomatoes will accumulate at the bottom of the dish.
- Add your favorite herbs. Add fresh thyme, Italian parsley, or fresh oregano.
Frequently asked questions
This salad is best eaten right away. However, leftovers can be covered and refrigerated and eaten the next day. The tomatoes will have released a lot of their juices and would be perfect served with some crusty French bread.
Serving suggestions
Serve this delicious summer salad with your favorite summer meal. It is also delicious served as an appetizer along with toasted baguette slices.
- Lemon Herb Chicken
- Garlic Parmesan Skewers
- Italian Dressing Chicken
- Honey Lime Shrimp
- Smoked Baby Back Ribs
More delicious salads with fresh tomatoes
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop
Check out all my delicious salads!
Tomato Basil Salad with Mozzarella
Ingredients
- 4-6 tomatoes (about 2 cups)
- 1 cup mini mozzarella balls (if larger, cut in half)
- ¼ cup fresh basil
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon Maldon sea salt (or other coarse salt)
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Cut tomatoes into wedges or bite-sized pieces.4-6 tomatoes
- Slice basil into small strips or chiffonade. Stack leaves together and then roll into a bundle. Use a sharp knife to slice thin strips through the bundle.¼ cup fresh basil
- Gently combine tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella.1 cup mini mozzarella balls
- Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic.1-2 tablespoons olive oil, 1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- Toss again.
- Add salt and pepper and garnish with additional basil leaves for garnish.¼ teaspoon Maldon sea salt, ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- Serve right away.
Notes
- This salad is completely flexible to adjust to your liking. Use this recipe as a base and then adjust to your tastes. If you want a smaller salad, use 1-2 tomatoes and adjust the other ingredients.
- The amount of mozzarella can be reduced or left out altogether.
- Use the freshest, ripest tomatoes you can find.
- Best when served right away.
- Leftovers are good, but a lot of juice from the tomatoes will accumulate at the bottom of the dish.
- Add your favorite herbs. Add fresh thyme, Italian parsley, or fresh oregano.
Nutritional Disclaimer:
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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