Caprese Salad Recipe (Insalata Caprese)

This caprese salad recipe is an Italian classic made with fresh mozzarella, juicy tomatoes, sweet basil and drizzled with olive oil and balsamic. Using fresh and high-quality ingredients is the key to making a great caprese salad.  

Salads are a great way to add color and flavor to your meals and we have amazing salad recipes here on the blog. Try our easy Mediterranean salad and this simple tomato cucumber feta salad if you’re looking for flavorful and delicious salads. Today we are going to talk about a classic Italian salad called caprese salad, a beautiful and simple salad made with only three ingredients. 

What is caprese salad?

Caprese salad (pronounced cah-prey-zay), also known as insalata caprese, is a classic Italian salad made with cow’s mozzarella, fresh tomatoes and basil, featuring the colors of the Italian flag which are white, red and green. It was first made in 1920 on the Isle of Capri and became world famous in the 1950s. Like many other Italian dishes, insalata caprese is popular for it’s simplicity and fresh flavor.

This salad is usually seasoned with salt and olive oil or balsamic reduction. It’s also common to add some oregano or arugula to this salad. In the recent years, buffalo mozzarella is used instead of cow’s mozzarella to make this Italian salad. Caprese salad is served as an antipasto (starter) in many restaurants. 

What goes into classic caprese salad?

Classic Italian caprese is made with the following ingredients:

• Mozzarella cheese: Fresh mozzarella cheese is the best for this recipe. If you have an Italian shop near you where you can find fresh homemade mozzarella, use that for this recipe. Otherwise, store-bought mozzarella packed in water would be fine. You can either use a large ball of mozzarella or mozzarella pearls called Bocconcini. 
• Tomatoes: You need tomatoes that are fresh, firm and ripe. The tomatoes shouldn’t be too hard or too soft for slicing. If making this salad in summer, heirloom tomatoes would be perfect to use. At other times of the year, you can use tomatoes on the vine or cherry tomatoes. 
• Basil: Fresh basil leaves are perfect for this recipe. 
• Olive oil: You don’t need to get an expensive bottle of olive oil, but make sure it’s high quality and extra virgin. Extra virgin olive oil gives such great flavor to this dish. 

Since you only need a few simple items to make this salad, it’s important to use high quality ingredients. This is a perfect salad for any time of the year but especially in summer when you can have easy access to fresh tomatoes and basil. It makes a great starter and is so simple to make. 

How to prepare caprese salad

• Slice the mozzarella cheese and the tomatoes. 
• Arrange them on a plate by layer alternating slices of mozzarella and tomatoes. 
• Top with basil leaves (whole or chopped). 
• Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. 
• Serve immediately. 

This is an easy caprese salad recipe that you can make in no time with just a few simple ingredients. It’s an easy Italian salad that everyone would enjoy as an appetizer.

As for caprese salad dressing, we love ours with some basil oil or balsamic reduction. It gives the salad a nice subtle sweetness that pairs well with the tomatoes and mozzarella. It’s also common to serve caprese with pesto, which compliments the mozzarella very well. 

How to eat this salad

Using your fork and knife, transfer a few slices of tomatoes, basil and mozzarella to your plate. Add more salt and pepper if needed and drizzle more olive oil on top. Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella into bite size pieces and make sure you have all three components in each bite for maximum flavor. 

Can I make this ahead of time?

I’d say this salad tastes much better when made and assembled right before serving. But if you need to make it ahead of time, then store the sliced tomatoes and mozzarella in separate containers and assemble with the basil leaves and drizzle with olive oil right before serving. 

How long does caprese salad keep?

Caprese salad is best served fresh but if you have leftovers, store it in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil before serving it.

What goes with caprese salad?

As mentioned above, caprese salad is usually served as a starter. You can serve this salad as a starter for dishes such as Italian beef stew or Italian sausage pasta if planning an Italian style meal for a weeknight dinner or a party. 

Other variations of caprese salad recipe

Here are some variations of this Italian salad that you can make if you would like to change things up a bit:

• Chopped caprese salad: Chop all the ingredients into bite size pieces and mix them in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic glaze if desired. 
• Cucumber caprese salad: Add one chopped English cucumber to the salad.  
• Lettuce caprese salad: To make this salad for a large crowd, you can fill a large salad bowl with chopped lettuce and top it with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. 

Looking for more caprese inspired recipes?

• Caprese pasta salad
• Caprese stuffed chicken breast
• Avocado caprese sandwich
• Easy caprese gnocchi
• Caprese pizza
• Caprese chicken recipe