Summer Caprese Salad Recipe – Simply Scratch

In this Summer Caprese Salad Recipe, ripe and juicy garden tomatoes are sliced and topped with fresh mozzarella, basil leaves and drizzled with olive oil and balsamic glaze. Served sprinkled with flakey sea salt and freshly ground black pepper which adds flavor while lending bits of texture.

Caprese is the epitome of summer.

For years we planted a tomato garden. We always grow a few roma plants, 1 cherry tomato (they’re my favorite!) and a few beefsteak for things like blt’s, my mother in law’s tacos and caprese platters. But then life happened (and hornworms – ack!) and we stopped planting the tomato garden. Now whenever we are gifted with tomatoes from friends or my in-laws gardens, I always make this caprese salad. It’s simple, light and refreshing and goes with just about anything.

Garden tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil drizzled with quality olive oil. It’s quite literally what dreams are made of.

To Make This Summer Caprese Salad Recipe You Will Need:

• a few large tomatoes – For best flavor use garden tomatoes or heirloom tomatoes.
• fresh mozzarella – Pre-sliced or torn will also work.
• basil leaves – Adds fresh distinct flavor.
• quality olive oil – Once meant for drizzling or finishing a dish.
• flakey sea salt – Adds bits of texture and enhances flavors.
• coarsely ground black pepper – Lends some subtle bite and flavor.
• balsamic glaze – Reduced balsamic vinegar is sweet and syrupy. Use homemade or store-bought.

Just look at these beauties!

For this recipe, I always buy fresh mozzarella that is pre-sliced. Trust me, this will save you so much time and you will get evenly sliced mozzarella, a feat I’m not ever going to win at on my own.

So, with that said, a 1 pound log of pre-sliced mozzarella will give you 16 slices. Which means you will need enough large tomatoes to get 16 slices.

Then you just layer; tomato, mozzarella and a fresh basil leaf.

Repeat.

Drizzle with quality olive oil.

Season with flakey sea salt, coarsely ground black pepper and if you’re so inclined, drizzle with a few spoonfuls of balsamic glaze.

I mean 😍.

Ways to Enjoy This Caprese Salad:

I like to serve this with grill bread however, you can totally enjoy this as is. It’s also really great next grilled chicken, steak or salmon, a simple pasta dish or grilled vegetables like eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers and/or on top of a bed of arugula.

Enjoy! And if you give this Summer Caprese Salad Recipe recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

This recipe was originally posted on August 19th, 2020 and has been updated with clear and concise instructions, new photography and helpful information.