Tonight's Dinner: Caprese bread salad recipe

Apr 23, 2012 8:00 AM by Jennifer Richmond

Posted in Food & Recipes / Quick & Easy Recipes / Easy Dinner Recipes

Add Grilled Tomatoes & Bread

When most people think of combining fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil, they think of a Caprese sandwich. But for those hot nights when you're not in the mood to cook, those same ingredients can make a delicious salad.

I'm a serious carnivore. When it comes to meat, I have no problem eating anything from pork, to steak to chicken. But every so often, I like to put down the steak knife and ingest something that has a little more green in it. Something without a single piece of meat anywhere in the dish.

One of my favorite go-to vegetarian choices is the Caprese sandwich. There's nothing better than fresh tomatoes (preferably heirloom), buffalo mozzarella, basil and a little olive oil on a nice piece of crusty bread. It's rich, full of flavor and cleanses the palate so I'm ready to dive back into my meat-eating tendencies. So when Parents magazine suggested turning this delicious lunch option into a dinner salad, I jumped at the thought. This salad would be perfect for those hot days when I'd had a big lunch or wasn't in the mood to cook. And because the tomatoes and bread are grilled, the salad has a fire-roasted flavor that heightens the whole dish.

Caprese bread salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 slices crusty bread
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 pound buffalo mozzarella, cut into cubes
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a grill pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper over the slices of bread and grill for about two minutes per side.
While the bread is grilling, place the tomatoes in a tin foil pan, drizzle some olive oil over the tomatoes and place on the grill for two minutes, or until charred.
Cut the grilled bread into half-inch cubes and slice the tomatoes in half.
Mix together the bread, tomatoes, garlic, mozzarella and basil in a large bowl. Drizzle the remaining oil, vinegar, salt and pepper over the tomato mixture. Toss to coat and serve.