Heirloom Tomato Caprese Salad with Balsamic Glaze
There’s something so elegant, fun, and extraordinary about heirloom tomatoes. They’re juicy and sweet, and they’re less acidic than other tomatoes. Pair them with a zesty balsamic glaze, some salty mozzarella cheese, a drizzle of rich olive oil, some fresh basil, and a little bit of salt and pepper for a winning combination. Plus, the variety of colors of heirloom tomatoes makes for a spectacularly stunning plate. Just look at the beautiful heirloom tomato caprese salad with balsamic glaze that I made in less than 5 minutes! This dish is truly a showstopper, and it could not be easier to prepare. And you’ll get to tap into your creative side while plating it! It makes for a great salad or side dish, and it’s a super simple party side dish that can easily be multiplied or cut down depending on the size of your party.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means that – at no extra cost to you – I might earn a commission if you purchase something through my links. Additionally, as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I never recommend anything that I don’t personally use, that I haven’t gifted to friends or family, or that I haven’t heavily researched. Please see my full disclosure statement here for further information. Thank you for supporting me & my blog!
Support your local farmers market
When I began studying food, gardening, and cooking, I was blown away at how simple, quality ingredients can be turned into some truly elegant dishes. It’s so inspiring to think that you don’t need much to be able to make something really spectacular for yourself and your loved ones. This dish is a perfect representation of that!
The next time you’re at your local farmers market, take some time to really look at the produce around you. Talk to the farmers who grow the produce that’s right in front of you. Ask them questions about the food, especially if it’s about a fruit or vegetable that you’ve never seen before. They’ll love connecting with the people they help to feed each day, and you’ll have a newfound connection to the food on your plate. Knowing where your food comes from and taking pride in making conscious choices about the food you buy are key to building a healthy relationship with the food that fuels your body and building a strong connection to your community.
A few tips for preparing this easy side dish
Here are a few tips to help you select some of the ingredients for and prepare this heirloom tomato caprese salad:
- Heirloom tomatoes: When shopping for your heirloom tomatoes, try to select some that aren’t super soft or squishy to the touch. Choose heirloom tomatoes with a variety of colors for some pops of color on your plate.
- Basil: Basil is so tough to buy in the store – so often there’s a moldy leaf hiding somewhere in the packaging. Look closely to ensure none of the leaves are discolored or starting to mold. Better yet, you can easily grow your own basil in a little plant pot in your kitchen, so you’ll always have fresh (and mold-free!) basil on hand! When separating the basil from the stems, be sure to discard any flowering buds, as these parts of the basil plant can sometimes be bitter tasting.
- Olive oil: You can use any kind of extra virgin olive oil, but I always try to use “finishing” extra virgin olive oil or “drizzling” extra virgin olive oil for this recipe since it’s not a cooked recipe. Additionally, I always try to buy olive oil that’s made of olives that are sourced from a single location rather than a blend of olives from multiple locations, as single-location olive oil is typically better quality and better tasting.
- Balsamic glaze: As with the olive oil, try to use a balsamic glaze that doesn’t have too many extra, highly processed ingredients. Since this recipe doesn’t call for many ingredients, each ingredient is going to really show. Using a balsamic glaze with a lot of highly processed “filler” ingredients might leave you with a bad aftertaste or throw off the taste of the rest of the ingredients in this dish.
- Cutting the tomatoes: To cut tomatoes without squishing them, make sure your knife is sharp. But as always when handling sharp kitchen knives, use extreme caution to not cut yourself! If you’re having trouble cutting the tomatoes with a chef’s knife, try using a serrated knife to cut through the delicate tomato skins more easily. For everyday use, I really like this set of knives by Cuisinart, which includes a chef’s knife, a serrated knife, and a few other common knives.
Enjoy preparing this elevated heirloom tomato caprese salad with balsamic glaze!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means that – at no extra cost to you – I might earn a commission if you purchase something through my links. Additionally, as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I never recommend anything that I don’t personally use, that I haven’t gifted to friends or family, or that I haven’t heavily researched. Please see my full disclosure statement here for further information. Thank you for supporting me & my blog!
Equipment
- Sharp knives (a chef's knife & a serrated knife)
Ingredients
- 2 Heirloom tomatoes (preferably different colors)
- 8 Rainbow cherry tomatoes
- 4 oz. Fresh mozzarella ball
- Handful fresh basil
- Olive oil (extra virgin)
- Balsamic glaze
- Salt (Kosher salt)
- Black pepper (freshly ground)
Instructions
- Tear mozzarella into bite sized pieces. Set aside.
- Wash tomatoes and basil. Carefully dry and set aside.
- Vertically slice the heirloom tomatoes. Cut away and discard any parts of the stem. Set aside heirloom tomato slices.
- Vertically slice the cherry tomatoes into halves. Set aside.
- Separate the basil leaves from the stems. Set aside.
- On a serving plate, assemble the caprese salad by alternating slices of heirloom tomatoes and basil leaves, as shown in the recipe image.
- Arrange torn mozzarella and cherry tomato halves around the heirloom tomato slices and basil leaves.
- Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic glaze.
- Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
