This particular recipe is my favorite “salad” of all time. Maybe this is because it doesn’t contain any lettuce and I am not too much of a lettuce person. This variation of the caprese salad is especially fabulous with locally grown in-season tomatoes. I ate the one pictured last night, and felt like I could have licked my plate at the end. Now that is a good salad. And if you love it as much as I do you can get creative with different ways to serve it. Check out the panini I made (pictured below), which is just the salad ingredients melted inside two pieces of whole-wheat bread and served with balsamic vinegar for dipping.
Caprese Salad
Ingredients
- 1 tomato, ripe, any variety
- mozzarella cheese, (if you can swing it the more expensive stuff is worth it…especially the balls of mozzarella floating in water)
- 1 handful basil, leaves only
- balsamic vinegar
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- 1 basil pesto, see link below
Instructions
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Cut the tomatoes and mozzarella into slices about ¼ inch thick
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Arrange the tomatoes flat on a plate, top each one with a slice of mozzarella, and then either with whole or sliced basil leaves
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Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, if desired
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Add a dollop or two of basil pesto to the plate
-
Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar
Hint: If I am in a hurry I just chop everything up into pieces and throw it all together in a bowl. It tastes just the same that way!
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Emily
June 2, 2010 at 4:49 pmYum! Really want to try this!!
Molly
July 9, 2011 at 2:39 pmCaprese Salad is one of my favorite things to eat too! Just last week our family went to Hershey Park and when I was looking for a vegetarian dinner for myself, I found a panini stand serving caprese panini. It was so delicious!! I’m so excited to try your recipe – I’m sure it will be even more tasty, especially with homegrown tomatoes!!
jessica
August 13, 2011 at 6:21 pmI’ve turned all my salads the past few weeks into capreses – love it! I use spinach as a base, slice up a bunch or cherry tomatoes (orange red and yellow are growing like crazy from the garden!)and sliced basil leaves and chucks of mozz – also excellent with goat cheese crumbles. Haven’t tried a pesto yet but now I know what to do with all the basil from the garden! Thanx!
Jennifer
August 26, 2011 at 3:00 amYeah! I absolutely love caprese salad made only with fresh mozzarella. I have made it on brushetta, but had not considered a panini before. Now I know what is for lunch tomorrow. Thanks for the site. I just found it and already it is bookmarked.
meredith
August 30, 2011 at 3:16 amdid you include the pesto in the mix of things for the sandwich or just the other stuff? New at all of this. THanks.
100 Days of Real Food
September 20, 2011 at 3:51 pmYes…I definitely included the pesto. I rubbed it on just like you would mayo. Enjoy!
kelly
September 5, 2011 at 7:22 pmcan you freeze the pesto??? if so for how long?
Abby
September 12, 2011 at 6:33 pmI freeze a lot of my pestos but find that they don’t last nearly as long when you pull them out. So I would use them up quickly or freeze them in smaller batches so it doesn’t go bad before you can eat it all.
100 Days of Real Food
September 21, 2011 at 3:51 pmYes, it can be frozen. I think it would be okay for a few months (if it even lasts that long…I use mine up pretty quickly!) Also, I freeze mine in ice cube trays, but remember since it contains oil it will still retain some liquid.
Brianna
September 20, 2011 at 10:00 pmI had never had either a Caprese Salad nor a pesto, so these were both new. I grilled them like a grilled cheese or panini. Score! We’re going to do the Caprese Pasta Salad this week.
Carissa
February 29, 2012 at 5:13 pmOk. So, I’m taking a risk at asking a question when this post is like 2 years old… But, I’ll ask it anyway with some hope!
Sooo, LOVE this idea of this recipe and the sandwich version! Want to try both… But then I saw the pesto portion. This happens often. I see a recipe that looks soooooo good and a great healthy choice for my family, but then must pass on it for some reason. We have nut and fish allergy in our home (enough for epi pens). so, every time I see pesto in a recipe I cringe and move on. That cuts out many options and many recipes. Any ideas? Like, does the pesto taste as good if I just omit the nuts? Would the salad or sandwich taste as good if I omitted the pesto all together? Is there a substitute for the pine nuts?
Celeste
March 31, 2012 at 11:38 amFor the sandwich or the salad, I would just use the basil leaves or omit it all together. I don’t know about a nut substitution in the pesto, but I have seen other nuts than pine nuts used in pesto recipes.
dhyana
August 2, 2012 at 6:52 pmyes — i’ve made it with a mortar and pestle — not nuts — delish!
Lisa
September 6, 2012 at 10:59 amI make pesto all the time and never use pine nuts or any nuts. It doesn’t matter, it still taste good. I have never really tasted a difference.
Lainey
September 6, 2012 at 12:02 pmI know I’ve made basil pesto without pine nuts before; not this exact recipe, but something similar. You may have to try adding a little more Parmesan to keep the right consistency, but it’s worth a try.
Stephanie
March 3, 2013 at 8:39 pmI know it’s late but I saw on another blog once where someone used sunflower seeds in place of the pine nuts. She said it still tasted nutty but without the nut allergy.
newgirl
March 18, 2012 at 11:38 amCan you eat pumpkin seeds? I have read where people substituted pine nuts with other nuts or seeds. I have seen other people comment that they have made pesto without any nuts at all.
dhyana
August 2, 2012 at 6:53 pmlove the pumpkins seed idea — pine nuts are so expensive — i’ve also used almonds or walunts — whatever i have on hand — of course, that won’t help someone with nut allergies….
dhyana
August 2, 2012 at 6:54 pmi’m guessing sunflower seeds would work well too! gonna give those a try tonight…
Amanda
April 16, 2012 at 8:58 pmI made these sandwiches for dinner tonight and they were awesome! I didn’t have any fresh basil, so I spread the pesto on the bread before I grilled it and it was awesome. Next time I’ll use even more :) Thank you for sharing!
Katie
May 22, 2012 at 9:31 pmWow! So yummy! This whole concept was a new one for me, bought basil and pine nuts for the first time ever to make my very own batch of pesto and whipped all the ingredients together on a yummy whole wheat pita and grilled to perfection. Definitely having this again tomorrow for lunch. Who new that caprese (something I’d never heard of) could be sooooo good?!
Maggie
May 30, 2012 at 9:21 amI am definitely going to try this one.
Andee
August 29, 2012 at 10:15 amHi! I’ve never made pesto, is it supposed to be pretty thick- not runny?
Lisa
September 6, 2012 at 11:03 amIt’s supposed to be a little on the runny side when you first make it because of the oil. Once you refridgerate it, it will thicken up because the oil gets thick as it cools.
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill)
September 12, 2012 at 1:41 pmHi Andee. Yes, it’s thick, I guess almost paste like. Jill
Valerie
September 5, 2012 at 11:45 amIf using store bought pesto, how much do you need for this recipe?
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill)
September 21, 2012 at 1:00 pmHi Valerie. The recipe just calls for a dollop or 2. So, maybe 2-3 tablespoons depending on how much you like. Jill
Sherry
September 6, 2012 at 11:44 amAndee, Pesto is supposed to be thick not runny. Add more basil and cheese to thicken it up.
Marsela
November 11, 2012 at 12:56 amI made the panini and added bacon. Yum!
Crystal
April 21, 2013 at 9:48 pmI love the caprese salad…I have to suggest trying the Balsamic Glaze at Trader Joes for this. it’s stays on top without running all onto the plate. it’s also fab on Brucchetta and strawberries also..bad spelling I know
Anya
April 22, 2013 at 6:35 amcan you post the panini and balsamic vinegar recipe
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy)
April 29, 2013 at 11:53 amHello Anya. We don’t have a recipe specific to the panini but Lisa explained it as such: “Check out the panini I made (pictured below), which is just the salad ingredients melted inside two pieces of whole-wheat bread and served with balsamic vinegar for dipping.†Hope that helps. ~Amy
Cassandra
January 6, 2014 at 6:24 pmThis was easy and delicious. I’m using this for a pesto pasta that I will top with tomato and parmesan.
Melissa
June 9, 2014 at 6:35 pmLove the basil pesto salad. The recipe on this page is wrong, however. It should say 4 T of olive oil. Thanks for the yummy recipes!
[email protected]
March 13, 2015 at 6:36 amQuick and easy just used healthier salad recipe, my all family members loved it.
Rosie
May 12, 2015 at 11:38 amI was wondering if you have more lettuce free salad ideas?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
May 14, 2015 at 9:50 amHi. Here are a couple: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/06/14/recipe-lime-cilantro-quinoa-salad/ and https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/07/01/whole-wheat-pasta-salad-%E2%80%93-two-ways/.
Cheryl
July 6, 2015 at 12:28 amI’m very interested in more unprocessed recipes please.