Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad
This Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad is my newest salad experiment with basil vinaigrette, and this is tasty and extra easy to make! And you can get good cherry tomatoes before the garden tomatoes are ripe, so this is a great way to stretch out fresh-tomato season!
PIN Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad to try it later!
This new recipe for Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad is a continuation of the fresh basil obsession that’s going on at my house these days! If you’re following along you might remember I talked about trimming my basil and making Basil Vinaigrette, which tastes good on just about everything you’d want to eat in the summer.
Then last week I shared another entry for my series on using fresh herbs with a post on Cooking with Fresh Basil. I hope you have some basil growing (or at least a basil plant from the grocery store) so you can get in on the fresh basil love!
And this Caprese salad made with cherry tomatoes is so easy that if you already have Basil Vinaigrette in the fridge you don’t really need me to give you a recipe. But I enjoyed this so much I decided it was still worth sharing, especially to share the idea for people who don’t have garden tomatoes but might have good cherry tomatoes at their store.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- red cherry tomatoes
- yellow cherry tomatoes
- fresh mozzarella
- Basil Vinaigrette
- salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
What is Caprese Salad?
Wikipedia defines Caprese Salad as “a simple Italian salad, made of sliced fresh Mozzarella, tomatoes, and sweet basil, seasoned with salt, and olive oil.” And classic Caprese Salad recipes like that are found all over the web. This salad with cherry tomatoes is a fun variation on that classic recipe that uses my favorite Basil Vinaigrette dressing and little balls of fresh Mozzarella to create those Caprese Salad flavors.
Do you need two colors of tomatoes for the Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad?
You don’t have to use a combination of red and yellow tomatoes, but I thought that made it look pretty, and this salad had the combination of easy but amazing that I love in recipes when I can manage to come up with it! And if you see them in your store, I’d love this salad made with those multi-color heirloom cherry tomatoes that show up in the summer.
Can you make a smaller amount of this salad?
The Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad recipe makes a large salad that you’d serve for a side dish or take to a party. But when you have basil vinaigrette in the fridge, it’s also extra easy to just make enough for yourself for lunch, which is what I’ve been doing lately!
How to Make Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Make the Basil Vinaigrette if you don’t have some in the fridge.
- Wash fresh basil and spin dry in a salad spinner (affiliate link) or dry with paper towels.
- Then chop the basil in a Food Processor (affiliate link) with some olive oil.
- I’m partial to this Le Parisien Vinaigrette Dressing for Basil Vinaigrette, but if you can’t find that use any purchased vinaigrette that’s low in sugar.
- Mix 1/4 cup basil puree and 3/4 cup vinaigrette to make the basil vinaigrette.
- Cut up 3 cups each of red and yellow cherry tomatoes, or use all one color if you prefer.
- Cut up 2-3 cups of fresh Mozzarella cubes. (If you can find this sliced mozzarella, that makes it extra easy to cut up!)
- Mix tomatoes with desired amount of dressing and then gently stir in the fresh Mozzarella cubes.
- That’s it! Season the Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad with a little salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste and devour!
Make it a Low-Carb Meal:
Tomatoes do have some carbs, but if you serve this Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad with a low-carb dish like Air Fryer Salmon, Sanpete County Grilled Chicken Kabobs, Grilled Shrimp Skewers, Greek Lamb Souvlaki, or Very Greek Grilled Chicken, it would be a lovely low-carb meal!
More Caprese-Inspired Salads for Summer:
- Grilled Zucchini Caprese Salad
- Baby Kale Caprese Salad
- Summer Tomato Salad with Goat Cheese
- Tomato, Olive, and Fresh Mozzarella Salad
- Tomato Salad with Hearts of Palm, Olives, and Feta
Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad
This Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad uses my favorite basil vinaigrette, and this is tasty and extra easy to make!
Ingredients
- 3 cups red cherry tomatoes, sliced in half (see notes)
- 3 cups yellow cherry tomatoes, sliced in half (see notes)
- 2 cups diced fresh mozzarella cubes (or more)
- 3/4 cup Basil Vinaigrette (see notes)
- salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make Basil Vinaigrette if you don't already have some in the fridge.
- Wash fresh basil and spin dry in a salad spinner (affiliate link) or dry with paper towels.
- Then chop the basil in a Food Processor (affiliate link) with the olive oil.
- I am partial to Le Parisien Vinaigrette Dressing for this recipe but if you can't find that where you live just use any purchased vinaigrette that's low in sugar.
- Mix 1/4 cup basil puree and 3/4 cup vinaigrette to make the basil vinaigrette.
- Cut cherry tomatoes in half to make 3 cups each of red and yellow cherry tomatoes, or use all one color if you prefer.
- Cut up 2-3 cups of fresh Mozzarella cubes. (If you can find this sliced mozzarella, that makes it extra easy to cut up!)
- The mix tomatoes with desired amount of dressing and gently stir in the fresh Mozzarella cubes.
- That's it! Season with a little salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste and devour!
Notes
Use any color or combination of colors of tomatoes that you prefer or have on hand.
The recipe for basil vinaigrette uses fresh basil leaves, olive oil, and low-sugar vinaigrette dressing. I recommend making the full recipe of Basil Vinaigrette even if you don't want that much for this recipe because it's good on so many things!
Recipe created by Kalyn when she had cherry tomatoes on the counter and Basil Vinaigrette in the fridge!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 224Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 538mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 15g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad is a great dish for low-carb diet plans, and for any phase of the original South Beach Diet.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more salad recipes. Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad recipe was posted in 2020. It was updated with more information in 2023.
2 Comments on “Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad”
Are you still buying the Parisienne dressing from Costco. I did not see it on their website. Thanks for all your recipes!
I do still find it at the big Costco in SLC on 300 West, but I can’t find it at the one closer to me. When I see it, I usually buy enough to last all summer! I think any creamy vinaigrette will work.