Julie Clark
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Easy Caprese Salad (No Slicing, Travels Great)
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No watery caprese salad here. Grape tomatoes and mozzarella pearls tossed with an easy 2-ingredient balsamic glaze. Holds up for picnics and potlucks.
10 Minute Picnic Side Dish
This easy caprese salad skips the knife work and is perfect when farmers’ market veggies abound. Sweet grape tomatoes and creamy mozzarella pearls get tossed with fresh basil leaves, extra virgin olive oil, and a homemade brown sugar balsamic glaze that takes 10 minutes on the stove.
I make this side dish because it travels easily, is fresh and a gluten-free alternative to pasta salad.
Tossed Caprese Salad
You’ve heard of a tossed salad, and this is the tossed version of a caprese salad. Instead of arranging tomato and mozzarella slices on a platter, I use whole grape tomatoes and mozzarella pearls for an easy dump and go side.
Grape tomatoes and mozzarella pearls make a caprese salad that transports easily. Sliced beefsteak tomatoes release their juice within minutes of salting, which is why a layered caprese looks stunning at home but can get soupy quickly. Whole grape tomatoes keep their juice locked inside until you bite them.
The homemade balsamic glaze is just balsamic vinegar and brown sugar simmered until it coats a spoon. Sure you can buy homemade balsamic reduction, but this homemade glaze adds a tangy flavor and is worth the stove time.
With this scoop-and-serve salad, no one worries about disturbing a pattern. It looks just as pretty from the first serving to the last.
And if you’re serving it as part of a bigger spread, it sits perfectly beside Italian meatballs or pizza sliders for an easy dinner.
Try one of my other favorite summer salads: spaghetti salad and ramen noodle salad.
What are common mistakes to avoid when making caprese salad?
The three biggest caprese mistakes are using cold mozzarella, salting too early, and dressing the salad before you’re ready to serve. Cold mozzarella tastes bland. Salt draws moisture out of tomatoes, so season within 30 minutes of serving. And balsamic glaze added too early stains the mozzarella gray-purple instead of sitting in glossy ribbons on top.
One more: don’t chop the basil ahead. Cut basil turns black at the edges within an hour. Snip it over the bowl right before tossing.
How do you make balsamic glaze from scratch?
Simmer ½ cup balsamic vinegar with 2 tablespoons brown sugar over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until it reduces by about half and coats the back of a spoon. That’s it! It will thicken more as it cools, so pull it off the heat when it’s the consistency of warm maple syrup, not molasses.
The brown sugar is my little secret. The molasses in brown sugar rounds out the flavor so it tastes perfectly tangy sweet.
Make a double batch while you’re at it. It keeps in the fridge for two weeks and it’s just as good drizzled over caprese pizza, chicken caprese or or a even whipped feta crostini.
Can you make caprese salad ahead of time?
Yes, with one adjustment: keep the components separate until an hour before serving. Combine the fresh tomatoes and mozzarella in your serving bowl up to a day ahead and refrigerate. Toss with oil, a flaky salt (I love Maldon salt flakes), black pepper, and basil, then drizzle the glaze right before serving for the prettiest look and best texture.
Our tossed caprese salad holds nicely at room temperature for about 2 hours. That make-ahead flexibility is why this lands next to my strawberry banana icebox cake in my no-stress summer entertaining lineup.
Easy Tossed Caprese Salad
No watery salad here. Grape tomatoes and mozzarella pearls tossed with an easy 2-ingredient balsamic glaze. Holds up for picnics and potlucks.
Servings 6
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 pints grape tomatoes
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella pearls
- ¼ cup fresh snipped basil 12-15 leaves
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Flaky salt & black pepper
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Instructions
- Simmer the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar 6-8 minutes until it coats a spoon.
- In a large bowl, combine the grape tomatoes, mozzarella pearls, and snipped basil. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Drizzle the cooled balsamic glaze over the top just before serving, or serve it on the side.
Notes
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the recipe serving 6, with 1 serving being ⅙ of the salad. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. **
Nutrition
Calories: 238kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 251mg | Potassium: 432mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1569IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 216mg | Iron: 1mg
