ABOUT THE RECIPE
This salad platter is less of a recipe and more an assemblage of toppings. Feel free to adapt and switch up according to your tastes and favorites, or simply by whatever you might happen to have on hand for those unexpected, but totally welcome drop-ins.
Traditional caprese flavors dominate this salad platter with a few sweet bites of fruit tossed in. A few fresh fruity ingredient options are:
- Nectarines
- Strawberries
- Peaches
- Cheries
- Plums
- Raspberries
Tomatoes are at the forefront of every caprese salad. Typically I like to use smaller, sweeter campari or cocktail tomatoes, but I also love adding in various sizes and styles from multi-colored heirloom tomatoes to smaller cherry tomatoes. Feel free to use your favorites, and mix and match shapes and color.
For the base of this platter I used spicy arugula for the green leafy touch. Spinach, a bed of fresh basil leaves, or spring lettuce mix will also do the trick.
Next up, the most popular part of caprese, the cheese.
Everyone loves a good mozzarella ball and they’re always the first to disappear. I served this round of mozzarella balls (bocconcini) marinated in a little olive oil with fresh herbs, lemon zest, red pepper flakes and kosher salt added in. You could always serve the mozzarella balls plain, or slice a log of mozzarella, or use a combination.
Creamy burrata cheese is always a show stopping surprise. Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream where the outer shell is solid mozzarella, while the inside contains stracciatella and cream, giving it a creamy, soft texture.
- Hard Italian salami
- Prosciutto
- Pepperoni
- Thinly sliced French or Spanish ham
- Cappacola
- Speck
What to Serve with the Caprese Salad Platter
This salad is like the classic little black cocktail dress because it goes with just about anything and everything and works for every occassion. Again, it’s a terrific idea to serve as a side, or set out small plates for friends to snack on as an appetizer, too. Here are a few ideas of main dishes to serve alongside this platter: 10-Minute Maple Crusted Salmon Grilled BBQ Chicken Foil Dinner Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce Greek Turkey Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce Sheet Pan Chicken Parmesan If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
How to Make a Killer Caprese Salad Platter
Ingredients
- 6 cups arugula , fresh spinach leaves, or salad greens
- burrata cheese
- mozzarella balls
- cured meats such as Calabrese or prosciutto , sliced
- stone fruit such as nectarines or peaches , sliced
- raspberries or strawberries
- Marcona almonds
- kalamata olives
- fresh basil , slivered
- lemon-flavored olive oil
- balsamic glaze or balsamic vinegar
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the Marinated Mozzarella Balls
- 1 8- ounce carton of mozzarella cheese balls , bocconcini, drained
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- peel from ½ lemon , cut into long strips
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- On a large platter, place the greens in the center of the plate. Arrange the rest of the ingredients in groups on the outsides of the platter. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic glaze and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Let your guests create their own salads and serve with the salad dressing on the side.
- To Make the Marinated Mozzarella Balls
- Place the mozzarella balls in a jar or bowl. Pour the olive oil over the mozzarella. Stir in the lemon strips, red pepper flakes and salt. Marinate for 1 hour up to 1 week.
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