This easy Caprese salad swaps basil leaves for a flavourful basil pesto dressing. It's a delicious twist on the classic tomato and mozzarella salad making the perfect summer salad for picnics and barbecues. Or serve it as an easy lunch for two with toasted sourdough bread.
Servings4
Ingredients
- 3 cups grape or cherry tomatoes , halved
- ½ teaspoon salt , more to taste
- 10 ounces mozzarella balls (bocconcini or perlini)*
- 4 tablespoons basil pesto*
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil , divided with more as needed
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- black pepper
- basil leaves , for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Put the sliced tomatoes in a large bowl and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Gently toss the tomatoes to distribute the salt evenly. Set the tomatoes aside for 15 minutes while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
- Drain the fresh mozzarella balls. If they are larger than bite-size, cut them in half, otherwise leave them whole. Add them to the tomatoes resting in the mixing bowl.
- In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil with the basil pesto and set aside.
- Once the tomatoes rested for 15 minutes, tip the bowl with the sliced tomatoes and mozzarella balls and pour off any liquid that accumulated in the bowl. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the salad and gently toss it to coat the tomatoes and mozzarella balls. Drizzle over the balsamic vinegar.
- Finish the salad with a generous grind of black pepper. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if required.
- Transfer the tomato mozzarella mix to a serving bowl and spoon dollops of the basil pesto sauce over the salad. Garnish with fresh basil leaves.
Notes
- Mozzarella: Mozzarella cheese balls come in different sizes, I like to use the smallest I can find (they're called perlini or Mozzarella pearls) so that each bite has mozzarella, tomato and pesto. If you have large bocconcini, you can slice them in half, or keep them whole. Or, use both as I do!
- Pesto: Use homemade pesto or refrigerated store-bought pesto. Don't use the shelf-stable pesto jars found in the condiment aisle, they don't have the fresh flavour that makes this salad shine. Try my authentic Italian basil pesto recipe (without a food processor) for a small batch of basil pesto. Or, get ahead on meal prep, and make a large batch of food processor pesto.
- Assembly: You can mix the salad with the pesto sauce before serving, I prefer to do this table-side.
- Storage: The salad is best served fresh, but you can refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 3 days.