Make fresh Caprese salad for a slight twist on the traditional appetizer. Use balsamic vinaigrette for a punch of flavor everyone will love!
Traditional Caprese Salad uses tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, basil, olive oil, and salt. But you know I don’t do traditional very often in my kitchen. Instead, we decided to change a few things for an easy, fresh Caprese salad.
What did we change? Quite a few things, actually. Here’s a look at what Wikipedia has to say about fresh Caprese salad:
Caprese salad is a simple Italian salad, made of sliced fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and sweet basil, seasoned with salt and olive oil, occasionally paired with arugula. It is usually arranged on a plate in restaurant practice. Like pizza Margherita, it features the colours of the Italian flag: green, white, and red. In Italy, it is usually served as an antipasto (starter), not a contorno (side dish) and may be eaten any time of day.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caprese_salad
Well, we did one thing right, we had this as an appetizer! And we kept the colors true to the traditional green, white, and red. But instead of basil or arugula, we made ours with spinach leaves. We also replaced the olive oil with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing to add a punch of flavor.
We had some cherry tomatoes in the refrigerator leftover from a previous meal. Since they are already small, slicing wouldn’t work.
Well, with small tomatoes we needed small pieces of mozzarella. I love mozzarella cheese, especially in fried mozzarella, so we often have some on hand. Since I hate wasting food, we needed to do something with it. Justin decided that a fresh Caprese salad would be a great snack. So we started making it.
Chopped Caprese salad is perfect when you are entertaining. It’s perfect for individual servings. You can have small cups of it ready to go for your guests, or a large bowl with a spoon so they can serve themselves. This also makes it easier for kids to eat. But, if yours are anything like mine, they will eat around the green and red and go straight for the cheese.
Adding balsamic vinaigrette dressing is a great way to add flavor without overpowering everything else. I’ve had Caprese salad with the vinegar, and it’s very strong. By using the vinaigrette, you get the flavor without the tart.
Caprese Salad Step by Step
Ingredients
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 5 oz mozzarella cheese (fresh)
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing
- 1/2 cup spinach (shredded)
Preparation
Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and dice the fresh mozzarella cheese.
Place the tomatoes and mozzarella in a bowl and drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Add the chopped spinach and gently stir it together.
Recipe
Originally Published On: March 13, 2020
Last Updated On: September 14, 2023
Fresh Caprese Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 5 oz mozzarella cheese (fresh)
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing
- 1/2 cup spinach (shredded)
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and dice the fresh mozzarella cheese
- Place the tomatoes and mozzarella in a bowl and drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette dressing
- Add the chopped spinach and gently stir it together
- Caprese salad is best served chilled or immediately after making
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Other Summer Recipes
- Ice Cream Sandwich Cake Recipe: Perfect Summer Dessert
- Cucumber Summer Salad
- Fresh Summer Relish
- 5 Ingredient Rum Runner Cocktail Recipe
- Summer Veggie Stir-Fry
- Frozen Piña Colada
- Hawaiian Chicken Wraps: An Easy Summer Meal
- Spiked Agua Fresca: A Perfect Summer Drink
- Frozen Fruit Cups: The Perfect Summer Treat
- Summer Basil Chicken and Shrimp Kabobs
- Fluffy Frozen Fruit Salad
- Grilled Summer Orzo Salad
- 5 Cup Salad Recipe: A Perfect Cool Summer Dessert
- Simple Classic 3 Ingredient Margarita Recipe
- Amaretto Punch Slush
- Classic Potato Salad
- Strawberry Cobbler
- Watermelon Lemonade
- Sweet Baked Plantains
- Simple Strawberry Lemonade
- Grilled Pineapple Pork Chops
- Pineapple Bread Casserole
- Simple Classic Coleslaw Recipe
- Fresh Caprese Salad
Mozzarella Cheese
- Super Easy Homemade Fried Mozzarella Sticks Recipe
- Fresh Mozzarella-Topped (Not So) Flatbread
- Crispy Fried Mozzarella Cakes Recipe with Fresh Cheese
- Mozzarella-Stuffed Meatloaf
- Super Easy Pizza Dip
- Cheesy Meatball Skillet
- Homemade Pizza Burgers: The Best Combo of Two Recipes
- Five Cheese Pull-Apart Bread
- Chicken and Spinach Alfredo Bake Casserole
- Thai Basil Pesto Flatbread
- Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu
- Super Easy Pizza Flatbread
- Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Shells
- Fresh Caprese Salad
- Spinach and Artichoke Quesadillas
- Easy Chicken Parmesan
- Kreacher’s French Onion Soup
- Hearty Sausage and Kale Pesto Pizza
- Classic Stuffed Shells
- Quick and Easy Homemade Pizza Bagels Recipe
- Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Chicken and Spinach Casserole with Cream Cheese
- Baked Ziti
- BBQ Chicken Melt with Only 5 Ingredients
- Cheesy Garlic Bread
- Stromboli
- Cheesy Baked Crab Casserole
- Pizza Hot Pocket
- Cheesy Chicken and Spinach Stromboli Ring
- Hawaiian Chicken Wraps
- Cheesy Caper-Stuffed Tomatoes
This is such a simple and delicious salad. Perfect for springtime and warm weather.
That’s exactly what we make it for! It’s refreshing when it’s warm outside and reminds us of warmer weather during the colder months.
I have been looking for new options to add to my weekly menu and this one just makes me salivate! I love everything about tomatoes on salads and I feel that they are the best option for summer! This year I didn’t plant any on my garden but next season I will make sure that I have a few plants!
We don’t have any growing this year, either. We’ve tried but I think it gets too hot here, they tend to die off.
This is nice. Looking at the nutrition facts and it makes want to add it to the list. Thank you for sharing it!
Yes, it’s a very light appetizer or snack, and pretty healthy overall, too!
Oh I love Caprese salads! These are so fun and cute and would be perfect for a summer get together!
Definitely perfect for the summer! Of course, in south Texas, we are already getting warm weather so these are great for us in the spring, too.
Caprese salad is one of my favorites! I love your dedication to avoiding food waste. It inspires me to do the same.
We try very hard not to waste anything at our house. Even the boys ask if things can go in the compost or recycle before they will throw something in the trash!
I love the simplicity of a Caprese and one of my best friends makes a fabulous version. I think it’s great to give a dish your own signature touch too.
It’s so light and so easy. There are so many ways you can mix it up just a bit and make it your own. That’s one of the fun things about cooking!
Very easy to follow the recipe. My family love pasta so much and this is perfect to serve them,
I have always wanted to try caprese salad. This looks pretty delicious. I am going to have to try this recipe out really soon. I just know that it’s going to be good.
I absolutely love caprese! There is nothing like fresh, homegrown tomatoes and fresh basil. We also get locally made mozzarella. Sounds delicious!
Nothing beats a caprese salad! So fresh and easy to toss together. This looks perfect.
That looks really good. I may have to make it today now that I am craving it.
What a simple and refreshing salad.
I’ve had Caprese Salad before but I’ve never prepared one myself, I am so excited to do it. Thank you for the recipe.