Easy Caprese Salad

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My mouth is watering from looking at these pictures.  Five ingredients.  Taste perfection.

Fresh juicy tomatoes, crisp fresh basil, chewy fresh mozzarella, all sliced and topped with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  Fresh, fresh, fresh.

When I was in Italy earlier this year, The Hubby and I ate Caprese Salad every day.  I loved Caprese Salad so much there that it hurt (my waistline, but what else is new).  Arriving back in Canada, I worried that when I made it at home it wouldn't be the same.  But it was.  Thanks to the two-pack containers of fresh mozzarella at Costco for less than $10, I can make amazing Caprese Salads at home that taste just like someone's mama used to make me back in Italy.
The fresh mozzarella is the key.  I have made tomato and bocconcini salads many times in the past, and they tasted good, but somehow using the fresh mozzarella instead just makes it way better.  Bocconcini balls seem to be a little denser than fresh mozzarella, and to me the softness of the fresh mozzarella makes all the difference.

I called this post Easy Caprese Salad, but Caprese Salad in and of itself is just an easy dish to make.  I hesitated to even post this as a recipe since there isn't even much preparation involved.  But, here we are...simple recipes deserve attention too!  I think the best part of Caprese Salad is that I can get away with saying that I'm eating a salad, but there's no lettuce or other salad-y stuff.

I could and have eaten this as a meal all on its own, but it would be a great side dish to....anything.  Anything at all.  I could eat it with anything, every day.

I was a little aggressive and heavy-handed with, well, all of the ingredients when I made this particular version of the Caprese Salad that I took pictures of for this very post.  This exact salad was made as a side dish for a 15-person BBQ.  I brought a loaf of fresh baguette along with me, and people were seen either eating the tomato/cheese/basil combination on its own, or stacking on top of a sliced piece of baguette.  The baguette soaked up some of the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and balsamic reduction, and...yum.

My mouth is watering again.


Easy Caprese Salad

Ingredients:
3 fresh medium-sized tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
1 pound (454 grams) fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
30 fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
Olive oil, for drizzling
Balsamic vinegar, or balsamic reduction, or both!, for drizzling



Directions:
On a serving plate, alternate layering the tomatoes and mozzarella.  Top with chopped basil, then drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Top with a drizzle of balsamic reduction, if desired.

BBQ Attendees' Reviews:  This is sooo good.  I love this cheese!!!

Recipe Source:  Visiting many restaurants in Italy