Bring sunshine to your plate with this Watermelon Caprese Salad. A light and refreshing salad that is full of different textures and flavors.
The days are getting warmer and longer. It gets dark by 7 pm now, but I still need to cover myself in layers to keep warm. But honestly, I love this kind of weather. It breathes new life and energy in after a long, busy day at work. Also, these longer days get me excited to be back to cooking again. It’s been a while since I spent hours in the kitchen on a weekday. Truth be told, I haven’t gotten a chance to touch my dishwasher on weekdays ever since Fall. My energy level gets so low when the sun sets, so I’m pretty excited to be able to see some light still when I get home.
On the food front, I’m loving this Watermelon Caprese Salad. It seems almost too basic, but I’m loving this salad so much. Just to clarify, this recipe calls for grilled watermelon, but it is optional. The honey balsamic reduction sauce, however, is a must. No substitution. This is the kind of recipe you want to add to your Meatless Monday or any other day.
I love caprese salad. Mainly because I’m using fresh ingredients. The crunchiness and juiciness mix together in one dish. Adding watermelon adds more flavor to this salad making it way better than a typical boring salad recipe. What is your favorite salad to make?
Ingredients
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 tbs honey
- 1/2 small red seedless watermelon cut into 1×1″ thick
- 10 oz. 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (or your choice)
- 6 oz. fresh mozzarella sliced (or torn)
- 1/2 cup fresh basil torn into bite size pieces
- 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Add balsamic vinegar and honey to a saucepan. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to low. Let it simmer for 20 min. until sauce is reduced to about half and is a thick consistency.
- Preheat a grill pan over high heat and spray the pan with cooking spray. Sear each side of the watermelon 1-2 minutes per side or until a nice char has formed.
- Arrange tomatoes, mozzarella, watermelon, and basil in a large bowl. Toss gently to combine. Add the olive oil, balsamic reduction, and salt. Toss until everything is well coated.
Oh this looks delicious, I can’t wait until this summer when watermelon is in season to make this. Pinned for later.
I hope your summer will be more colorful with this salad 🙂
Oh my goooosh. This looks and sounds SO good!
Thank you, Chelsea!
I love the idea of adding watermelon! Great dish for summer!
Thank you, Ryan!
I love this salad. I think those flavors go so well together, I just never thought of doing it.
Thank you, Krysten. I hope you like it?
This sounds so yummy and refreshing. It would be awesome in the summer–I like that it’s quick too!
I never heard of this before it sounds so yum! I’m going to try this when it gets warmer.
What a great idea for a summer salad! This makes me really long for August and fresh fruit from the farmer’s market!
This sounds delicious! I’ll definitely try it out this summer. 🙂
Yum! I might be drooling.
This salad looks so bomb! So perfect for the warmer months.
This looks fun and a bit different! I am craving watermelon now!
xx nicole
http://www.nicoleparise.com
refreshing salad and easy to prepare
I’m definitely loving this salad! Packed full of flavors! Thanks for the recipe!