Garden Caprese Salad with Marinated Mozzarella

Yes.  I said MARINATED MOZZARELLA.  For shizzle.

You’re welcome.

A couple years ago we had a TON of little heirloom tomatoes and I was sooooo over making sauces.  Instead I threw this together when company came over.

Marinating the cheese is key here.  If you can only do swing letting it set for a couple hours, that’s fine, but a good, long stretch of time in this herb-infused oil bliss will give you a dish rich in the flavors of summer.  I wasn’t kidding about not eating all the cheese before you make this dish when I wrote that into the recipe.  The struggle is real.  I seriously ate an entire pound of these cheese balls one time.  At one point I’d elevated cheese to idolatry status…which is probably why I’m now intolerant.  Learn from me.  I’m working on fixing that…I’ll get back to you.

Salting the tomatoes is also important.  If you skip this step it will give you a watery salad, as the salt acts to wick out the excess water from veggies.

Keep your eye out for the dairy free version using vegan cheese coming soon!

Let me know how you like it!

Kate

Print Recipe

Garden Caprese Salad with Marinated Mozzarella

Delicious, quick and perfect for all those little heirloom tomatoes you have in your summer garden!  

Course

Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine

Italian

Prep Time

20 minutes

Passive Time

overnight to marinate

Servings

Ingredients

Marinated Fresh Mozzarella

• 1-1 1/2 c fresh organic mozzarella balls, mini
• 1/4 c virgin or cold pressed avocado oil I use Chosen Foods Avocado oil oils, olive is fine but not as light in taste
• 1/3 c sliced organic basil ribbons relatively firmly packed
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

Tomatoes

• 3 c cherry size organic tomatoes, sliced in half
• 3/4 tsp real, unrefined salt

Course Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish Cuisine Italian Prep Time 20 minutes Passive Time overnight to marinate Servings Ingredients Marinated Fresh Mozzarella 1-1 1/2 c fresh organic mozzarella balls, mini 1/4 c virgin or cold pressed avocado oil I use Chosen Foods Avocado oil oils, olive is fine but not as light in taste 1/3 c sliced organic basil ribbons relatively firmly packed 4 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper Tomatoes 3 c cherry size organic tomatoes, sliced in half 3/4 tsp real, unrefined salt

Instructions

Marinated Fresh Mozzarella

1. Drain mozzarella balls and pat dry with a paper towel. Combine oil, basil, garlic and pepper in a bowl. Add mozzarella and toss to coat. Cover and let it marinate in the refrigerator overnight. Try not to eat these before using them with the tomatoes. I'm not kidding.

Tomatoes

1. Place sliced tomatoes in a colander in the sink. Sprinkle with salt and stir to coat. Every 10 minutes or so, just give it a gentle stir to release more water. Pour out onto paper towels and roll them around gently to remove as much moisture as possible. The salt will draw out the excess water from the tomatoes so when you add them to the cheese, it won't be watery. Don't skip this step.

1. Combine the marinated cheese and oil mixture with the tomatoes, check to see if it needs salt, and serve.

Bubbly option!

1. This is exceptional when added to sliced, toasted french bread then broiled briefly until cheese is golden and bubbly!

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