Tonight was actually leftover night, but I made this caprese salad ahead of time for tomorrow because it tastes better the next day. It gets better and better in the fridge.
Caprese Salad
The four basic components of caprese salad are mozzarella cheese, basil, tomatoes, and olive oil. You can either lay everything out in slices on a platter or mix everything up in a bowl. You can even serve it with spinach or pasta as a main dish. My favorite sandwich is this basic caprese salad with grilled chicken on ciabatta. Yum! I made the basic salad tonight, though. For mine, I added a splash of lemon juice, a pinch of crushed red peppers, and some sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to bring out all the wonderful flavors.
The mozzarella is mild and creamy. I use a soft, damp mozzarella for this recipe. You can use the little mozzarella balls in water, but I prefer to buy the big oval kind near the deli and cut it into bite size pieces. A hard, dry, and grated mozzarellas such as Kraft or Sergento will not work as well for this dish. Use the good stuff.
You can use grape or cherry tomatoes for this dish. I'm really not a fan of store bought tomatoes. Garden fresh tomatoes have an entirely different, completely amazing taste. These are from Kroger, though. Not as flavorful, but they'll get the job done. Cut the larger ones in half.
My favorite part: basil. Basil is absolutely my favorite herb! It's really fresh and clean tasting. This adds freshness and brightness to the salad. Just slice it into ribbons.
Stir together your mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil and coat with olive oil and a little pepper. If desired, add a splash of lemon juice and a pinch of crushed red peppers. Let it set in the fridge overnight. Voila! Enjoy!
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