21 Caprese Recipes in Three Steps or Less (2024)

FAQs

Which tomato is best for caprese? ›

As long as it's good and ripe, you can use just about any type of fresh tomato to make Caprese salad. Heirloom tomatoes make a really gorgeous salad, but any slicing tomato is delicious here. If you use smaller tomatoes, like cherry or grape tomatoes, just halve 'em.

What is caprese? Simply put, it's a simple Italian salad. Caprese is super easy to prepare and made up of only a few fresh ingredients: a generous ball of fresh mozzarella, red ripe tomatoes for slicing, a handful of basil leaves and extra virgin olive oil for drizzling.

As it's called in Italian, Insalata caprese, Caprese salad literally means “Salad of Capri.” Although nobody knows whether or not the salad was actually first made on the Italian island, it likely originated from a dish made in Capri from a different type of cheese, cacio, served with tomatoes.

It stays fresher and it's really easy to use a fork to break your portion up into bite size pieces. Or just eat it with your hands! Another way to serve a Caprese style salad is to chop everything into bite-size pieces, toss with the olive oil and vinegar, and serve over a bed of lettuce or as a chilled pasta salad.

Ovolini mozzarella is just one size down from your standard large ball, perfect for when you're making a caprese for just one or two people. It can be made with buffalo milk, cow's milk, or a combination, but inside the states, it will be made with 100 percent cow's milk.

The "tastiest" tomato is subjective and can vary depending on individual preferences and culinary uses. Some popular tomato varieties known for their flavor include the Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, San Marzano, and Sun Gold. Each tomato variety has its unique taste profile, sweetness, acidity, and texture.

Spinach, particularly baby spinach, can be a great substitute for basil in dishes where the herb would be served raw, like pesto or Caprese salads. Spinach provides similar color and texture to fresh basil, although it lacks some of the herb's aromatic nuance.

However, there are variations of Caprese salad that use different types of cheese, such as burrata or feta cheese. So, while mozzarella cheese is traditional, it is not strictly necessary to make a Caprese salad.

For every 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar, substitute 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar or red wine vinegar plus ½ tsp. sugar.

What to serve with Caprese Salad? The best dishes to serve with Caprese Salad are grilled meat, garlic bread, pasta, or a charcuterie board.

How healthy is caprese? ›

You'll also be getting a good dose of potassium, vitamin K, and vitamin A. Tomatoes get their signature red color from something called lycopene. Lycopene is linked to better heart and eye health. Basil – Basil is packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and natural essential oils.

Caprese salad (Italian: insalata caprese [insaˈlaːta kaˈpreːze; -eːse] or simply caprese) is an Italian salad, made of sliced fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and sweet basil, seasoned with salt, and olive oil.

Fresh chevre or fromage blanc, tender mozzarella, and even luscious mascarpone pair perfectly with summer's bounty. You just need a slab of toast to serve them on, and maybe a drizzle of olive oil, pinch of flaky sea salt, handful of fresh herbs, or sprinkle of everything spice to finish the dish.

How Long Does Caprese Salad Keep? You can make this salad up to 6 hours ahead of time, but I wouldn't let it sit much longer than that. Tomatoes start to break down and get mealy when they sit out for too long.

This Pesto Caprese Salad is made with fresh grape or cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella balls, pesto sauce, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh basil, balsamic glaze, and salt and pepper. The pesto sauce brings so much freshness from the basil, and nuttiness from the pine nuts, and parmesan cheese.

San Marzano tomatoes, a sweet variety of Italian plum tomatoes, are traditional here. Use them if you can! Fresh mozzarella cheese – The perfect rich counterpart to the tomatoes and basil. Cut it into thin slices or tear it before topping the pizza.

San Marzano: Perhaps one of the best known varieties, the San Marzano tomato is a DOP-certified plum tomato, thin and pointed, which is grown near Napoli. Its bittersweet taste – making it perfectly suited to a variety of dishes – is beloved across the world.

A DOP Italian tomato that's probably the best known in the world is the San Marzano tomato. San Marzano tomatoes are from the Campania region and are almost always used for tomato sauce, fresh or canned. They are somewhat elongated and have a thick and rich pulp with very few seeds.

Simply known as San Marzano – The King of Tomatoes is one of Italy's most popular varieties. It has an intense flavor, thick flesh, and low acidity that make it perfect for creating rich tomato sauces. It is said to have fewer seeds than other varieties, which makes them easier to prepare.