Caprese Salad With Cherry Tomatoes

This recipe is a slight twist on your traditional Caprese salad. When you make traditional Caprese salad, you layer big slices of tomato, basil, and mozzarella together. Although I love the traditional way, I also love this easy, “toss-it-all-together” variation. It is a fresh, gorgeous, vibrant salad that you will be craving all summer long!The key to the best Caprese salad with cherry tomatoes is making it with high-quality fresh ingredients. The combination of cherry tomatoes, sliced or bite-sized mozzarella balls, with fresh basil makes the complete meal! This is the perfect way to share a delicious side dish with family and friends!

Ingredients in a Caprese Salad with Cherry Tomatoes

With this salad, you don’t want to take shortcuts. Use fresh, high-quality ingredients, all the way down to the salt and pepper. After all, if you are going to make this salad, it is worth making right!

Tomatoes – For this recipe, you can use cherry tomatoes, sun gold tomatoes, grape tomatoes, or any bite-sized tomato. You can also dice up your favorite garden tomato if you don’t have any cherry tomatoes. Mozzarella – We like using bite-sized marinated fresh mozzarella balls (aka mozzarella ciliegine) in this recipe because they are just so convenient. You can also use bocconcini or dice fresh mozzarella into small cubes. Fresh Basil – This is a must! Not only does it taste the best, hands-down, but it is also part of what makes this dish so gorgeous! Sprinkle smaller pieces of fresh basil over top for a beautiful appearance on a serving platter. Salt and Pepper – We always use Kosher salt or sea salt. Additionally, if you want to bring out those flavors, use a course variety. In addition to that, you will want to use a grinder for the pepper. You want to have fresh, ground pepper for this recipe!

Instructions for Making Homemade Mozzarella Balls

If you can’t find marinated mozzarella balls at your local store, you can always marinate your own! You can use plain ciliegine or bocconcini, or additionally, you can cut up fresh mozzarella cheese into cubes and marinate those. Here’s what to do:

Tips For Caprese Salad with Cherry Tomatoes

Caprese salad recipe with cherry tomatoes is simple to make and even better with these helpful tips. Preparing and choosing tomatoes is the most important tip then adding herbs or learning how to cut or tear fresh basil will make this the perfect dish!

Drain – Drain off some of the oil from the marinated mozzarella. Sometimes the mozzarella comes packed with a lot of oil. It is ok to drain some off to make it healthier. Cut or tear basil – This is a big debate among chefs. I like to tear the basil to keep the bright green color and get a punch of flavor when I bite into it. Some prefer to cut the basil to release the flavors throughout the whole dish, however, it all comes down to personal preference. Ripe tomatoes – Choose the most ripe tomatoes for this recipe. Types of tomatoes – Use a variety of tomatoes. When they are in season, we like to use cherry tomatoes and sun gold tomatoes from our garden. However, if they are not in season, we like to use the big variety pack from Costco. Serve at room temperature. Herbs – Try it with fresh basil, mint, or parsley for different variations! Storing tomatoes – This one is a biggie. Do not refrigerate before serving. You want this salad to be bursting with flavor and that can only happen at room temperature.

Storing Leftover Caprese Salad with Cherry Tomatoes

When making caprese salad with cherry tomatoes it is best to make it the day of. It is not a salad recipe that can be stored or made ahead to save. Luckily this is a simple recipe that takes minutes to make and can be made hours before serving your friends and family!

Storing – If you have leftovers and absolutely MUST store them, you can store them in the refrigerator. It won’t be the same, but it’s better than letting them go to waste. Serving – When ready to serve, take the salad out of the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature before serving.

More Caprese-Inspired Recipes

You can’t go wrong with this Caprese-inspired recipes that are fun twists on our favorite salad! This dish can be served with sliced baguette bread, pasta, grilled chicken, or any number of dishes like these fun recipes.