Green, white and red: the Italian flag on your plate! This recipe is a twist on a classic Italian antipasto, the Caprese salad.

Originally the salad is made of just tomatoes, mozzarella and basil leaves, also, the dressing consists of only olive oil and salt, but avocado and balsamic vinaigrette complement it so wonderfully that I hope the purists will forgive me.

This version Caprese salad has been THE favorite lunch in my whole family for ages now. Me, my mother, my sister, even my teenaged brother, we all automatically whip up this easy salad whenever we crave fresh food and a quick meal.

Of course you can dress it up on a plate alternating slices of tomato, mozzarella and avocado and everything, which is what I do when we sit down at the table with my Monsieur or when we have guests over (or when I want to take a picture for the blog😄). When I’m all by myself though, in all honesty, I just drop all the ingredients in a bowl, pour the dressing over it, mix and eat my lunch straight from the bowl with a spoon. This combination of ingredients tastes wonderful in all its forms so the presentation is up to you.

Caprese salad with avocado and balsamic vinaigrette recipe

Ingredients

• 3 tomatoes, Roma or any other variety that isn’t too floury in texture
• 1 ball of mozzarella cheese
• 1 avocado
• Basil leaves

For the vinaigrette :

• 2 tbsps olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Salt
• Pepper

Instructions

Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella in (more or less) even rounds.

Slice and peel the avocado.

Prepare the balsamic dressing.

Put all dressing ingredients in a small jar with a lid. Secure the lid well and shake to combine.

TIP! Shaking makes the oil and balsamic vinegar react in a way that creates an amazingly silky and glaze-like vinaigrette.

You can also whip up the dressing in a bowl, but it requires vigorous whisking to get the same result.

Layer tomato, mozzarella and avocado slices on a plate alternating the colors to make everything pretty.

Drizzle the balsamic vinaigrette over the plate, crack some pepper over it, place some basil leaves here and there and you have yourself a beautiful caprese salad ready to be enjoyed!

Don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter to be the first to know about new blog posts and follow me on Instagram for everyday tips and recipe ideas.