Sweet balls of cantaloupe mingle with salty shaved prosciutto, fresh herbs, and creamy mozzarella pearls in this effortless summer salad that’s perfect for potlucks, picnics, and bbqs. Think of this as the salad version of the prosciutto-wrapped melon served at upscale Italian restaurants!
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“I made this excellent salad twice in two weeks. The combination of the melon, cheese and prosciutto is perfectly complemented by white balsamic and honey. Bravo!” -Linda, FoodieCrush reader
This Melon Salad Is Bursting with Fresh Italian Flavor
With my garden tomatoes still clawing their way toward sweet fruit-ition, I’m patiently awaiting to harvest my ‘mates to make my favorite caprese salad with my very own, homegrown tomatoes.
Okay, who am I kidding. I’m not patient at all.
That’s why I’m jumping the line and moving forward anyway by subbing tomatoes with local, sweet cantaloupe. Don’t worry tomatoes, I’ll be back. But until then, this melon mozzarella salad is totally turning my head and making me stare with each and every bite.
Enjoy!
What’s in This Recipe?
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Cantaloupe — To select the sweetest, juiciest melon, look for one with a beige rind (avoid the green ones) and give it a good sniff. If it smells sweet and floral, it’s a good one. You can also gently knock on the middle to see if it sounds deep, which also indicates ripeness.
- Fresh mozzarella pearls — There are several varieties of fresh mozzarella balls you can readily find at your local grocery store’s finer cheese section. I prefer Wisconsin’s Bel Gioioso mozzarella balls. For this recipe I chose their pearl size to add variety in size and contrast to my melon balls. You could use the more available ciliegine, but I would suggest you halve the balls first to make them go farther in the salad.
- Prosciutto — A style of dry-cured Italian ham, very thinly sliced and quite delicate. I get my favorite brand (Citterio) at Costco because I can get two packages for the price of one from the grocery store. It comes with paper dividing each supple slice as they have a tendency to melt together. Salty prosciutto is easy to tear and add to the salad, adding a subtle smokiness that perfectly compliments the sweetness of the cantaloupe and the honey-laced dressing.
- Fresh herbs — I used a blend of fresh basil and mint, but you can mix and match as desired.
- Balsamic dressing — For a lighter flavor and to prevent staining the melon, I swapped in white balsamic. If you don’t have white balsamic on hand, try using white wine vinegar instead.
How to Make This Cantaloupe Salad
- Scoop the melon. A melon baller creates juicy orbs of cantaloupe that are the perfect size for eating in one bite. If you don’t own a melon baller, you can also cut up the melon into bite-sized pieces.
- Add the remaining salad fixings. I prefer tearing the delicate prosciutto and fresh herbs by hand before mixing them with the balls of cantaloupe. The mozzarella pearls can be added in after draining.
- Dress and serve. I suggest whisking together the dressing in a separate bowl to make sure it’s evenly incorporated before pouring over the salad.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Mozzarella and Cantaloupe Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cantaloupe , halved and seeded
- 8 ounces mini mozzarella pearls
- 8-10 slices prosciutto , shredded into large pieces
- ¼ cup basil leaves , thinly sliced
- ¼ cup mint leaves , thinly sliced
For the dressing
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Scoop the cantaloupe into balls. Use a melon baller to scoop balls from the cantaloupe halves and add to a large bowl.
- Add the salad fixings. Add the mozzarella pearls and the torn prosciutto. Sprinkle with the basil and mint leaves.
- Toss with the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, honey and white balsamic vinegar together and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle over the cantaloupe and toss to coat. Season with more salt and pepper and additional herbs to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
What to Serve with This Melon Salad
More Summer Salads That Pair Fruit and Cheese
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Rose
Can you add any other fruit to this sala to make more colourful
You could add whatever fruits you would like!
Linda Green
I just copied this recipe to a card so I can try it out. But nowhere in the recipe does it say how many servings it makes. Will you please comment on that? Thank
Fazzy
so taste and soo good, wowww.
Crab Dynasty
That looks so good. We could add tomatoes to it. where is the prosciutto?
Rex
Cantaloupe is so good too! I need to find white balsamic –sounds yummy. My wife and I will be making this later, thanks Heidi!
el
Rex – since your post was a year ago, not sure if you found white balsamic or not. Depending on where you live, you may see it labelled as white balsamic condiment, rather than as white balsamic vinegar. I think that may have something to do with Italian labelling laws for balsamic vinegar. I believe that Bertolli makes a white balsamic vinegar. Good luck! El
Sally
Thank you for this recipe, Heidi…I made it today for a lunch with friends on the patio and it was perfect, everyone loved it! I couldn’t find white balsamic vinegar at my local grocery store so had to substitute white wine vinegar, but other than that I followed the recipe to the letter and it was delicious! Thanks again.
Kathryn
Can I Make this salad the night before for a 10am Brunch?
Lori Koczur
this is delish. now i make to bring wherever i need to bring a dish this summer. you can double the recipe for a larger group. i got all my ingredients except mint and basil at Aldi’s. score!
Sabrina
was looking for some healthy recipe, thank you! found these in the Healthy tab of course, but they all look perfectly suited for summer!
Paul Bychinski
Made it for our nieces bridal shower brunch and it was a huge hit!!!
LeAnn M Mohr
What else did you serve with the salad? Am looking at this for a bridal shower brunch as well….
Tina
My new summer salad absolutely yummylicious!
Linda
I made this excellent salad twice in two weeks. The combination of the melon, cheese and prosciutto is perfectly complemented by white balsamic and honey. Bravo!
Carol
Made this twice within 3 days I was so in love with it!! Tastes like summer and is so refreshing while we are all under this “heat dome” Brava!!!
Lupe
Would this work at a wine tasting patty?
Sophie
So easy and so godd!!!
Thank’s a lot
Eden Passante
What a great appetizer for a party! So easy and looks so delicious!
Michele Taylor
Made the melon prosciutto salad for a game of thrones season premier party and it was the perfect dish! Loved by all, it was a delicious hit!!!!
Cady | Wild Heart of Life
Heidi, this definitely makes you a (melon) baller!
Costco is yes always and forever!
nicole ~ Cooking for Keeps
ahhhhh, so refreshing!
Eileen
Prettiest salad ever! And what a flavor combination. This would be the best thing ever to eat on an afternoon when it’s just too hot to turn on the stove.
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
Prosciutto and melon is such a summer classic (so is Caprese, for that matter!). Love this blend of the two!
Allie - Sip & Spice
this is a totally brilliant take on the age-old prosciutto wrapped melon! so fresh looking..perfect for these crazy hot days!
Thank you! Allie
Jamie | The Kitchenarium
Cantaloupe is so good too! I need to find white balsamic –sounds yummy.
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
I need more cantaloupe in my life. Yum!
Leah
love how it looks with the little melon balls!
and also the mixture of cantaloupe and mozzarella and prosciutto with basil and mint sounds and looks awesome.
i really want to make this salad…
greetings, leah.
Alice
What a great appetizer for a party! So easy and looks so delicious!