Mozzarella Salad

Name: Mozzarella Salad with Tomatoes, Basil and Parmesan
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: Italian cuisine
Ingredients: Ripe tomatoes 800 g; Mozzarella 150 g; Parmesan 50 g; Romaine lettuce 1 bunch; Green basil 1 bunch; Olive oil 2 tbsp; Balsamic vinegar 0.5 tsp; Salt to taste; Dried oregano a pinch

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15 mins

In summer, especially in the heat, I don’t feel like eating much. I prefer light food made of vegetables, herbs and cheese, which most often count as appetizers. I make my mozzarella salad my own way. It is a mix of Caprese salad with green lettuce leaves, Parmesan and an olive oil dressing. This kind of food is perfect for an afternoon snack, or just a bite while you wait for a proper dinner.

Fresh mozzarella is very common in Italy and is made from buffalo and cow’s milk. Here we mostly get mozzarella made from cow’s milk; its quality is decent, and it comes in round pieces ranging from small ones, the size of a cherry or even smaller, to large ones the size of a chicken egg, and you can even find ball-shaped “heads” weighing several kilograms. Small pieces are great for all kinds of salads and pizza. For a salad, though, it is better to take small balls, so you don’t have to cut them.

Any dish needs only fresh mozzarella, and it keeps for a very short time. Because of its short shelf life, it used to be made in small batches. Since mozzarella is a cheese, it can be eaten without any further processing, together with ham, vegetables and herbs. One of the best-known salads with this cheese is Caprese. It is an amazing combination of ripe red tomatoes, white mozzarella and fragrant green basil. The salad comes in the colors of the Italian national flag.

By and large, a tomato and mozzarella salad can be made without any extras at all. For example, bruschetta with a piece of tomato and a slice of cheese is very tasty – a perfect appetizer. Adding green basil, oregano, a light olive oil dressing and a few drops of balsamic vinegar improves the taste and aroma and makes the salad one of the best vegetable appetizers.

Ideally, buy Italian-made cheese in the form of small balls. They should be almost white, slightly stringy and have a light milky smell.

People often advise chilling vegetable salads. I rarely do that, because the smell of fresh tomatoes and herbs fades away, and that matters. Take the tomatoes out of the fridge in advance, or ideally go to the garden and pick them straight from the vine. If you can do that, I envy you in a good way. The same goes for the herbs. Fresh mozzarella is not hard to find, just watch the quality. And don’t buy firm packaged mozzarella: it is better suited for pizza, and even there it is not the best choice.

Summer salad with mozzarella, ripe tomatoes, basil and green lettuce leaves.

Ingredients

4 servings

Ripe tomatoes 800 g
Mozzarella 150 g
Parmesan 50 g
Romaine lettuce 1 bunch
Green basil 1 bunch
Olive oil 2 tbsp
Balsamic vinegar 0.5 tsp
Salt to taste
Dried oregano a pinch

Step-by-step recipe

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Lettuce

Don’t pick fresh ripe tomatoes that are too large. The mozzarella salad turns out special if the tomatoes are small and cut in half or into wedges. A salad of multicolored tomatoes – red and pink, yellow and almost black – looks very festive. I took mozzarella balls the size of a small nut. A bunch of romaine (leaf lettuce will do too) and fragrant green basil.

If the greens are a bit wilted, put them in cold water a few hours in advance, then pat dry.

To serve the salad, you need a large flat-bottomed plate. Tear the lettuce leaves into pieces with your fingers, roughly the same way as for a Caesar salad. Don’t cut the greens with a knife: they release a lot of juice and the mozzarella salad will be too wet.
Lay the lettuce pieces on the bottom of the plate in an even layer of the same thickness.

Tomatoes and mozzarella

For the salad I took small round tomatoes that are sold here as “cocktail” tomatoes – I’m not sure that’s the correct variety name. I think cherry tomatoes or other small varieties will work. Large tomatoes would have to be sliced, and they would give off a lot of liquid. I also added a few yellow tomatoes.

Cut small tomatoes in half, larger ones into quarters or wedges.
Lay the tomatoes on top of the lettuce leaves and salt lightly. Sprinkle with a pinch of dried oregano.
Take the mozzarella balls out of the brine and let the liquid drain completely.

Lay the cheese balls on top of the tomatoes. No need to mix.
Pick all the leaves off the basil sprigs and scatter them over the mozzarella salad.

Dressing and Parmesan

In a small bowl, combine 2 tbsp olive oil and 0.5 tsp balsamic vinegar. Whisk the mixture with a fork and drizzle it evenly over the salad.
Grate a piece of Parmesan. By the way, other hard aged cheeses work too – Grana Padano, Pecorino. If you like, you can also grind the cheese in a blender, but that’s not essential.
Sprinkle the salad generously with Parmesan.
The appetizer is ready to serve. As I already said, there’s no need to chill the salad: it tastes best at room temperature. If you like, garnish the salad with a sprig of basil. Serve the appetizer with toasted white bread rubbed with a garlic clove.

Calories and macros

265 kcal

Serving ≈ 290 g

Protein15 g23% of kcal
Fat19 g65% of kcal
Carbs7 g11% of kcal

100 g91 kcalProtein 5.2 gFat 6.4 gCarbs 2.5 g

Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.

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To Get It Right

Which mozzarella to buy

Small balls the size of a nut or a cherry are the most convenient for a salad: you don’t have to cut them. A large ball can be torn by hand into pieces about the size of a tomato half. Firm packaged mozzarella won’t do for a salad: it’s meant for pizza.

What to do in advance

You can soak the greens in cold water a few hours ahead and take the tomatoes out of the fridge. It’s best to assemble and dress the salad right before serving: under the dressing the leaves wilt quickly and the tomatoes release juice.

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Questions and answers

What is the tomato and mozzarella salad called?

Caprese, an Italian appetizer of ripe tomatoes, white mozzarella and green basil, in the colors of the Italian flag. This salad is my take on Caprese: with green lettuce leaves, Parmesan and an olive oil dressing.

How do you dress a mozzarella and tomato salad?

With olive oil and a few drops of balsamic vinegar: a light dressing doesn’t overpower the taste of the tomatoes and cheese.

What else can I add to a mozzarella salad?

Fresh cucumber, a boiled egg or pieces of boiled chicken: lay them out together with the tomatoes. The salad becomes more filling, but tomatoes and mozzarella remain the main ingredients.

Can you make a Caesar salad with mozzarella?

Yes: add pieces of mozzarella to the romaine leaves along with the croutons. But a classic Caesar salad has only one cheese, Parmesan.

Is a mozzarella salad good for dinner?

Yes, it’s a light vegetable salad of about 80 calories. I make it as an afternoon snack or a bite while waiting for a proper dinner.

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