Caprese Salad with Greens and Basil Vinaigrette

This simple salad is a taste of Summer in every bite! Greens, cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella all tossed with the easiest and yummiest Basil Vinaigrette! You're going to want to pour the Basil Vinaigrette on everything!

Caprese salad greens basil vinaigrette easy summer salad gluten-free www.healthygffamily.com
Caprese Salad with Greens and Basil Vinaigrette

Quick, Fresh-tasting and Delicious!

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For the Farmer’s Market Arugula Salad with Basil Vinaigrette, click here.

This Caprese Salad with Greens and Basil Vinaigrette is a literal taste of Summer!

It can be made all year round but it tastes best with really fresh produce and is a perfect way to use up garden basil and enjoy garden or farmer’s market tomatoes!

For years, this was our go-to Summer salad!

We served it whenever we had guests for dinner, lunch or a barbecue and everyone loved it!

For some reason, we stopped making it in recent years but I’m bringing it back this Summer! Have already made it several times and can’t get enough!

Caprese salad greens basil vinaigrette easy summer salad gluten-free www.healthygffamily.com

So let’s make it!

It couldn’t be quicker or easier, coming together in less than 15 minutes!

All you need is:

Lettuce of choice (I’ve used green or red leaf lettuce, spring mix and romaine depending on availability and freshness)

Cherry tomatoes (the fresher, the better!)

Fresh Mozzarella Balls (or a larger fresh mozzarella, cut into pieces), and

Easy Basil Vinaigrette!

Caprese salad greens basil vinaigrette easy summer salad gluten-free www.healthygffamily.com

By now,  you’ve probably realized that the star of this salad is the Basil Vinaigrette!

The recipe is inspired by and adapted from The Black Dog Summer on the Vineyard and is so good!

All you need is:

fresh basil

garlic

salt

EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

grapeseed oil (or canola oil or neutral oil of choice)

red wine vinegar

Dijon mustard, and

pepper.

Easy Basil Vinaigrette www.healthygffamily.com

And it takes just 5 minutes to gather the ingredients and blend.

And yes, I use an old school blender for this… not sure why, except habit.  Any blender should work!

And just look at the color!

Caprese salad greens basil vinaigrette easy summer salad gluten-free www.healthygffamily.com

 

And now all you do is assemble the salad and enjoy!

It’s best to dress it right before serving so that they lettuce doesn’t wilt, but the dressing can be made a day ahead of serving. Just bring to room temperature and give it a good stir!

Caprese salad greens basil vinaigrette easy summer salad gluten-free www.healthygffamily.com

And the salad pairs well with just about any protein of choice and other grilled veggies.

It works great as a side salad or you could even add a protein directly to it.

Hope you  love it as much as we do!

Caprese salad greens basil vinaigrette easy summer salad gluten-free www.healthygffamily.com

PIN it!

Caprese salad greens basil vinaigrette easy summer salad gluten-free www.healthygffamily.com

Scroll down for the recipe and leave a comment if you try it.

 

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Caprese Salad with Greens and Basil Vinaigrette

This salad showcases summer produce and is a total crowd pleaser! And you'll want to pour the Basil Vinaigrette on everything! You can make the vinairgrette a day before serving, just bring to room temperature and stir well.
Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Salads, Salad Dressing, Summer Recipes
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Vegetarian
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Healthy Gluten-free Family

Ingredients

Basil Vinaigrette (makes 3/4 cup dressing)

  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups fresh basil packed
  • 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1/4 cup grapeseed oii canola oil or neutral oil of choice
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard start with 1 and taste. 1 1/2 makes it a bit creamier but you taste the Dijon more
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Salad

  • 5 -6 packed cups lettuce of choice - for this salad I like green or red leaf lettuce, a Spring mix or Romaine (or 1 5oz box if using a pre-packaged container)
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1-2 cups fresh mozzarella balls halved (according to taste)

Instructions

Basil Vinaigrette

  • Put the salt and garlic in a food processor or blender and pulse to chop and combine
  • Add all remaining ingredients and blend until basil is completely minced and all ingredients well combined.
  • Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as desired. Even add a little bit more mustard or vinegar for some tang...you really can't go wrong!

Assemble salad

  • In a large bowl combine lettuce and some of the dressing. Top with tomatoes and mozzarella, drizzle with additional dressing and enjoy!
Tried this recipe?Mention @HealthyGFFamily or tag #HealthyGFFamily!

 

One thought on “Caprese Salad with Greens and Basil Vinaigrette”

  1. The recipe looks easy and clean tasting. I think I’m going to add some sliced hard-boiled egg to it too. Will be having it soon.

    Reply

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