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.
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.