Caprese Salad or Insalata Caprese, as it’s known in Italy is typically made with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, and extra virgin olive oil. However, there are many variations. You might want to add chopped fresh garlic, Balsamic vinegar, or other herbs.
Enjoy this recipe!
Insalata Caprese – Caprese Salad with Vegetables and Herbs
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Stalk of celery julienned sliced thinly
- 1 bell pepper or 2 baby bell peppers julienned sliced thinly
- 1 small zucchini julienned sliced thinly
- 2 med-large size ripe tomatoes sliced1 thinly
- 9 oz Fresh Mozzarella cheese sliced thin
- Leaves of basil oregano, and thyme (to taste)
- sea salt
- ground pepper
Instructions
- Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a medium-large saute pan.
- Gently saute the celery for about 30 seconds
- Add the bell peppers for another 30 seconds
- Lastly, add the zucchini for another 30 seconds.
- Take the pan off the heat.
- Salt and pepper the vegetables to taste
- Arrange the tomatoes and cheese slices in a salad plate or a serving dish.
- Top the tomatoes and cheese with the sauteed vegetables.
- Sprinkle the top with the basil, oregano and thyme leaves.
During summer, there’s nothing better than fresh ripe tomatoes picked directly from the vine. If you have room to grow them yourself, that’s all the better. If not, seek out farmer’s markets as they often have vine-ripened varieties in season. Most tomatoes sold at grocery stores are picked before they’re ripe and aren’t nearly as tasty.
For this Caprese Salad recipe variation, I sautéed julienned zucchini, bell peppers, and celery, and seasoned it with fresh thyme, oregano, and basil.
Use quality olive oil for the best flavor.
The History of Caprese Salad
Caprese salad became popular in Italy after WWI in the early 1920s. A local bricklayer on the island of Capri in Italy wanted to be patriotic and would make sandwiches made with tomato, mozzarella, and basil which are the same colors as the Italian flag. The Hotel Quisisana on Capri also claimed credit for it and served it on their menu.
The salad didn’t make much of an impact at first until Kin Farouk asked a waiter for a light snack in the 1950s. He was served a Caprese sandwich. He liked it so much that it gained popularity and became a staple on the island of Capri. Try it with buffalo mozzarella to make it even more special.
This post was updated on 8/2023.
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How do you make your Caprese Salad? Please leave a comment below
I’ve never tasted store bought tomatoes that were anywhere near as good as home picked tomatoes. I almost don’t want to eat them in the winter because they are mediocre at best. Anyway, the salad looks amazing. I can’t wait to try it.
I agree Brian. It’s pretty impossible to find truly tasty ripe tomatoes other than in summer and part of fall. I hope you enjoy the salad.
I am so going to miss tomato season!
Me too. We grew a bunch but they are pooping out.
Oh this does sound absolutely delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
You are so welcome, Diane.l
Caprese is one of my very favorite summer salads. Unfortunately tomatoes the rest of the year don’t taste good enough to grace a Caprese. I keep it simple with the original basic ingredients.
We grew tomatoes all summer and still have some as we don’t have as much changes in our season here in LA. I love the simple version as well and made it frequently this year.