Caprese Salad Recipe

This Caprese appetizer recipe is an elegant dish made with mozzarella cheese pearls, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and topped with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic glaze. Toss this together for a quick appetizer or salad in just five minutes!

We love to entertain family and friends, and simple appetizers are what make hosting such fun! This recipe takes as long as opening the containers and tossing them in a bowl, but the presentation is beautiful.

The bright, vibrant colors from the tomatoes pop against the perfectly round mozzarella pearls…and the contrast between the balsamic glaze and basil…It’s a beautiful cross between a salad and appetizer that anyone can throw together for any last minute party.

Caprese Salad (also known as insalata caprese) is actually an Italian salad from the island of Capri. It’s made from only a handful of fresh ingredients. You can even add this to a green salad or place on toothpicks to serve as finger food.

How to Make a Caprese Appetizer

It’s as simple as adding the cherry tomatoes and mozzarella pearls, tossing them with olive oil, salt and pepper, then garnishing with fresh basil and balsamic glaze.
A couple of tips I recommend…

Use whole cherry tomatoes for ease. I don’t slice these because they become almost acidic tasting after they sit in their own juices. Plus, slicing slows down the recipe prep time!

You can use the regular sized or mini mozzarella pearls (drained, of course!). It’s just a matter of preference.

I prefer to buy balsamic glaze already made in the bottle. We love Bertolli! You can find this in your grocery store near the spices and vinegar. We keep this on hand all the time to top pastas, salads, sandwiches…anything that is still long enough!

Adding torn, fresh basil is 100% necessary! I (kind of) chiffonade the basil by stacking the leaves and rolling them into a cigar shape. Then, I cut across the “cigar” of basil leaves. You can also just tear the leaves into small strips. It doesn’t have to be perfect.

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Is Caprese Salad healthy?

With only a few, fresh ingredients, I’d say it’s on the healthier end of the appetizer spectrum.

I hope you enjoy this simple recipe as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments below.