Celebrate summers flavourful tomatoes with this Tomato Mozzarella Salad arranged in a spiral for a new twist on classic Caprese Salad.
In Italy, this salad is known as “Insalata Caprese” or simply Caprese Salad traditionally it is a combination of summer tomatoes, creamy mozzarella and fresh basil drizzled with olive oil and balsamic.
Our version includes peppery rocket for a bright green pop of colour, some pesto spooned on top of ripe summer tomatoes, cute little bocconcini balls as well as a drizzle of olive oil and sticky balsamic over everything.
The Stars of this Tomato Mozzarella Salad
The Tomatoes – I have used truss tomatoes for this salad because of their beautiful aroma and firmness. But you can also use Roma tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes or even Black Russians. This salad needs a firm tomato so avoid using oxheart or heirloom tomato varieties.
- The Pesto – used to add the essential note of basil to tomatoes in this salad. You can choose to make your own pesto or just buy a good quality pest from your supermarket.
- The Rocket – use baby rocket or wild roquette for its pepperiness and delicate appearance.
- The Bocconcini – baby or cherry bocconcini are small, round balls of young mozzarella cheese which add a creamy buttery taste to this salad.
- The Balsamic Glaze – adds a wonderfully sweet, sticky element to this salad. Make sure you use one with Balsamic Vinegar of Modena for an authentic Italian taste.
HOW TO MAKE IT
1Wash your rocket.
Rinse your rocket under cold running water, remove any damaged or wilted leaves. Either pat dry with a towel or use a salad spinner to remove excess water.
2Cut your bocconcini and tomatoes.
Rinse your bocconcini in cold water, pat dry and then cut in half. Wash the tomatoes remove the cores and bottoms then slice into rounds.
3Putting your salad together.
Arrange the tomato slices around the edge of a round platter and drizzle them with the pesto. Place the baby rocket in the middle and arrange the baby mozzarella on top. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Drizzle the olive oil and balsamic glaze on top and serve.
Tips on making this Tomato Mozzarella SalaD
You can cut the bocconcini in half the day before but keep it in a container with some water so that it doesn’t discolour or dry out.
You can also wash your rocket the day before making sure that it is completely dry so that it does not spoil or collect bacteria.
This salad can be made an hour or two in advance (and kept in the fridge) but no longer as the tomatoes will become too soggy.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
This salad is great as a starter for a dinner party.
You can serve it as an appetizer for guests to help themselves at a cocktail party.
A wonderful side salad for any meal – barbecues, roasts, casseroles and pasta dishes.
Also a great option for lunch with some crusty ciabatta bread.
What about the leftovers?
Store any leftovers covered in your fridge, it will still be tasty but not as “fresh” the following day. Or cut up the tomatoes and stir the salad through some warm pasta for a simple meal.
I also like to blitz any leftovers and store them in my freezer to add to my next tomato-based sauce.
Try some more of our Tomato Salad recipes:
Ingredients
- 60 grams rocket (arugula) (approximately 3 cups)
- 600 grams truss tomatoes (approximately 4 large)
- 120 grams bocconcini (approximately 1 full cup)
- 2 tbsps pesto
- 2-3 tbsps balsamic glaze
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Wash the baby rocket, either pat dry or spin in a salad spinner to remove excess water.
- Wash the tomatoes remove the cores and bottoms then slice into rounds.
- Drain and rinse the bocconcini then slice in half.
- Arrange tomato slices in a circle around the edge of a round platter, spoon over the pesto.
- Place the baby rocket in the middle and arrange the bocconcini on top. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Drizzle the olive oil and balsamic glaze on top and serve.
Looking at that salad made my mouth water! I often have the combination of mozarella and tomato but have never made a balsamic glaze to go with it before? It sounds delicious! I like adding a bit of basil too.
Looking forward to seeing more yummy recipes on your site!
Thanks 🙂
Louise
Thank you so much Louise. Stay tuned for more salads after I am finish updating my site
Hey Anastasia:
I’m a salad fiend my own self. Our tribe tends to do a lot of potlucks and most everybody has some sort of specialty or other — mostly entrees or desserts that have become their perennial contribution.
I usually show up with several salads — one green thing, one protein thing and one fruit or pasta thing. At times the categories blur as I throw in stuff that are new to the fans. (Dragonfruit, anyone? Have some pine nuts! Try the capers…you’ll like them.)
I am always looking for new ideas to try out. I especially love your balsamic vinegar glaze idea. Yum!
Yes, the balsamic glaze is fantastic – even good on some grilled chicken. The beauty of this recipe is you can easily adjust and make it as sticky or as runny as you like.
Hi! I think you have many great vege recipes here. I have been browsing through and found many that i would make regularly! 🙂 This one in particular – I really like the combination of mozarella and tomatoes. I also like the tangy taste of rocket/arugula so I think putting it all together should make a fantastic and easy to eat salad.
Thank you Lily, it is certainly a regular on our dinner table. Something that all the family enjoys eating, which is a huge challenge. I have also made this with mixed coloured cherry tomatoes, using the rocket as a base and cutting the cherry tomatoes and mozarella in half, mixing them together and adding the dressing on top.
Kind regards
Anastasia