A Taste Of Italy: Delicious Caprese Salad

Take the classic Italian side dish to the next level with this terrific Two Tomato Caprese Salad, a sky-high stack of oven-roasted and plum tomatoes, basil and mozzarella.

Ingredients

Roasted Tomatoes

6 plum tomatoes, halved and seeded
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
¼ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Caprese Salad

6 large vine-ripened tomatoes, each cut into 3 slices
3 fresh buffalo mozzarella rounds, each cut into 4 slices
¼ cup fresh basil, cut into long thin strips
6 tbsp olive oil
6 tsp good quality balsamic vinegar
¾ tsp kosher salt
¾ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 275°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with non-stick cooking spray.

2) For the roasted tomatoes, lay cut side up on prepared baking sheet. Drizzle evenly with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in oven and let them slow roast for 2 hours. Allow to cool before stacking in Caprese salad. These can be made ahead and refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 1 week.

3) To assemble the salad, arrange 1 fresh tomato slice on a serving platter. Top with a slice of mozzarella followed by 1 roasted tomato, 1 tsp basil, another fresh tomato slice, mozzarella, roasted tomato, basil and the final fresh tomato slice. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with 1/8 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. Repeat with remaining tomatoes. Serve immediately.

Serves 6