Tomatoes with Fresh Mozzarella for a Crowd

Once the real summer tomatoes ripen, there's no getting enough of them! Here's a quick and easy way to combine two of summer's best treats, good garden tomatoes and good fresh mozzarella. It looks great and tastes even better.

Tomatoes & Fresh Mozzarella for a Crowd
Easy Summer Recipes
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Here’s another cooking lesson: good ingredients almost plate themselves, if you just let ‘em.

My friend Christine has a knack for easy summer salads, this one charmed a crowd of us at a relaxed summer supper. No chopping, no measuring, no fussing, just layer a few slices of tomato and fresh mozzarella in a glass bowl.

How easy! How pretty! How fresh!

By design, there are few duplicate recipes at Kitchen Parade and A Veggie Venture, my food blog about vegetables. But the combination of good summer tomatoes and fresh mozzarella is such a favorite that this is the pair's fourth (and probably not last!) appearance.

Each one has its own twist. You just might like all four! Fresh Tomatoes with Fresh Mozzarella came first, a reprise of the salad my Finnish sister Ritva and I enjoyed in Zurich one summer. The traditional name is Insalata Caprese, it's a joy to look at as well as to eat. By contrast, Tossed Caprese Salad is a messy affair, a big jumble of tomatoes and fresh mozzarella and for a switch-up, cannellini beans.

Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. Follow Kitchen Parade on Facebook!

TOMATOES & FRESH MOZZARELLA
for a CROWD

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 10 minutes
Makes 4 to many
  • Perfect summer tomatoes, sliced
  • Fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
  • Fresh basil leaves
  • Olives, if you like

In a trifle bowl or clear glass bowl, arrange the tomato and cheese slices with basil leaves and olives.

Can be made two or three hours ahead. Refrigerate but do let come to room temperature before serving. Serve and enjoy!

ALANNA’s TIPS Slightly thicker slices hold up better when layered on top of each other in a trifle bowl.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Serving (assumes 1 slice tomato and 1 ounce fresh mozzarella): 88 Calories; 6g Tot Fat; 4g Sat Fat; 22mg Cholesterol; 178mg Sodium; 1g Carb; 0g Fiber; 1g Sugar; 6g Protein; Weight Watchers Old Points 2, PointsPlus 2

If there's room, do consider a trifle bowl. At Christmas, I'll finally share my family's recipe for trifle, developed over many years, but I use my bowl for more than trifle. During the summer, I serve Tomato Gazpacho and Seven-Layer Salad in a trifle bowl. For winter brunches, I serve this gorgeous Holiday Fruit Parfait. I do recommend one with straight sides. I've looked at mini trifle bowls too but instead use small sherbet glasses for individual servings that kinda-sorta look like small trifle bowls.


This Week, Years Past

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This Week, Elsewhere

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A Veggie Venture
Stuffed Zucchini Boats


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© Copyright 2011 Kitchen Parade



Alanna Kellogg
Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

Comments

  1. It's a very pretty salad, Alanna!!

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  2. So pretty, and this is the ultimate summer food!

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  3. What a beautiful way to serve! This is one of my all-time favorite summer combinations, too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a beautiful way to serve this salad. So light and refreshing, the Mediterranean way. What could be better?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. But I also love hearing your reactions, your curiosity, even your concerns! When you've made a recipe, I especially love to know how it turned out, what variations you made, what you'll do differently the next time. ~ Alanna