A colorful blend of sweet juicy tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil is served over a bed of baby arugula makes this Chopped Caprese Salad the perfect healthy dish. Serve as an easy appetizer or side salad alongside your favorite dinner and enjoy these classic Italian flavors.

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why You'll Love This Chopped Caprese Salad Recipe
• 🛒 Ingredients for Caprese Salad
• 🔪 How to Make a Chopped Caprese Salad
• 💡 Tips
• ☑️ Storage Instructions
• 🍴 What to Serve with Chopped Caprese Salad
• 🔄 Substitutions and Additions
• What dressing goes on Caprese?
• Is Caprese healthy?
• What are some common mistakes to avoid when making Caprese salad?
• 🍽️ More Italian Starters

❤️ Why You'll Love This Chopped Caprese Salad Recipe

• Colorful blend of sweet juicy cherry tomatoes
• Fresh marinated mozzarella cheese
• Tossed in easy flavorful dressing
• Serve over a bed of fresh baby arugula

Nothing says fresh Italian cuisine more than this incredibly light and delicious salad! Not only are the colors simply gorgeous, but the combination of flavors are hard to beat.

If you wanted to make it a more substantial salad, you could always add in some protein and I have some ideas to consider listed down below.

If you're looking for a quick and easy to make low carb appetizer, this will quickly become your go to choice. There is no cooking involved, so you can prepare it in under 15 minutes and your guests will absolutely love it!

🛒 Ingredients for Caprese Salad

• Baby arugula
• Cherry tomatoes
• Mozzarella balls
• Olive oil
• White wine vinegar
• Fresh basil
• Dried oregano
• Salt
• Ground black pepper
• Optional: balsamic reduction

*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.

🥣 Recommended Tools

• Mixing bowl
• Serving platter or bowl

🔪 How to Make a Chopped Caprese Salad

Wash and dry your tomatoes.

Slice the tomatoes in half, I personally like them more elongated, but you can slice them however you like.

Likewise, slice the mozzarella balls in half and set them aside.

Add the olive oil based marinade, white wine vinegar and dried oregano to a small mixing bowl.  Whisk until combined, then set aside.

Add the arugula to your serving platter or bowl.

Add in the halved tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Drizzle the dressing over the top and add in the fresh basil leaves.  If they’re small, add them in whole, if they’re larger, tear them into smaller pieces.

Right before serving, sprinkle the salt and more dried oregano over the top.  Don’t add the salt too soon, or your tomatoes will give up their juices and make the salad watery.

Optional: drizzle some of the balsamic reduction over the top right before serving.

💡 Tips

• This salad is best made to serve right away. If you need to make it in advance, be sure to wait on adding the dressing, fresh basil, salt and (optional) balsamic reduction until right before serving. I would also keep the arugula in a separate container, so that it stays fresh.
• Cut the tomatoes and mozzarella cheese into the same size pieces. This makes the dish more visually appealing and also easier to eat. The great thing about chopped salads are that you won't need a knife to cut anything, so make sure they're in bite size pieces.
• Try to use the freshest tomatoes you can get and though they don't have to vary in color, they should be at their peak of freshness so they will be sweet and juicy.
• Use marinated mozzarella cheese for the best possible flavor. If you can't find it in the stores, you can always make your own! Otherwise you can certainly use plain mozzarella cheese, just make sure it's as fresh as can be.

☑️ Storage Instructions

Store in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days.

🍴 What to Serve with Chopped Caprese Salad

This salad can be served as an appetizer or light side salad alongside your favorite protein like these:

• French Onion Meatloaf
• Stuffed Pork Chops
• Baked Cod with Lemon Beurre Blanc
• Honey Glazed Pork Tenderloin
• Greek Lemon Chicken

🔄 Substitutions and Additions

• Tomatoes: to change things up a bit, you can use just about any tomatoes, just be sure to cut them the same size as the mozzarella cheese.
• Mozzarella: instead of mozzarella balls, you can use burrata cheese instead, like in this Burrata Caprese.
• Cold Cuts: for an antipasto spin, add in chunks of pepperoni, Italian dried salami or thin ribbons of prosciutto.
• Artichoke hearts: along the same lines as an antipasto spin, marinated artichoke hearts would also be a great addition. If you add them, be sure to add some of that tasty marinade into the dressing to give it even more flavor!
• Fresh herbs: If you don't care for basil, you can substitute with fresh chopped parsley or even mint. I love rosemary, though I wouldn't recommend it in this dish, it would be a bit too overpowering.
• Olives: add in some Kalamata olives or Castelvetrano for a briny bite.
• Spinach: don't care for arugula? I get it, that used to be me, then I decided I actually do like it. If you don't, you can sub with some fresh baby spinach instead.
• Red pepper flakes: for a little spicy kick, add in a pinch of red pepper flakes. The marinated mozzarella cheese that I used already had some in it.

What dressing goes on Caprese?

Typically you want to keep it simple, so extra virgin olive oil and vinegar. Since the recipe uses marinated mozzarella cheese, I decided not to waste the flavors in the olive oil marinade and just added in some white wine vinegar.

Is Caprese healthy?

It sure is and it's really perfect for just about any diet and it's also vegetarian friendly.

What are some common mistakes to avoid when making Caprese salad?

The number one mistake (ask me how I know this!!) is adding salt too far in advance of serving it. Salt draws out the juices in the tomatoes and will make your salad watery. However, when you are making bruschetta, you actually want the juices drawn out as that adds to the "sauce", which is perfect.

Another common mistake is to use an overly complicated dressing. The best part of this salad is it's simplicity, to you'll want to use minimal ingredients. In fact, some might even argue that adding in vinegar is frowned upon, but I beg to differ.

🍽️ More Italian Starters

• Caprese Stuffed Portobellos
• Wild Mushroom Pesto Flatbread
• Easy Bruschetta
• Baked Brie and Prosciutto Crostini
• Burrata Caprese