Caprese Salad
After Christmas, I like to keep it light and a Caprese Salad is just the thing to make the evening special. A very simple dish to make with only a few ingredients, grape tomatoes, mozzarella balls, fresh basil and balsamic vinegar. No recipe needed. So easy!
In culinary terms, this is called a composed salad. You really don’t have to make anything. You simply arrange the ingredients on a plate instead of just tossing them together. For a special occasion, why not take the extra step to do something special, but extremely easy.
The grape tomatoes are cut in half. Mozzarella balls make a nicer presentation than large slices of Mozzarella. Find a few nice basil leaves and viola a beautifully composed salad. I serve this with a side of crackers. However, you could also serve this with bread and an olive oil dipping sauce.
The second part is not to overdress the salad. I have sprinkled some balsamic vinegar and freshly ground pepper over the salad. I also added just a few crushed red pepper flakes, but that is certainly optional. While balsamic vinegar is traditionally served with a Caprese Salad, I do serve this with a side of Italian dressing in case someone would like some additional flavor.
This can be served as a lunch meal or as a first course. This would pair nicely with Chicken Piccata or another Italian meal if making this as a first course. This Caprese Salad is sure to impress your family and friends.
If you love this easy Caprese Salad recipe, please leave a comment and let me know what you think. If you made it, post your wonderful images on Instagram and tag me. Don’t forget to subscribe and you will be emailed each time I post a new recipe.
