Tomato, Olive, and Fresh Mozzarella Salad
This Tomato, Olive, and Fresh Mozzarella Salad uses my favorite Basil Vinaigrette, and this low-carb treat has all the flavors of summer! And you can make this tasty tomato Mozzarella salad with cut-up pieces of Mozzarella if you can’t find the Mozzarella Pearls!
PIN the Tomato Mozzarella Salad to try it later.
Tomato, Olive, and Fresh Mozzarella Salad is the perfect salad to make when it’s fresh tomato season and your garden is bursting with tomatoes and fresh basil. However it can also have mood-enhancing properties if it’s a very rainy first week of summer where you live, even if you have to buy tomatoes from Costco and it takes every basil leaf you can manage to snip from your puny plants to make the basil vinaigrette. (And in Utah we were so thankful for a little rain that we actually didn’t mind a bit!)
It was the adorable Mozzarella pearls made by Bel Gioisio Cheese I found at Costco that first inspired me to make a tomato Mozzarella salad, and then I couldn’t resist throwing in some black olives. The Mozzarella “pearls” are tiny pieces about the size of marbles, and they were delicious with the tomatoes and fresh basil. But if you don’t find those Mozzarella Pearls at your store, just make this tasty salad with cut-up pieces of Mozzarella, no worries!
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.)
- can of large black olives
- cherry tomatoes
- fresh mozzarella pearls (or use regular fresh mozzarella and cut into pieces)
- vinaigrette dressing (see notes below)
- chopped fresh basil leaves
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
What is Basil Vinaigrette?
I think Basil Vinaigrette is one of the essential things to make when it’s summer and you have fresh basil. You can make it by simply mixing fresh chopped basil into purchased vinaigrette dressing like I did in this recipe. Or check my post about Basil Vinaigrette for Drizzling on Tomatoes, Veggies, Chicken, or Fish for a more intensely-flavored version and ideas for using it.
More About Fresh Basil:
Basil is considered by many to be the best of all herbs. I’ve grown it in my garden for about 30 years, and I always start with one or two purchased seedlings, then plant basil seeds for an inexpensive patch of basil. Every year I freeze fresh basil from my garden, and use it all through the winter. The fresh basil flavor is the essence of this salad. Check out my post on Cooking with Fresh Basil if you’re also a lover of that fresh basil flavor!
What is Fresh Mozzarella?
If you’re not familiar with fresh mozzarella, it’s a very soft cheese that comes packed in brine. It can be sold in logs (sometimes sliced), in large balls or in the small mozzarella “pearls” I used to make this salad.
Want More Summer Tomato Salads?
Check out Favorite Summer Tomato Salads for more amazing salad ideas for summer tomatoes!
How to make this Tomato Mozzarella 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.
- Drain olives and fresh mozzarella pearls while you cut cherry tomatoes in half; place tomatoes in bowl.
- Cut olives and mozzarella pearls in half and put in bowl with tomatoes.
- Wash basil and spin dry in salad spinner or dry with paper towels, then chop or tear basil into small pieces.
- Mix chopped basil into vinaigrette dressing, then gently combine dressing with the tomato mixture.
- Season to taste with fresh ground black pepper and serve immediately.
More Recipes with Tomatoes and Mozzarella:
- Crustless Tomato-Basil Breakfast Tarts
- Baby Arugula Salad with Chicken, Mozzarella, and Tomatoes
- Grilled Zucchini Caprese Salad
Tomato, Olive, and Fresh Mozzarella Salad
Tomato, Olive, and Fresh Mozzarella Salad has Basil Vinaigrette, and I think this amazing salad has all the flavors of summer!
Ingredients
- one 6 oz. can large black olives, drained and cut in half
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 cup fresh mozzarella pearls, cut in half (or use regular fresh mozzarella and cut into pieces
- 1/2 cup vinaigrette dressing (see notes)
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- I tried the salad a few different ways, but I actually preferred it with plain old black olives from a can rather than with Kalamata or Spanish olives.
- I used the Mozzarella pearls I found at Costco, but if you don't find those just cut fresh Mozzarella into cubes.
- If it was fresh tomato season I’d make this with juicy ripe tomatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks, but I used grape tomatoes from Costco.
- I drained the olives and Mozzarella pearls, then cut the tomatoes, olives, and mozzarella all in half to make uniform sized pieces.
- Wash the fresh basil and chop. Do this right before you’re ready to mix it into the dressing.
- I used my favorite vinaigrette, but if you can’t find that one Newman’s Own Classic Oil and Vinegar Dressing (affiliate link) is a good low-sugar vinaigrette.
- Mix the chopped basil into the vinaigrette.
- Gently combine the dressing with the cut tomatoes, olives, and mozzarella pearls, then season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- This is best served immediately, but I had some that had been in the fridge overnight, and even though tomatoes never taste as good after they’ve been refrigerated, it was still surprisingly good.
Notes
I used Fresh Mozzarella Pearls and my favorite vinaigrette for this recipe. If you can't find that vinaigrette where you live, Newman's Own Classic Oil and Vinegar Dressing (affiliate link) is another good choice and that has only 1 gram of sugar per serving.
Recipe created by Kalyn.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 249Total Fat 18gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 41mgSodium 772mgCarbohydrates 10gFiber 2gSugar 7gProtein 13g
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:
This tasty Tomato Mozzarella Salad is a great choice for low-carb and Keto diets, or for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. The highest carb item here is the tomatoes, so use more olives and Mozzarella and less tomatoes if you want fewer carbs. South Beach would prefer low-fat Mozzarella and other low-carb diets will prefer full-fat mozzarella. Be sure to choose a low-sugar vinaigrette to make the Basil Vinaigrette.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find 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 Tomato, Olive, and Fresh Mozzarella Salad recipe was first posted in 2009. It was updated with better photos in 2021 and was last updated with more information in 2023.
51 Comments on “Tomato, Olive, and Fresh Mozzarella Salad”
Kalyn – I love you! I made this for my board game night and it was a hit
So glad to hear everyone enjoyed it!
Love this YuM!! Just to let you know pinterest blocked this as spam 3/4/2018 @ 10:56pm when I tried to pin. I don’t know how to fix this. I LOVE YOUR RECIPES!!!
Thanks Theresa. I can’t figure out what happened with the Pin. I just pinned it two ways with no problems (from the pin link above and from the top photo.) So weird. Hope it was just a glitch.
Yummy! I added mushrooms, green onions, pepperoni and salami along with crusty french bread for a meal.
Sounds good to me!
Christi, so glad you liked it! My faves as well.
Found this on Pinterest and just made it (and blogged about it)! It was delicious! So many of my favorite things all in one place! 🙂
Another delicious recipe! I made your Basil Lemon Pesto the day before and used 2 tablespoons of that instead of the vinaigrette and it was excellent. Possibly bumped up the fat calories by using pesto so I had a smaller portion but it was worth it!
I also added cucumber and dill to the leftover salad and that turned out well. Love that your recipes are so versatile to what you have on hand.
Kalyn … This looks so bright and refreshing, right up my alley in this awful summer heat 🙂
Jeanette, your version sounds great too!
Thanks Carrian; we must have the same taste buds!
I knew I'd love this recipe!!
I haven't seen those little mozzarella balls at Costco's but will have to check it out. I made something similar a few weeks ago for the kids, letting the tomato, mozzarella, basil, garlic salad sit at room temperature and then tossing it with hot pasta. Olives would have been a nice addition.
I love salad. This is definitely a rainbow salad! Tomatoes and mozzarella looks so colourful, so beautiful… and I bet it tasted so delicious 🙂 This is totally new for me but it looks so yummy. Try to make tonight. Thanks so much for sharing.
Cheryl, I feel the same way when I think about never eating at Le Parisien again. And the bank is now closed, and nothing is there.
Thanks! I just had this for lunch – I'd been looking for something to use up my Costco mozzarella pearls and grape tomatoes. I'd figured on a Caprese-style thing, but did a search for something more interesting. The olives were a nice addition. My husband really enjoyed it too!
BTW, I cried when I heard Le Parisien had closed. It was one of my favorite restaurants. I'd just gone there about 2 weeks earlier, and had no clue that it would be closing or I'd have gone every day until it was gone!
I still practically cry (or scream) every time I go by the stupid bank parking lot where it used to be.
Sorry I'm not keeping up on replies, but I'm reading all the comments as I post them.
(Katrina, good job exercising restraint on the exclamation marks!)
Just had to come back to bookmark this – such a beautiful salad made with all my favorites! (see, just one exclamation mark)
This looked so good that I had to Twitter it. Great for summer!! Thanks, Kalyn!
Hi Kalyn…that looks so refreshing and good! Thanks BTW for the link…
😉
best, Stephen
I would still prefer olives with pits (more flavour in them) but that's just me. The whole salad embraces summer.
Compliments!
Now that looks very inviting! Can't wait to try it. Especially with finally growing my own herb garden this year. Have not tried fresh mozzarella yet, but have heard its great. Thanks for sharing.
This looks like the perfect summer dish! If my Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter ever starts producing, I will have to whip this up!!!
Few things beat the combination of fresh mozzarella and juicy tomatoes – yum!
Great salad! I like the sound of the basil vinaigrette.
This salad looks so delicious! My basil is growing nicely, if only my grape tomato plant would start following its lead! 🙂
I love those little mozzarella balls from Costco — and I love black olives in salads, too. They are mild and don't overwhelm other ingredients. I have nine basil plants in the garden this summer, so I'm hoping for salads like this in August and September.
Looks so yummi!
I've been gone to a family party all afternoon and evening, but I'm thrilled that so many people want to try this. I promise you, it's easy and delicious!
I absolutely love this combination you have here. There's nothing better than tomatoes, mozzarella and basil — and now I'll throw in some kalamata olives as well. Good idea!
I grow basil every year as well and dehydrate it for later. It works great. I make up my own little backpacker's pantry of herbs that I grow and dehydrate.
I have some tomato plants growing in my backyard. When they start bearing fruit, I will try this lovely salad.
Love tomatoes, love mozzarella, love fresh basil! This looks like an excellent summer dish. Very pretty too. Can't wait for fresh garden tomatoes for dishes like this.
Love this salad, so vibrant! I think our Costco membership just ran out, I am bummed. I do enjoy that place!
Yum! I will be making this soon! Even though I have a bottle of your favorite vinaigrette (thanks Costco!),I think I'd like to try a balsamic vinegar & olive oil vinaigrette on it…to make it taste even more like the Caprese salad that my family loves. I’m also going to look for the mozzarella pearls next time I go to Costco. I haven’t seen them before! Thanks for the great idea!
I love the combination of basil, tomatoes and mozarella. I definitely think it makes one of the best salads in the world! And the summer is the best time for this. I like your variation on the "classic" salad as i've not done it with vinaigrette before.
We love this salad, but yours has a few variations I'd love to try — the dressing sounds delicious with the basil in it. It would definitely get poured over pasta here. Yum!
This is one of our favorite salads, Kalyn – we make it all the time! I love the addition of the olives.
I have a big ball of mozzarella cheese in my fridge right now begging to be used…Tonight might have to be the night!
So yummy! I love those mozzarella pearls, too – but am hoping to start making my own soon. Mozzarella prices just keep going up and up, and my favorite mozzarella cheeses are usually the most expensive. Thanks for a simple, colorful salad!
This salad looks so fresh and delicious! I bought some of those mozzarella pearls at Costco, too. Aren't they fun? My kids love to pop one or two into their mouths.
Me again; here's the link for Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing, a widely available commercial dressing that has only 1 gram of sugar. This would be a good choice for the dressing for this salad.
So glad people are liking the sound of this easy variation of caprese salad. I think hearts of palm or artichoke hearts would be divine in place of the olives. It would also be fun to make this with just two colors of tomatoes and the mozzarella pearls, if you're lucky enough to have tomatoes already.
Micki, the dressing has soybean oil, water, red and white wine vinegar, mustard, salt, sugar, Xanthum gum, black pepper, polyglycerol esters of fatty acids, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, citric acid, tartric acid, and spices. (There can't be more than a pinch of sugar, since there is 0 grams of sugar in this.) If I was going to try to make the dressing at home I'd mix white wine vinegar, a dash of red wine vinegar, finely minced garlic, a tiny bit of mustard, and salt and pepper, then whisk in olive oil until it tastes as strong as you'd like it. A dressing like Paul Newman's Original Vinaigrette would be a good substitute. I'll add that to the post.
We grow our own tomatoes and basil so this is a perfect choice for tonight. Thanks!
I love caprese salads like this. I bet it would also be great as a pasta sauce. This dish screams summer for me!
Kalyn, any chance you can list the ingredients in the recommended dressing that isn't available to most of us? No fair wetting our appetites and then discovering we can't buy it 🙁
Hi Kalyn! Looks great – I buy cherry toms in bulk and am always in need of a way to use them. Do you have any thoughts about what to use in place of the olives? My husband won't touch them. Maybe hearts of palm or artichoke hearts??
That looks like such a refreshing dish for summer, Kalyn! I've been getting all my meal ideas from your blog lately. Some of your recipes are perfect for the lazy low carb cook. I posted some potentially south beach friendly pancakes that you might want to peek at. 🙂
Keep up the cooking, Kalyn! Thanks a bunch.
Love that salad, quick to make for a great lunch.
Hi Kalyn, I have been a silent follower of your blog for a while. Your recipes are wonderful. I have tried a couple of your salad recipes and they all turned out very well! This one with tomatoes and mozzarella looks delicious! Thanks for sharing.
This looks so delicious! What a perfect summery dish. We have some tomato plants in our garden, and basil too. When the tomatoes are ready I really want to try this! Thanks for the recipe 😀