This Cherry Tomato Salad hits all the right notes! Full of delicious add-ons like mozzarella, olives and fresh basil, this is a side dish you can whip up in no time.
Made with fresh ingredients and a homemade balsamic dressing, it will be your new summer favorite!
I absolutely love a good salad, and there’s nothing like a refreshing bowl on a hot summer day. To be quite honest, this simple salad is often our lunch during summer. Add a hunk of crusty bread and a scoop of gelato for dessert, and I’m as happy as can be.
This is a Caprese inspired salad, but it has some extras thrown in for good measure. I love it even more because I douse it in in my homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing – truly a summer favorite!
Ingredients you’ll need
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!
Ingredient notes
- Cherry tomatoes: I used regular, but feel free to use mini Roma tomatoes for more flavor. You can also use a mix of different colored cherry tomatoes, if you can get a hold of them!
- Red onion: I love the red onion in this salad! Feel free to leave it out if you’re not a fan, or replace it with green onion or even chives for a milder flavor. You can also use white onion if that’s all you have on hand.
- Olives: I used a mix of green and black olives marinated in olive oil. Packed in water is perfectly fine, too. I highly recommend buying pre-pitted olives. You can also use pre-sliced (I used whole pitted and just cut them in half).
- Fresh basil: This is my favorite part of this salad, I just love the smell and taste of fresh basil and tomatoes together. If you don’t have any fresh basil, you can also use fresh parsley and/or fresh oregano.
- Balsamic vinaigrette: I make my own balsamic vinaigrette for this, but feel free to use a cup of bottled balsamic dressing or Italian dressing.
- Balsamic cream: I like drizzling this on for some extra balsamic flavor, but feel free to leave it out.
How to make a cherry tomato salad
place ingredients in bowl add dressing
1. Get all of your ingredients ready and place them in a salad bowl.
2. Add your dressing, toss and serve immediately!
Can you make this salad ahead?
Honestly, I wouldn’t.
The tomatoes will start releasing water. The basil will wilt. The mozzarella will soak up the balsamic and turn grey.
It’s such a quick and simple salad to make – you’ll be fine making it on the spot. If you want to bring it to a BBQ or a picnic, bring the sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, red onion and olives in a bowl, the washed basil in a separate bag or container and the vinaigrette in a jar. Add the basil and dressing right before serving.
Serving ideas
We like this with some homemade bread on the side for lunch, and if I want to bulk it up, it’s perfect with some grilled chicken (marinate your chicken in balsamic marinade or lemon garlic marinade first – so good!) or with grilled steak (here is my steak marinade).
The salad is also wonderful over just-cooked pasta for a simple, warm pasta salad.
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
Caprese Cherry Tomato Salad
Recipe details
Ingredients
- 4 cups cherry tomatoes halved (around 2 pints)
- 2 cups baby mozzarella balls halved
- 1 cup sliced olives green, black or a mix are all fine
- ⅓ cup red onion finely diced
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh basil
- 1 batch balsamic vinaigrette dressing
- balsamic cream to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Place tomatoes, mozzarella, olives, red onion and basil in a large salad bowl.
- Add dressing and carefully toss.
- Serve immediately with balsamic cream, if you like.
Notes
Ingredient notes
- Cherry tomatoes: I used regular, but feel free to use mini Roma tomatoes for more flavor. You can also use a mix of different colored cherry tomatoes, if you can get a hold of them!
- Red onion: I love the red onion in this salad! Feel free to leave it out if you’re not a fan, or replace it with green onion or even chives for a milder flavor. You can also use white onion if that’s all you have on hand.
- Olives: I used a mix of green and black olives marinated in olive oil. Packed in water is perfectly fine, too. I highly recommend buying pre-pitted olives. You can also use pre-sliced (I used whole pitted and just cut them in half).
- Fresh basil: This is my favorite part of this salad, I just love the smell and taste of fresh basil and tomatoes together. If you don’t have any fresh basil, you can also use fresh parsley and/or fresh oregano.
- Balsamic vinaigrette: I make my own balsamic vinaigrette for this, but feel free to use a cup of bottled balsamic dressing or Italian dressing.
- Balsamic cream: I like drizzling this on for some extra balsamic flavor, but feel free to leave it out.
Can you make this ahead?
Honestly, I wouldn’t. The tomatoes will start releasing water. The basil will wilt. The mozzarella will soak up the balsamic and turn grey. It’s such a quick and simple salad to make – you’ll be fine making it on the spot. If you want to bring it to a BBQ or a picnic, bring the sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, red onion and olives in a bowl, the washed basil in a separate bag or container and the vinaigrette in a jar. Add the basil and dressing right before serving.Nutrition
More recipe information
I first published this recipe on 05/30/2019. Updated with new photos and text on 04/05/2021.
Patrice says
Lovely summer salad. Made this for a Birthday picnic held on a very hot and stick day and it was great. Light, with all the wonderful Italian flavors — it was enjoyed by all. As suggested, I kept the ingredients separate until ready to eat and it was crisp, not soggy. This Italian family gave it applause!