In my opinion, an Heirloom Tomato Caprese Salad is SUMMER ON A PLATE!  It’s a simple little salad to put together, but the key is to find the freshest ingredients you can to make it taste amazing!

Organic tomatoes, freshly-picked basil leaves, high-quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar, buffalo mozzarella, as well as sea salt & freshly ground pepper all make a difference.

We planted tomatoes a little late in the season this year, so the ones I used today are beautiful fresh local heirloom tomatoes from our local market. I’m SUPER excited that I HAVE BASIL in my garden this year!! We didn’t plant any basil last  year, but this year we have 3-4 plants that are doing well. I LOVE going out & picking out a few big, fragrant leaves to include in my summer salads. Ahhhh, summer on a plate for sure!

For the past several years, I have enjoyed going out to my garden and picking beautiful heirloom tomatoes and basil to make this salad. I have experimented with different cheeses over the years, but this is my favorite version.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 large heirloom tomatoes (I used yellow & red ones above)
• 8-10 basil leaves, chopped
• Buffalo mozzarella, sliced thinly
• Extra-virgin olive oil (best quality you can afford — you only need a couple of capfuls)
• Aged Balsamic Vinegar (again, good quality makes all the difference)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Sea salt

Directions:

1. Slice tomatoes and arrange on a plate. I find that a big serrated knife does the best job slicing tomatoes.
2. Add a thin slice of mozzarella in between each tomato slice. Sprinkle the chopped basil leaves over the salad, then add a little sea salt & freshly ground pepper.
3. Using the cap from your bottle of olive oil, add a capful to each row of the tomato combo on your plate.
4. Finally, drizzle a small amount of balsamic down the center of each row & you are ready to feast!

This salad serves 3-4 people. I always serve with a sweet French baguette. Enjoy!! 🙂

SO TELL ME …

What are your favorite summer salads? Do you grow lettuce, tomatoes, and other herbs/veggies in your yard?