17 Tasty Caprese Salad Recipes and Caprese-Inspired Treats
Caprese salad recipes and similar caprese inspired meals and recipes are delicious anytime with the classic combination of tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. Here are some of our top caprese recipes from salads to appetizers and main courses you should try now!
Post may contain affiliate links. As a member of the Amazon affiliate program, I may earn a small commision from qualifying purchases. To read my affiliate policy, click here.
My love of all things Caprese runs as deep as my Italian roots.
There’s just nothing better than the classic combination of rich, creamy mozzarella cheese with sweet tomatoes and fresh basil.
I could eat it every day all summer long.
In fact, I more or less do eat it every day all summer long in one vesion or another.
Because you don’t have to stick to basic Caprese salad recipes, but you can play!
Vary it with pastas, proteins, different dressings, bread….
The possibilities are endless!
And so delicious!
What is Caprese Salad?
Caprese salad is a cold salad of fresh mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, and basil.
Sometimes it’s served with a drizzle of olive oil or balsamic vinegar.
Other times, you’ll see a balsamic reduction or even pesto.
It’s always made with fresh ingredients because it’s one of those dishes that relies on the flavor from high quality ingredients.
In other words, don’t use the sad soggy tomatoes you should throw out, use the good ones.
Tips and Tricks for Caprese Salad Recipes
Though you should take into account each recipe’s own tips and tricks, these general tips and tricks can help you make the best caprese-inspired dishes.
- We use fresh Roma tomatoes or plum tomatoes. Yes, you can use other varieties, but you want to pick ones that are generally meatier with less juice.
- And depending on what exact kind of the caprese salad recipes you are making, you might find that you need cherry tomatoes. They work very well in skewers.
- If it’s not tomato season (summer!), then I like to buy the Sun Gold or Angel Sweet cherry tomatoes at the grocery store.
- For the love of all things Italian, please use fresh mozzarella cheese. You can use either a ball, long, or one of the pre-sliced varieties. In some of our caprese salad recipes, we may recommend the pearls or small balls. These do not work as well in more traditional caprese recipes, but they do well in salads and other variations.
- The exception to this rule? When you use fresh buratta, which is a kind of fresh mozzarella filled with cream. It’s the very definition of heaven and if you haven’t ever had it, I highly recommend trying it with your favorite caprese salad recipes if you need a full ball of fresh mozzarella.
- Make sure you use a sharp paring knife or serated knife when cutting the tomatoes or mozzarella. Dull knives will lead to struggling with making your cuts, possibly leading to injury, but also squashing your tomatoes.
- Please eat caprese when it is fresh. It’s literally the whole idea around it. When you try to store it, the tomatoes can get mealy and leak more of their juices, creating a less than satisfying experience.
- We use pesto in a lot of the caprese salad recipes. Yes, you can use jarred stuff, but for the freshest flavor, you should try making your own at home following either our traditional pesto recipe, pesto with walnuts recipe, or our lemon pesto recipe.
17 Caprese Salad Recipes and Other Caprese Inspirations
Did you make any of these? Let me know!
Did you make any of these Caprese salad recipes or any other recipe on my site? Leave me a comment below and let me know how you liked it. And make sure you follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram to see everything we’ve got going on.
