Tomato Basil Salad
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This Tomato Basil Salad is reminiscent of a caprese salad with a few extra goodies, a refreshing version that is easier to eat and serve than its predecessor! With a 4 ingredient dressing, the hardest part making this recipe is the chopping. Perfect to serve in a pinch or even to impress at a dinner party.
![overhead shot of tomato basil salad with bocconcini in a bowl](https://www.jocooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/tomato-basil-salad-1-6.jpg)
The Best Tomato Basil Salad
I’m always on the hunt for drool-worthy salads. If you claim salads are boring, I truly believe it’s just because you haven’t tried the right ones! A great salad doesn’t need to come with a laundry list of ingredients, either. Just a few simple, fresh pieces that create something so much better than the sum of its parts.
Today I’ve been inspired by caprese. I love the combination of acidic tomato, herbaceous basil, fresh mozzarella, all topped with olive oil and that bite of balsamic. The only issue I have with my beloved caprese is that it simply isn’t easy to serve a group. This version is made much easier allowing you to toss all the ingredients together and reward yourself with the same combination of flavor. Win-win!
- Cherry tomatoes – Or grape tomatoes. You can use other varieties like Roma, cocktail, or heirloom tomatoes cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Shallots – Can’t find any? A regular onion can be used instead.
- Bocconcini – These are small bite-sized balls of fresh mozzarella. You can use a large ball of fresh mozza cut into pieces.
- Basil leaves – Use as much or little as you like. Make sure you have fresh basil!
- Olive oil – Extra virgin works best for salads.
- Balsamic vinegar – You can also use a balsamic glaze. Keep in mind that a glaze will add some sweetness.
- Salt & pepper – Season to taste.
- Prep: Add the tomatoes, shallots, bocconcini, and half the basil to a large serving bowl. Whisk the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper in a separate small bowl.
- Toss: Pour the dressing over the salad in the serving bowl. Toss everything well to coat in the dressing. Sprinkle the remaining basil over the salad and serve.
Best Oils For Salad
A good quality extra virgin olive oil is perfect for a recipe like this. EVOO will retains a stronger olive flavor than regular olive oil and will compliment the fresh flavors of any salad well. Avocado oil would also be fantastic.
If you’d prefer a more mild flavored oil, any of these will work: Grapeseed, sunflower, safflower, walnut, and flaxseed oils.
What Else Can I Add To My Tomato Basil Salad?
Since this salad is made with a very basic dressing, there are really no bounds to the veggies you can add. You can serve each portion over a bed of lettuce, spinach, arugula, or spring mix, as well! Not sure what you want to add? Use this list as inspiration:
- Bell peppers
- Olives
- Cucumber
- Avocado
- Artichoke
- Chickpeas
Leftovers
Unlike other types of salad, this will actually keep well for 2-3 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. In fact, those ingredients marinating in the dressing may taste even better! The only issue to be wary of is moisture being drawn from the tomatoes and collecting at the bottom of the container.
If you want to make this recipe ahead, I’d still suggest leaving the dressing separate and tossing right before serving just to mitigate the excess moisture from the tomatoes. If you like the idea of marinating the ingredients in the dressing, you can do so with the onion, bocconcini, and basil.
Discover More Recipes
- Mini Caprese Salad Bites
- Chickpea Tomato Salad
- Easy Tossed Salad
- Quinoa Salad
- Tabbouleh Salad
- Cobb Salad
- Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad
- Gazpacho
- Panzanella Salad
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Tomato Basil Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes (halved)
- ⅓ cup shallots (sliced thin)
- 1 cup bocconcini
- 20 basil leaves (chopped chiffonade*)
- ¼ cup olive oil (extra virgin)
- 3 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Add the tomatoes, shallots, bocconcini, and half the basil too a large serving bowl. Whisk the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper in a separate small bowl.
- Pour the dressing into into the serving bowl. Toss everything well to coat in the dressing. Sprinkle the remaining basil over the salad and serve.
Notes
- *To chop your basil chiffonade, lay the leaves over top of each other, starting with the largest leaves on the bottom. You may have to do this in batches. Starting from the side of the leaves, roll them tightly. Chop the leaves, from the tip, creating 1/4″ slices. Gently fluff the slices with your fingers to separate them.
- Unlike other types of salad, this will actually keep well for 2-3 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. In fact, those ingredients marinating in the dressing may taste even better! The only issue to be wary of is moisture being drawn from the tomatoes and collecting at the bottom of the container.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
We received a bunch of garden fresh slicing tomatoes and basil from a friend. Not quite knowing how to enjoy them, a search led us to your recipe. Looking for a vegan option, we used diced non-dairy Babybell “cheese” instead of bocconcini. We then diced the tomatoes and used minced garlic instead of shallots. This recipe is a winner! Will definitely prepare this again. Might try adding avocado.
Thank you!
Using non-dairy cheese and modifying the other ingredients showcases the versatility of this recipe, and I love that you were able to adapt it to meet your dietary preferences. Adding avocado sounds like a delicious twist—it would add a creamy texture and rich flavor to the refreshing salad.
This was delicious ! We omitted the shallots and it was still excellent !
Jo my husband and I just love this we eat it 2 and more times aweek.. thought I might try a little change in the spice.. we love dill weed would that pair well with the balsamic vinegar and the rest of the ingredients?
I personally love dill, so in my opinion, yes, they would pair well.
This was FANTASTIC!