Kid-Size Caprese Salad in Five Minutes

September 4, 2014Katie

Kids love things that are pint sized, like they are I right? This recipe for a Caprese salad makes it just their size and would be fun to pack in an air- tight container for their lunch box! You can literally whip it up in five minutes for a kids lunch or snarf it down yourself if you choose!! If you have a cherry tomato plant, you know how wonderfully sweet and delicious they can be. Last summer I had more than I knew what to do with cherry tomatoes.


If you have a dish that you like to cut them up for, you also know how long it can take to individually slice 30 or more of these little suckers! My mom-in-law sent me this trick one day and I’ve been using it ever since.  And if you follow through to the end, you’ll see a quick recipe that I use for my cherry tomatoes.  I’ve been eating this recipe at least twice a week for the past month! Take two lids, like those from a coffee container or other plastic container.  It works best if they’re the same size.

Sandwich your tomatoes in between them gently pressing down on the top lid.Take a serrated knife that is longer than the lids diameter and while still pressing gently down on the top lid, saw through the whole mess of them at one time!

Now dump your cherry tomatoes into a bowl.  Put in an equal amount of small fresh mozerella balls.  I am addicted to these tiny ones from my favorite new food store.

Forward Foods.  Toss in your cut cherry tomatoes.

Splash some balsamic vinegar over top and then drizzle some olive oil as well, using a little bit more olive oil than vinegar, just eyeball it.

Sprinkle with some salt and pepper and then chiffonade up some fresh basil and sprinkle it over top.  Stir everything up real well and let the tomatoes and cheese marinade for 15 minutes at least. If you can wait that long.

This is just a simple Caprese Salad recipe and I’m so addicted to this salad this summer.  I buy a huge box of grape or cherry tomatoes (due to the fact that my tomato crop was ruined this year!) .  It will make several of these bowls of salad. And with this quick cutting method for the cherry tomatoes?

I can have it at a moment’s notice.


Kid-Size Mini Caprese Salad in Five Minutes
 
Prep time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Salad
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 8 oz. Container small fresh mozzarella cheese balls (bobboncini)
  • 2 c. Cherry or grape tomatoes
  • 2 T balsamic vinegar
  • 6 T. Olive oil
  • 8 whole fresh basil leaves
  • ¼ t. Pepper
  • Pinch of pepper
Instructions
  1. Slice tomatoes in half and dump into bowl with fresh mozerella balls,
  2. Roll basil leaves up together like a cigar and then thinly slice across.
  3. Scatter over tomatoes and mozerella.
  4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix.
  5. Best if let marinade 20-30 minutes but also delicious right away!!!
  6. ***Optional: add one small cloves of chopped garlic into the mix!

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Dishin & Dishes: Kid Size Caprese Salad in Five Minutes

2 Comments

  • Dawn’s Diversions

    October 1, 2010 at 2:06 pm

    What an awesome tip for cutting those little grape tomatoes! You rock, Katie!
  • Kate Fitzgerald

    September 3, 2014 at 8:26 am

    Until I read your post and recipe, we had a surplus of several varieties of cherry and grape tomatoes. Not any more! What a wonderful way to make use of such deliciousness. I wish I had found your solution BEFORE I ate that last bushel, out in the garden, right off the vine. Thanks!

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