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Home / Recipes / Small Meals / Salad / Cherry Tomato Salad

Cherry Tomato Salad

10 mins
| 1 Comment |
5 from 6 votes
Jump to Recipe 04/05/21 | Updated: 04/05/21 | by Nora
Cherry Tomato Salad Image Pin

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!

overhead view of white bowl filled with cherry tomato salad

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!

ingredients for cherry tomato salad with text labels
Ingredients for Cherry Tomato Salad: Cherry tomatoes, mini mozzarella balls, red onion, olives, fresh basil, balsamic vinaigrette and optionally balsamic cream.

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

  • ingredients for cherry tomato salad in white bowl
    place ingredients in bowl
  • pouring balsamic vinaigrette dressing over ingredients for cherry tomato salad
    add dressing

1. Get all of your ingredients ready and place them in a salad bowl.

2. Add your dressing, toss and serve immediately!

close up photo of cherry tomato salad

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.

Printable Recipe Card
overhead view of white bowl filled with cherry tomato salad
Save Recipe Saved!

Caprese Cherry Tomato Salad

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.
Recipe by Nora from Savory Nothings
made it? tap the stars to add your rating!
5 from 6 votes
Print Add Review

Recipe details

Prep 10 mins
Total 10 mins
Servings 8 servings
Difficulty Easy

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.
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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

Serving: 1servingCalories: 211kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 5gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 554mgPotassium: 182mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 484IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 112mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition is an estimate.

More recipe information

Course: Lunch, Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian

I first published this recipe on 05/30/2019. Updated with new photos and text on 04/05/2021.

More easy salad recipes

  • The Best Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad
  • Simple Tomato Cucumber Salad
  • Easy Italian Pasta Salad
  • Caprese Pesto Pasta Salad

Nora Rusev from Savory Nothings
About Nora 
When I got married to my professional chef husband, I realized I had to step up my game in the kitchen. Now I share my favorite foolproof family recipes here on Savory Nothings: Chef-approved, kid-vetted and easy enough for everyday home cooks like you and me!   Learn more.

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Comments

  1. Patrice says

    August 22, 2020 at 4:38 pm

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply

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Nora Rusev from Savory Nothings

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Hi, I'm Nora! I wasn't always a good cook, but then I fell in love with a professional chef and learned my way around the kitchen. Now I share all my secrets to effortlessly great food here on my blog, bite-sized for home cooks just like me and you.

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