This light and refreshing Artichoke Caprese Italian Salad takes your tastebuds to Italy with each delicious bite! A delightful blend of Italian marinated tomatoes, artichoke hearts, fresh mozzarella, & basil.
Simple and Delicious
Salads are so much more than lettuce or kale. This salad originally started as an appetizer for Sunday football. I made it only that way for years.
However, it wasn’t until the last few years did I grew tired of making the skewers so I started leaving it as a big salad for folks. Seriously, that took off like wild fire at our gatherings.
Grab Your Ingredients
All you need is simple ingredients. And when the garden is in season, it’s even a million times more amazing.
- Fresh Mini Roma or Cherry Tomatoes
- Fresh bocconcini (mini mozzarella)
- Artichoke hearts in water
- Fresh basil
- Seasonings
- Extra Virgin Olive oil – trust me, there is a difference in taste. Invest in an amazing oil like this one!
- Really good balsamic vinegar – this is my absolute FAVORITE!
Make The Dressing
- In a bowl add your oil and seasonings. Whisk together and set aside.
Prep The Ingredients
- If necessary, cut your tomatoes and cheese in half. You may also need to do that to your artichoke hearts too if they are super big.
Assemble The Caprese Salad
- To a bowl, add the tomatoes, artichokes, and cheese.
Mix It All Up
- Pour over the oil mixture and GENTLY toss. Chop up the basil, add that in, and stir.
- Cover and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes up to 8 hours. It can go longer but I find it gets a little too watery.
- You can eat this right away if you’re starving but if you let it rest in the fridge for even just 30 minutes, you’re giving it time to absorb the oil mixture and the flavors meld together. So if you can hold off, do it. The wait is worth it!
Simple and Delicious
There’s something comforting about this salad. My favorite way to serve this is with some warm crusty bread to sop up the juices on the bottom.
Recipe Additions
While I’m all about keeping dishes simple, this salad lends itself to having so many other things added to it.
- Grilled Veggies – grilled zucchini, eggplant, and squash would be amazing in this
- Grains – Cooked quinoa is a great way to add more body to the salad
Simple Caprese Italian Salad with Artichokes
This light and refreshing Artichoke Caprese Italian Salad takes your tastebuds to Italy with each delicious bite! A delightful blend of Italian marinated tomatoes, artichoke hearts, fresh mozzarella, & basil.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20-30
- Category: salad, gluten free, keto friendly, appetizers
- Method: no cook
- Cuisine: salad, gluten free, keto friendly, appetizers
Ingredients
- 20–25 small artichoke hearts in water, drained well
- 20–25 mini Roma or Cherry tomatoes
- 20–25 mini fresh mozzarella balls (bocconcini)
- Fresh basil leaves (25 if large, cut in half, or 50 smaller)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 1/4 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2–3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Balsamic Vinegar for drizzling (or this smaller bottle)
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk the oil, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Set aside.
- If large, slice the tomatoes and mozzarella in half. Add the tomatoes, drained artichoke hearts, mozzarella, and oil mixture to a large bowl. Gently toss to coat. Chop up the basil and stir that in.
- Cover, and place in the fridge for 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.
- Remove from the fridge, stir again gently, and right before serving, drizzle on balsamic vinegar.
Leave a Reply