Caprese Salad Basil Oil Drizzle (Print Version)

Juicy tomatoes and mozzarella paired with basil oil deliver bright, fresh Italian flavors in minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Salad

01 - 3 large ripe tomatoes, sliced
02 - 9 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
03 - 1 small red onion, thinly sliced (optional)
04 - Fresh basil leaves, whole

→ Basil Oil

05 - 1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
06 - 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
07 - 1 small garlic clove
08 - 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
09 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Finishing

10 - Flaky sea salt
11 - Freshly ground black pepper
12 - Balsamic glaze (optional)

# How to Make It:

01 - In a blender or food processor, combine packed basil leaves, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic clove, and sea salt. Blend until the mixture is smooth. Taste and season with freshly ground black pepper as desired. Set aside.
02 - On a large serving platter, alternate slices of ripe tomato and mozzarella in a circular or row pattern. Insert whole basil leaves between the slices. Add sliced red onion rings if using.
03 - Generously drizzle the prepared basil oil over the arranged salad. Sprinkle lightly with flaky sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and finish with a drizzle of balsamic glaze if desired.
04 - Serve immediately at room temperature to enjoy optimal flavor and freshness.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • Your guests will think you've made something fancy, but it's secretly effortless.
  • The basil oil alone is so good, you'll want to drizzle it on everything for days.
02 -
  • Once, I made this with cold tomatoes straight from the fridge and lost all that flavor—room temp really matters.
  • Blending the basil oil a minute longer than I expected made it ultra-smooth and intensely green, which wowed everyone.
03 -
  • Letting the basil oil sit at room temperature for fifteen minutes releases even more aroma.
  • If you have leftover basil oil, save it for grilled veggies or eggs the next day—the flavor lingers beautifully.
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