What’s your restaurant menu kryptonite? If an Italian restaurant has gnocchi, I won’t even consider anything else. Frank and I can’t go out for tapas without ordering patatas bravas (fried potatoes with spicy tomato sauce). And then there’s a good Caprese salad with great tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil. This time of year, when tomatoes are sweet, I can’t pass it up.
This version of a Caprese salad started out pretty classic, but white beans (I used cannellini) transformed it into something that held up all on its own. The white beans add a creamy, hearty element that was so simple, but really irresistible. We brought this Caprese White Bean Salad as a side dish to a barbecue over the weekend, but leftovers made great lunches. Served over lettuce with Sweet Basil Vinaigrette, it’s late summer in a bowl.
It’s also a constant temptation from inside my refrigerator. I can’t open the door without grabbing a bite or two…
Caprese White Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pint Cherry Tomatoes, halved
- 8 oz Fresh Mozzarella Pearls (or use fresh mozzarella, chopped)
- 1 15- oz can Cannellini Beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 20 leaves Fresh Basil, thinly sliced
- 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
Instructions
- Toss the tomatoes, mozzarella and beans in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to serve (I like to refrigerate this for a couple hours if possible since the salt will cause the tomatoes to release some juice and flavor the whole dish). Just before serving, sprinkle the basil over the top and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
Nutrition
We may have discovered Clara and Molly’s restaurant kryptonite last night at my grandma’s house. Here’s Clara hiding all evidence of a giant slice of Boston Cream Pie.
David Folstad
August 25, 2015 at 8:37 amI love the opening comment talking about your restaurant kryptonite. Well written. The Salad looks and sounds delicious. A big plus is the lack of complicated ingredients. A winner!
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Jess
August 25, 2015 at 8:41 amI wish everything I cooked could be this simple David! Thanks so much for your note.
CakePants
August 25, 2015 at 10:18 amThis caprese salad has pretty much all of my favorite things – mozzarella (check), fresh tomatoes (check), and white beans (check)! It looks so fresh and full of flavor! To answer your question, my restaurant menu kryptonite: guacamole. Basically my friends can predict what I’m going to order…
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Jess
August 25, 2015 at 3:08 pmOooo – guacamole is a good one!