Caprese Salad For One

Simple Caprese salad recipe made with layers of juicy fresh tomatoes, creamy fresh mozzarella, flavorful fresh basil, and finished with a drizzle of olive oil.

A Caprese salad is one of my favorite salad recipes. It just amazes me how a dish with such simple ingredients can taste so amazing. This is a recipe that you really don’t need a recipe for but I’ve provided my tips below to help you make the absolute best Caprese salad (or Insalata Caprese) along with a few variations.

Why This Recipe Works

• This recipe is best in the summer when tomatoes are ripe and abundant. It’s made with very few ingredients and takes minutes to make.
• You can use any variety of the best tomatoes available to you. Consider using heirloom tomatoes, vine-ripened garden tomatoes, or sweet cherry tomatoes.
• A Caprese salad makes an excellent meal or a delightful side dish.

Ingredients

• Tomatoes: Be sure to use quality, ripe tomatoes. Since tomatoes are one of the key ingredients in a Caprese salad, your salad won’t be as good as it could be if you use a less than stellar tomato. I find that 1 large Roma tomato is a perfect size for a single serving Caprese salad, feel free to use the best kind that is available to you.
• Mozzarella cheese: Again, use the best quality of mozzarella that is available to you. Fresh mozzarella is best for Caprese salad. Look for soft mozzarella balls that are packed in water. Use a good sharp knife to cut them into thick slices or if you like a more “rustic-looking” salad, tear off pieces of the mozzarella instead. You can also use Bocconcini which are the mini mozzarella balls.
• Basil: Use fresh basil leaves and scatter them throughout the salad or place the leaves between the layers of tomato slices and mozzarella.
• Olive oil: I always use extra virgin olive oil in my Caprese salad. Extra virgin olive oil is the least processed form of olive oil. It is an unrefined oil and the highest-quality olive oil you can buy. Because of the way extra virgin olive oil is made, it retains a more true olive taste. It also contains more of the vitamins and minerals found in olives. It’s my favorite type of olive oil to use but you may use light olive oil instead.
• Salt and black pepper: This is an optional ingredient. Use for additional flavor.

Fresh Caprese Salad With Balsamic Glaze

Traditionally, a real Insalata Caprese would not have a balsamic reduction added to it but the glaze adds a wonderful sweet and tangy flavor. A balsamic glaze is essentially a reduction of balsamic vinegar. The vinegar becomes a very dark color and has a deep concentrated flavor – a little goes a very long way.

If you would like to add a balsamic glaze to your salad, here is how you make it:

• Pour 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar into a 1-quart saucepan.
• Bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 7-10 minutes. Stir occasionally until reduced by half and when the glaze lightly coats the back of a spoon. The glaze will thicken more as it cools.

You will have more balsamic glaze than you will need for this Caprese salad recipe. Cover the glaze well and store it in the refrigerator. It will keep well for up to 3 weeks.

Consider using the remaining glaze on:

• A salad
• Over vanilla ice cream
• Drizzled over pizza
• On baked chicken or steak.

How To Make This Recipe

1. Layer alternating slices of tomatoes and mozzarella, adding a basil leaf between each, on a large plate.
2. Drizzle the salad with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Frequently Asked Questions

Expert Tips

• Use the highest quality ingredients you can find; the freshest tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and good quality extra-virgin olive oil. I like using California Olive Ranch olive oil in my recipes.
• Caprese salad is best served within an hour or two after making.
• Burrata cheese is an excellent substitute for fresh mozzarella. Burrata is a semi-soft Italian cheese that is very delicate. When you cut into burrata, the soft creamy filling oozes out. When making a Caprese salad with burrata, I like to place the ball of burrata in the center of a plate surrounded by slices of fresh tomatoes. Slice the burrata and allow the inside cream to ooze out onto the tomatoes.
• Consider adding a protein, like cooked chicken, and make a Chicken Caprese Salad.

Variations

While it’s hard to beat a traditional Caprese salad, you might like to try any of these Caprese salad recipe variations:

• Slice a small peach and add it to the layers of tomatoes and mozzarella.
• Add slices of avocado to your salad.
• In addition to using fresh basil, add some fresh mint.
• Top your salad with pesto and toasted pine nuts.

Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients

If you have any ingredients leftover from this Caprese salad recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:

• Fresh tomatoes: Tomato Salad, Pan-Fried Okra and Tomatoes, Cioppino
• Mozzarella: French Bread Pizza, Baked Chicken Caprese, Chicken Margherita
• Basil: Twice Baked Eggplant, Portobello Mushroom Pizza, Eggplant Parmesan
• Olive oil: Lasagna, Baked Ziti, Spinach and Orzo Salad

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