Easy Summer Caprese Salad

Anyone else avoiding their stoves like the plague right now? The weather in NYC is in the upper nineties this week, and I am only going outside when it’s required. We have the air conditioning blasting in our apartment, and we’re making all the easy no-cook recipes right now. Smoothies, yogurt bowls, salads, you name it. This easy summer Caprese salad is one of those recipes.

August is around the corner, which means we’re going to really be leaning into tomato recipes. While canning tomato sauce is an easy way to use up all those tomatoes you picked/grew/bought, Caprese salad is another recipe to turn to. Plus it’s refreshing. Plus…you still don’t need to use the stove.

This Caprese salad has always been a staple in my house growing up. I mean, are you catching a pattern here yet? I’m all about sharing recipes from the fam. My father grew a garden right in our front yard and we spent many summer days picking vegetables, watering roots, and pulling weeds. Dinners in August always meant Caprese salad, where we would simply pluck a few tomatoes from the vine and snip some basil leaves.

Even though they don’t grow that garden anymore, Caprese salad is still a staple appetizer or dinner side dish. Drizzled with an aged balsamic vinegar, it’s the kind of salad that will leave you dreaming about summer days during those long winter months coming dreadfully soon.

More easy side ideas!

This Caprese salad recipe is an easy side to throw together for dinner, and if you’re looking for more sides (or appetizers!) here are a few of my faves.

• Lemon Arugula Salad
• Italian Bruschetta with Goat Cheese
• Salsa Verde
• Greek Pasta Salad
• Roasted Artichokes
• Prosciutto Cucumber Bites

And here’s the recipe! Seriously, no cooking, it’s so easy.

Print Recipe

Caprese Salad

This easy salad recipe is great as a side or an appetizer in the summertime. The best part? No cooking necessary!

Prep Time15 mins

Total Time15 mins

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: appetizer, salad, side dishes

Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 8 oz. Fresh mozzarella ball
• 2 Tomatoes heirloom, beefsteak, or on-the-vine
• 10-15 Fresh basil leaves
• Balsamic vinegar

Instructions

• Slice up the mozzarella and tomatoes into thin slices.
• Add a slice of mozzarella on top of a slice of tomato, then top with a fresh basil leaf.
• Place each Caprese salad "bite" in a round shape on the plate (as pictured).
• Top with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Go slowly!

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