Classic caprese salad with balsamic glaze takes the classic summer salad and adds a touch of elegance.
One of my favorite summer salads is a caprese salad. Fresh summer tomatoes layered with fresh basil from the garden and a fresh mozzarella. Drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with a little bit of fresh pepper and salt, caprese is one of our go to summer lunches or dinner sides.
The other day my husband asked if I knew that some people put Balsamic vinegar on caprese salad. I remember reading that summer, but we’d never tried it before.
So of course, we had to go one step further.
This version adds another dimension by adding a rich and syrupy balsamic glaze instead of straight vinegar to top it off. This, combined with a really good quality extra virgin olive oil, is all you need to make this classic shine!
Classic Caprese Salad with Balsamic Reduction Glaze
The ingredients for caprese salad are so simple. Tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil with olive oil balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. I prefer to use Roma tomatoes, but any tomato will work. We pick up already sliced mozzarella to make this quick and easy.
Thoroughly wash and pat tomatoes and fresh basil dry. Slice tomatoes into evenly sized pieces, approximately ¼” thick, and set aside. Discard the bottom and top pieces.
Slice fresh mozzarella into ¼” thick pieces, as well, if it is not already pre-sliced.
On each plate, start with a tomato slice, followed by mozzarella and a large, fresh basil leaf.
Repeat this pattern until you’ve added 1 tomato and approximately 3 oz. of mozzarella to each plate, finishing each arrangement with a tomato slice. We aren’t quite so precise. We just layer until there’s no more room on the plate!
Drizzle with high-quality extra virgin olive oil.
Don’t be afraid to make the balsamic glaze. Basically all you are doing is simmering the vinegar over medium high-heat down in to a thick sauce.
Once the vinegar is boiling, reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced to about 1/3 of its original volume, stirring continually.
When the liquid becomes thick and syrupy, it is ready to use.
Let glaze cool before drizzling over the fresh tomato, mozzarella and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with additional sprigs of fresh basil, if desired.
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