A delicious and easy Italian tomato Caprese salad with fresh burrata that combines burrata cheese balls, with the perfect ratio of sliced tomatoes, fresh basil, olive oil and seasoning for an easy summer side dish. Assemble in less than 15 minutes! It’s a WHOLE LOTTA YUM!
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Burrata Caprese Salad
We were just in Italy for a couple of weeks and there was no shortage of Caprese salad with our meals. As a matter of fact, we ate it almost every day. Our favorite authentic Italian Caprese salad was a tomato Caprese with fresh burrata cheese. It was so simple yet delicious!
The key of course is to use high-quality ingredients that are as fresh as possible. In the US people commonly drizzle balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze over the top of their burrata Caprese, but in Italy, they don’t do this at all! A classic Caprese salad, whether it’s being made with fresh mozzarella slices or balls, or with burrata is a delicious yet perfect combination of 5 simple ingredients: cheese, sliced tomatoes, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil, and salt.
Be sure to try some of our other popular summer salads including a tomato, basil mozzarella salad, and Italian antipasto salad.
And for a twist on the classic burrata Caprese be sure to try our Caprese chicken bake or mini Caprese skewers.
Why You’ll Love This!
- We’re showing you how to make an easy burrata Caprese recipe the authentic Italian way with easy adaptation ideas so you can change it up all summer long.
- Tomato Caprese with fresh burrata comes together in less than 15 minutes. Summer entertaining whether you’re serving the salad as an appetizer, side dish, or main dish can’t get any easier!
- It’s healthy, low carb, gluten-free, keto friendly, and vegetarian. Make it vegan by swapping out for a vegan cheese like Mykonos.
Ingredient Notes
A quick summer salad can’t get much easier than combing fresh tomatoes and fresh basil when they’re in peak season. Very little seasoning is needed to bring out their already rich flavors!
burrata cheese (2 (4 oz) balls)
baby tomatoes (cherry tomatoes, sugar plum, mixed heirloom tomatoes) or Campari or plum tomato, sliced. Fresh tomatoes are essential.
extra virgin olive oil
salt – we used fine sea salt, kosher salt is a great option too.
freshly ground black pepper
fresh basil leaves, torn or left whole
** Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the exact quantities **
Variations
Change up the veggies– Instead of making the classic tomato Caprese with ripe tomatoes and burrata, you can use a mix of heirloom tomatoes in all sorts of colors, or add in summer fruits such as peaches, and nectarines, watermelon, cantaloupe, avocado, or strawberries.
Add balsamic – While adding balsamic vinegar isn’t common in Italy, a little drizzle of vinegar or balsamic syrup is delicious! Be sure to add the drizzle right before serving since it soaks and spreads into the cheese.
Make it a warm dish – Saute the tomatoes instead of serving them cold. They become dip-like and are perfect when scooped up with fresh bread slices. Burrata can also be briefly heated, it becomes warm and even softer on the inside.
Recipe Instructions
Prep Ingredients
1. Slice the baby tomatoes in half, any small tomatoes work such as cherry tomatoes, sugarplum, or mixed heirloom-colored tomatoes like a mix of yellow, orange, and red. You can also use plum or Roma tomato slices.
Assemble
2. Place the burrata cheese balls onto a plate or shallow bowl. The burrata can be left as whole balls or can be torn into smaller pieces. Arrange the sugarplum or cherry tomato slices around the burrata.
3. Drizzle the olive oil over the top of the salad, sprinkle it with salt and pepper, and garnish it with shredded, torn, or small whole fresh basil leaves.
4. Toss together and serve. Enjoy your burrata Caprese!
Recipe Tips
- A traditional Italian Caprese salad does not add balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze. However, in the US it’s commonly served with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the top right before serving. The vinegar is completely optional but of course delicious!
- Instead of burrata, you can swap it out for fresh mozzarella balls to make a quick and easy Caprese salad.
- While sliced tomatoes with burrata cheese are the authentic Italian way, feel free to experiment and mix in some summer fruits like peach slices, strawberries, cantaloupe, or watermelon.
Common Questions
What to serve with Caprese Salad?
Serve Caprese salad with roasted or grilled meats such as chicken or fish. It also makes a fantastic vegetarian meal and pairs well with other salads to have a light summer meal.
How long does it keep?
Up to 3 days in the fridge, the cheese will start to break down a bit and the olive oil will harden once refrigerated, but the salad will still taste delicious. For best results, let the burrata Caprese salad sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before eating it as leftovers.
Do you eat the skin of burrata?
The skin of burrata is perfectly edible and is actually just made from mozzarella cheese. The inside of the burrata is a combination of cheese curds and cream.
More Caprese Recipes
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Caprese Salad with Fresh Burrata
A delicious and easy Italian tomato Caprese salad with fresh burrata that combines burrata cheese balls, with the perfect ratio of sliced tomatoes, fresh basil, olive oil and seasoning for an easy summer side dish. Assemble in less than 15 minutes!
Ingredients
- 8 oz burrata cheese (2 (4 oz) balls)
- 16 oz baby tomatoes (cherry, sugar plum, mixed heirloom tomatoes)
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn or left whole
Instructions
- Slice the baby tomatoes in half, any small tomatoes work such as cherry, sugarplum, or mixed heirloom colored tomatoes like a mix of yellow, orange, and red. You can also use plum or Roma tomato slices.
- Place the burrata cheese balls onto a plate or shallow bowl. The burrata can be left as whole balls or can be torn into smaller pieces. Arrange the tomato slices around the burrata cheese.
- Drizzle the olive oil over the top of the salad, sprinkle it with salt and pepper, and garnish with shredded, torn, or small whole fresh basil leaves.
- Toss together and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
A traditional Italian Caprese salad does not add balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze. However, in the US it's commonly served with a drizzle over the top right before serving. This is completely optional but of course delicious!
Instead of burrata cheese, you can swap it out for fresh mozzarella balls to make a quick and easy Caprese salad.
While sliced tomatoes with burrata cheese are the authentic Italian way, feel free to experiment and mix in some summer fruits like peach slices, strawberries, canteloupe, or watermelon.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 167Total Fat 13gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 30mgSodium 435mgCarbohydrates 4gNet Carbohydrates 3 gFiber 1gSugar 2gProtein 9g
The nutrional information is just an estimate and was calculated by an automated calculator. If you're on a restricted health program please manually calculate this information using the brands of ingredients you have since brands can vary.
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