Summer Marinated Caprese Salad

This Summer Caprese Salad is loaded with juicy tomatoes and silky balls of mozzarella cheese all marinated in a satisfying combination of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic and fresh herbs!

This Marinated Caprese Salad is truly one of the favorite summer staples that everyone is guaranteed to keep! Not only does it make a great side dish to any meal or satisfying appetizer, but this salad is super straightforward to make! Just a few simple ingredients, zero cooking required and you can easily throw this dish together in just 5 minutes. Summer is all about bright vibrant colors

You can easily serve this as a side dish when grilling chicken or steak, and it also makes a satisfying appetizer that you can serve with some slices of toasted bread. The marinade on the cheese and tomatoes is a satisfying combination of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, fresh basil leaves along with some onion powder, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Seriou

What goes in

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella balls, ciliegine
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup basil leaves, finely chopped (plus more to add right before serving)
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

How it comes together

1. To make the marinade, in a small bowl or mason jar, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, chopped basil, onion powder, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
2. Use a wide bowl, add your sliced tomatoes and mozzarella balls and drizzle the olive oil mixture over top. Toss together until everything is coated, cover with plastic wrap and let everything marinate in the fridge for up to 2 hours or overnight (see notes for best marinating time).
3. When ready to serve, take the salad out of the fridge about 30 minutes to an hour before so that the olive oil can come back to room temperature and return to liquid form. Add a little more fresh basil and season as needed right before serving. Enjoy!

Keep in mind

*Salad can marinate for a minimum of 2 hours or even overnight (24 hours), however A cook do not recommend marinating longer than 24 hours as the balsamic vinegar will start to break down the cheese and potentially change the texture. A cook find that the sweet spot for this recipe is marinating for about 6 to 7 hours for the best taste!