Caprese salad is one of my absolute favorite dishes, and one that really epitomizes summer, in my opinion. It’s good every which way – splayed out on a plate, piled high, or in these little bites, smothered with the lovely marriage of a good-quality balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Fresh, juicy, colorful and flavorful… what’s not to love?
Not to mention, it can help make you friends!
I brought this bountiful plate to a happy hour gathering in our new neighborhood last Friday, where we met so many welcoming, friendly people (If you’re reading, hey neighbors!) while enjoying a lot of delicious dishes and drinks. I was paying more attention to our new friends than the food, but before I knew it, these bites were gone! Not only were they easy and quick to put together, but everyone seemed to enjoy them, too. Drizzled with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, and assembled in 20 minutes, this was a simple, scrumptious little appetizer that will appeal to anyone!
In the future, I think I’ll add some proscuitto or sun dried tomatoes to the bites, but I think you’d agree they’re super delicious just as is. Try them the next time you have pals over or need to bring a fancy but non-fussy appetizer to the table!
Mini Caprese Salad Bites
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
- Coarse salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 24 oz. cherry tomatoes, rinsed and pat dry
- Fresh basil, about 20 leaves
- 16 oz. mozzarella ciliegine (small mozzarella balls), marinated in oil or resting in water
- 50 Toothpicks, cocktail forks or small bamboo skewers
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a generous pinch of coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. Whisk together and set aside.
- Arrange ingredients and a platter for serving. Assemble the bites on a toothpick by starting with one basil leaf, then one cherry tomato, one mozzarella ball, and another basil leaf. Place on the platter and repeat process until no more ingredients remain.
- Drizzle bites with the olive oil mixture and sprinkle with additional salt and pepper, to taste.
- To transport, cover tightly with plastic wrap and keep away from sun and heat. Can be made up to 1 day in advance; keep refrigerated.
- Enjoy!
What a fabulous idea! I am sure the neighbors loved your salad and you!
Beautiful! These looks so summery and delicious!
I’ve made caprese salad this way before too! It’s perfect for a gathering! I’m so glad you are enjoying your new home!
Karen
We are huge fans of caprese. Your version looks marvelous.
Love caprese salad, what a lovely way to serve it!
Isn’t this adapted from Matt Armendariz’s new book “On a Stick”?
You can come to my neighborhood any day!! :)
Love this idea…they look beautiful!
What a colourful and delicious salad!
Anonymous – No, his recipe is slightly different and includes sun dried tomato. Not every recipe on a skewer should be attributed to him just because of his book.
How absolutely delicious does this look! I love Caprese salad in any form. Kudos!
i love this idea!
What a perfect thing to bring to a picnic this summer. They’re so pretty and I love all those flavors together. I’m happy you’re settling into your new neighborhood. I think you’d be the kind of neighbor everyone would want, just based on the great food I’ve seen you post on here. :)
Georgia, it is wonderful to hear you have been welcomed to your new neighborhood. These caprese sticks look wonderful. Great for summer parties and I would love some tucked inside my fridge for snacks too. Glad to see you again friend :)
This is my kind of dish. To begin with I love any kind of salad, but now with the summer almost here who wants to get in the kitchen and cook/bake anything? that would be me :-) Anyhow, love the color, arrangement and ingredients used in this salad!!
What fantastic colors. This just sings summer.
I love serving these for appetizers… they are beautiful and delicious!
I love caprese salad any way you serve it. That said I LOVE the way you serve it. It’s like a salad, so pretty on the plate.
These are so pretty! Perfect for a summer buffet :)
These look absolutely delightful! Love the salad anytime and this is so much fun and so pretty!
These skewer salads are perfect for friend gatherings.
Love the combo of fresh cheese, tomatoes and basil. Yummy!
Thanks for sharing Georgia :)
I love the idea of making them easy to eat at a party by putting them on toothpicks! Fabulous thinking!
I will definitely be making these! You have the best photos on your site – like opening a magazine!
This is lovely!
I adore your food photography. I wish I had your eye!
These are absolutely adorable! Love this idea!
I love doing caprese this way – it makes it so easy for people to eat, and it’s just as delicious!
What an excellent way to serve this delightful dish up! Snack and finger food all in one. My Italian husband loves caprese and will definitely want this.
What a lovely blog! I make a similar salad but I like the presentation here in ‘nibble’ form with the toothpicks – very fun!
This looks amazing!
summer on a plate!
I love the picture!
These are so pretty. Food always tastes better on a stick!
So stinkin’ cute! I love it.
I am completely in love with this!
Wow! This is gorgeous!! My husband would love this since he was in Italy for 2 years on a mission. Can’t wait to try it.
Hi Georgia,
Glad to have found your beautiful space. Love your presentation on this refreshing summery salad. Proscuitto would be a wonderful addition. May be some roasted pine nuts too?
Hi Reese, thanks for stopping by! To me, roasted pine nuts seem too small to pierce with a toothpick, but if it worked, I think it would taste wonderful!
I didn’t know there was a specific name for this appetizer. What a lovely and colorful picture!
This looks so beautiful! Love the flavours!
This looks SO beautiful!! Cherry tomatoes are so pretty and delicious :)
What a great platter to bring to a BBQ, would have loved to have brought this to the opening of our beach club last weekend.
These are so pretty, Georgia! I made something similar for a dinner party a couple of weeks ago, and they were a huge hit. So simple to assemble a day ahead…and lots of eye appeal!!
Caprese salad is one of my all-time favorite salads also! I love this ‘grab and enjoy’ version. There’s nothing that says summer better than this salad. I’m hoping for a nice cherry tomato crop later this summer to make this with my own tomatoes!
Caprese salad is always a hit and this is an awesome presentation! I like that it can be easily picked up which will be perfect for summer parties!
I adore caprese salad! Your salad bites look amazing!
YUM! Caprese salad is one of my favorites too! How’s the new house coming along?
Such a great looking presentation! I always just throw this in a bowl for dinner parties but I will have to try the tooth picks!! THanks for sharing!
We just started following your blog! We will def. be repeat visitors!!
Love,
http://chickswholovetoeat.blogspot.com/
I’ve seen caprese salad done a ton of ways, but this is by far my favorite. It’s portable, cute and delicious. And PERFECT for BBQs or other get-togethers. Love!
Add prosciutto for sure! The saltiness is perfect.
And I bet your neighbors are excited that the new people make good food :)
your settled in, how great!! loving Texas? It has been very, very, very, hot lately, so these cuties would be gone in seconds!! Glad you are loving your dream home, so excited to see all your new recipes from your Texas kitchen!!
sweetlife
gorgeous and refreshing dish!
Fantastic idea for a nibble. Beautiful and tasty.
I could eat these all day long! The perfect summer appetizer in my mind :)
This is lovely. I adore simple yet elegant eats!
I love these a 1000 times over. My favorite combo, ever.
ahh yess, I have seen these at potlucks before and they are one of my favorites!! :) Thanks for reminding me about these little treats!
These look easy, fresh and delicious! Perfect for summer!
I love caprese salads as well. Gorgeous presentation and photo!
Haha, who doesn’t love caprese, and making more friends too! I’ll bring this to the next barbecue a friend will be holding!
Ooh yummy! Caprese salad is a favorite of mine…and this bite sized version looks adorable! Great appetizer idea!
These are so cute and perfect for a summer gathering! I definitely want to give them a try at our next bbq!
Georgia, these are gorgeous! I love the colors and the artistic way you’ve arranged the skewers on your platter. Glad you’re settling in to your new neighborhood! :)
Wow I will certainly be trying this out, nice to do something different that looks great. Thank you for the recipe.
What an absolutely perfect summer snack!
*kisses* HH
This is a great idea! Perfect summer appetizer or dish for a get together! Love it!
These caprese bites are so fun! Loving all food on a stick these days.
I love these as a mini version…Caprese is also a favorite of mine :) Gorgeous!
Truly appreciate the way you made the recipe. Everything is so nicely described that really helped.