This tomato mozzarella salad is the perfect dish to make for your next barbecue. It’s loaded with cherry tomatoes, basil, red onions, and fresh mozzarella and topped with a super easy vinaigrette. It’s a delicious Italian tomato salad that just might become your new favorite side!
Summer salads are great. We are always looking for new ones, and I’m sure you are too!
We have a ton of summer salads here at Sip and Feast.
How to make it
- Whisk together 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, and a 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar.
- Slice 1 medium red onion into strips as shown. Also, slice the cherry tomatoes into halves and give the basil a light chop.
- In a large bowl combine the pint of cherry tomatoes, cup of drained fresh mozzarella balls, sliced onions, and basil leaves.
- Right before serving, whisk the dressing one more time and pour half of it onto the salad. Give it a toss, and if needed add a touch more dressing – it’s better to under-dress the salad. Serve right away so that the Italian tomato salad does not get soggy.
So that’s how to make a delicious salad with cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella.
Serve it with these easy rosemary grilled pork chops or these provolone and prosciutto stuffed steak pinwheels.
Top tips
- Use good quality extra virgin olive oil.
- Only 1 tsp of kosher was used, adjust accordingly.
- Cherry tomatoes can be substituted with regular-sized tomatoes cut into bite-sized pieces. Ditto for the fresh mozzarella balls.
- To ensure a better salad, wait until the last minute to dress the tomatoes.
- Start off by dressing the salad with only half the dressing. It’s better to use too little than too much. The rest can be served on the side.
Substitutions & additions
- Caprese salad – To make a simple change just use balsamic vinegar instead of the red wine vinegar.
- Cucumber – Cut up 1 large cucumber into bite-size pieces to make a cucumber and tomato salad.
More Summer salads
Tomato mozzarella salad isn’t the only simple side dish I turn to time and time again. Here are a few more of our summer must-haves:
- Chicken pesto pasta salad – The most delicious pesto with grilled chicken and penne.
- Spinach gorgonzola pasta salad – Bowtie pasta with baby spinach and gorgonzola.
- Fusilli Italian pasta salad – With salami, mozzarella, tomatoes, and olives.
- Potato green bean salad – Potatoes, tomatoes, and fresh green beans tossed in a tangy vinaigrette.
- Orange fennel salad – Sicilian-style salad of orange segments and toasted pine nuts in a citrus vinaigrette.
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Tomato Mozzarella Salad With Easy Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp kosher salt
For the salad
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup fresh mozzarella balls
- 1 medium red onion
- 1 bunch fresh basil
Instructions
For the vinaigrette
- Whisk together a 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1 tsp kosher salt and 1 tsp Dijon mustard.
For the salad
- Slice cherry tomatoes into halves. Slice red onion into long thin pieces. Tear or rough chop approximately a 1/4 cup of fresh basil leaves.
- In a large bowl mix the cherry tomatoes, red onion, basil and drained fresh mozzarella balls. Whisk the dressing right before serving. Pour half the dressing onto the salad and plate.
- If the salad is too dry add a touch more of the dressing before serving. Serve the rest of the dressing on the side. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use good quality extra virgin olive oil.
- Only 1 tsp of kosher salt was used, adjust accordingly.
- Cherry tomatoes can be substituted with regular sized tomatoes cut into bite size pieces. Ditto for the fresh mozzarella balls.
- To ensure a better salad, wait until the last minute to dress the tomatoes.
- Start off by dressing the salad with only half the dressing. It's better to use too little than too much. The rest can be served on the side.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I have so much basil – still waiting for the cherry tomatoes to ripen – so I made this recipe and it was delightful. I used balsamic vinegar, a lot of fresh basil, and brought along arugula if people wanted extras greens. Everyone loved it and was so refreshing on a summer evening.
HI Moira, thanks for the message and so happy you enjoyed!
almost identical to how my mom used to make growing up.
Hi Crystal, thanks for the comment and so happy you enjoyed the recipe.