For a terrific spin on a classic Caprese Salad, swap the mozzarella cheese for creamy Burrata cheese and you've got a delicious Burrata Caprese. All it needs is fresh basil leaves and a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil and you're set. Simply slice, arrange, and enjoy. Don't miss out on making this Burrata Caprese before summer (and peak tomato season) fades away.
My husband loves burrata so much I tease him it's his middle, so this burrata caprese is a summer favorite recipe. Burrata is a heavenly, gooey delight, and making this style Caprese salad is so simple. No cooking, just slicing fresh tomatoes, arranging and garnishing. It’s the perfect example of the power of simplicity, allowing great ingredients to shine.
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Why You'll Like This Recipe
- A simple recipe with simple ingredients.
- Makes beautiful use of fresh summer tomatoes and delicious Italian Burrata cheese.
- A great side dish for summer fare like grilled meats.
- It's the perfect summer salad.
For an appetizer style Caprese on a stick, try this recipe. It's great for entertaining and easily made ahead.
Burrata Caprese Ingredients
- Cheese: With a creamy center, burrata comes in a container with liquid to keep it moist as it's fragile and perishable compared to mozzarella cheese.
- Tomatoes: Use whatever you prefer, whether heirloom tomatoes, cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, or even a combination of the two. Choose what looks best. A blend of colorful tomatoes give it great eye appeal.
- Fresh herbs: Fresh fragrant basil leaves are a must! Baby leaves can be scattered over the Burrata Caprese without chopping. Larger leaves can be rolled lengthwise like a cigar and sliced thin crosswise.
- Oil: Here's the perfect place to break out your best olive oil to drizzle over the top. Here's the California extra virgin olive oil I buy (not an affiliate code).
- Bread: This Caprese works beautifully with or without bread. If you want to serve it with bread, slices of grilled or toasted baguette are perfect to smear with Burrata and layer with tomatoes and basil. How to make crostini is below.
- Balsamic: Use either good balsamic vinegar or a balsamic glaze, sometimes called a syrup or reduction. Here's my homemade Balsamic Glaze recipe. (optional).
Please see the recipe card for measurements, salt and black pepper.
For another super tomato recipe, check out these roasted cherry tomatoes. Use a variety of colors, like the reds and sweet sun golds.
Chef's Note: So what is Burrata? It's a soft Italian cheese that has a mozzarella shell filled with cream and mozzarella curds. Find it in the cheese section in a carton. Balls usually are 4 ounces and often come 2 to a package. While the official package serving is 1 ounce of cheese (not in my house), I figure 2 ounces minimum of burrata per person. Drain the liquid before using. It's best to buy only what you will use as Burrata is perishable. Once you cut into it, use it right away or within 1-2 days tops.
Substitutions and Variations
- Swap the tomatoes for ripe summer peaches or other stone fruit.
- Try a high quality flavored extra virgin olive oil such as lemon or basil olive oil.
- If you can't get Burrata, look for buffalo milk mozzarella or other fresh mozzarella cheese.
- Serve with arugula leaves or try adding Prosciutto. The salty flavor is nice against the sweet tomatoes.
Recipe Instructions
Making a Burrata Caprese is just slicing and assembly. What could be easier?
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- Step 1: Slice tomatoes. If you're using heirloom tomatoes, slice them crosswise. If using cherry tomatoes, halve or quarter them depending on their size.
- Step 2: Layer tomatoes on a large plate, platter with a slightly rimmed edge to catch all of the juicy goodness.
- Step 3: Drain liquid from the Burrata and place in the center of the tomatoes. You can leave them whole for presentation and lightly score the ball of burrata with a sharp knife, or gently tear them apart to get things started.
- Step 4: Drizzle the tomatoes and cheese with olive oil and scatter basil leaves over the top. For larger leaves, roll them together lengthwise into a cigar then slice crosswise into thin ribbons (called chiffonade).
For another terrific tomato recipe, try this smoked salsa made on a pellet grill.
Chef's tip: How to easily slice tomatoes? Use a serrated knife. A serrated bread knife is too long and unwieldy, but you can get inexpensive smaller serrated knives sometimes called tomato knives. They make it easy to slice tomatoes and are a terrific tool to add to your collection.
Serving Suggestions
Traditionally a Caprese has basil leaves tucked between the layers of tomatoes and cheese and is dressed with good olive oil. Another serving option, add a drizzle of good quality balsamic vinegar or a balsamic glaze.
For a dinner party or summer entertaining, serve Burrata Caprese with a basket of crusty bread or toasted crostini.
Because we love basil, sometimes I dress it with a fresh basil pesto vinaigrette. Stir a tablespoon or two of classic basil pesto into olive oil, liquifying the pesto, and you get a fragrant emerald green dressing.
Chef' tip: For serving I like to sprinkle the top with a coarse kosher salt or a flaky sea salt. When you bite into the larger salt crystal, the crunch is nice against the creamy texture of the fresh burrata cheese and the juicy tomatoes.
Recipe FAQs
Whatever is best at the market. Mid to late summer is when you'll find the best tomatoes. Colorful heirloom tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, all work. Use one type or combine them on your serving platter.
A Caprese Salad or a Burrata Caprese is best made right before serving. To save a little time, slice the tomatoes and lay them out on a parchment or plastic film lined rimmed baking sheet, wrap and refrigerate until serving time. If using mozzarella cheese, slice it ahead of time as well like the tomatoes and refrigerate until time for assembly. If using burrata cheese, don't drain it until your tomatoes are assembled, then add the Burrata and basil leaves.
It's best served at room temperature as cold dulls the tastes of the sweet ripe tomatoes and creamy burrata cheese. If you've pre-sliced the tomatoes and refrigerated them, get them out of the cold and let them come closer to room temperature for full enjoyment.
More Summer Seasonal Recipes
Summer is the best time for not only sweet tomatoes, but corn, watermelon, cucumbers and more, so take advantage of what's best and enjoy it while it's in season.
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📖 Recipe
Burrata Caprese Salad
Ingredients
- 4 large fresh tomatoes heirloom, Roma, beefsteak
- 8 ounces burrata cheese or buffalo milk mozzarella
- ¾ ounce fresh basil leaves or half a bunch.
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt crunchy kosher salt is nice
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1-2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar, glaze, or syrup optional
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Instructions
Burrata caprese
- Slice tomatoes about ¼″ thick and place on a platter or plate. Place the burrata in the center of the tomatoes. Leave whole or score into quarters and let it start to slide apart. Tuck fresh basil leaves in here and there or scatter them over the top.
- Optional basil vinaigrette
- For dressing, stir together the basil pesto and olive oil until it’s a thin dressing. Drizzle over the salad and season with salt and pepper.
Notes
- Swap the tomatoes for ripe summer peaches or nectarines
- Drizzle the top with good Balsamic vinegar or a homemade Balsamic Glaze.
- Try a high quality flavored extra virgin olive oil such as lemon or basil olive oil
- If you can't get Burrata cheese, look for buffalo milk mozzarella. And if you can't find that, get the best mozzarella available
- For salad greens, add arugula.
- For a little protein, serve slices of prosciutto, rolled or ruffled, alongside.
Rivki Locker (Ordinary Blogger) says
What spectacular photos. I love how you used a mix of red and yellow tomatoes. SO pretty!
Michelle says
Beautiful photos (as usual!) and great article. Three things I stopped and thought about. FIrst, I often don't think I can make this sort of salad without using a nice thick balsamic vinegar reduction sauce, (which is yummy, but then hard to pair with light afternoon wines), so this is a wonderful solution. Second, I love the statement about great ingredients are wonderful simple. As my cooking has improved I have felt like I can use less ingredients, but you just put words to the slow transformation! Last, I didn't pay attention to which type of soft mozzarella I was picking up, so I will definitely be watching for buffalo vs cow to try! Thanks for sharing your passion with all of us!