Name: Greek Caprese Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 3 cups halved grape tomatoes; 2 cups cubed English cucumbers; 8 ounces mozzarella pearls; 1 cup French sweet onions; 2 tablespoons balsamic drizzle; 1 tablespoon sea salt; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

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Greek Caprese Salad puts a Greek spin on a classic caprese salad by adding in cucumbers, sweet onions, and fresh chopped oregano. It’s a delicious alternative to the traditional salad.

I make cucumber salads often. I call them Greek salads because to me that’s basically tomato, cucumber, and onion maybe with some kalamata olives but always with a Greek style vinaigrette dressing. Since I suck at dressings, I usually alter a standard vinaigrette to add more oregano and some lemon juice and/or lemon zest to make it Greek style. But this salad doesn’t have a vinaigrette.

What is a caprese salad?

It’s a simple salad made with sliced tomatoes, fresh basil, and sliced fresh mozzarella. It’s typically drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Created in the 20’s, this salad is believed to originate in Capri. The story goes that it was created in the colors of the Italian flag to impress the vacationing royalty and dignitaries to that area.

However, it wasn’t until a king was given a caprese sandwich as a light snack that this salad and sandwich really took off and became popular. Tourists headed to Capri specifically for these dishes which quickly became a staple of the area. Which makes it easy since that particular area of Italy is known for their mozzarella and tomatoes.

Balsamic vinegar, which is almost synonymous with this salad, is not original to the recipe. And sometimes frowned upon by chefs. They claim that the balsamic dressing masks the sweetness of the fresh mozzarella cheese. I personally think it elevates the mozzarella cheese.

What are some variations of the classic caprese salad?

You mean, other than this one? Of course, there’s the drizzle of balsamic that is not part of the traditional recipe. You could also drizzle it with some pesto or sun-dried tomato pesto. Some people have used roasted beets in place of tomatoes, or they have used watermelon instead. Or you can try other fruit like apples, peaches, or even strawberries. Both would go well with mozzarella and basil.

You can turn it into a salsa or a pasta salad. Add some bread and turn it into a panzanella salad. Over a bed of lettuce and it’s a cobb style caprese salad. Sneak in some avocado for a creamy caprese salad. Swap out the mozzarella for some feta cheese for a sharper and saltier taste in this salad. Or flip it to America and use some cheddar and maybe some bacon sprinkles. Oh. That sounds good. I may have to make that next.

What’s in Greek Caprese Salad?

I wanted to serve this as a side salad so I didn’t go with whole tomatoes. I cut grape tomatoes in half and that is the perfect bite size for this salad. There’s an English cucumber that I cut about the same size as the tomatoes. I used mozzarella pearls which are perfect little bite-sized pieces of fresh mozzarella. I thinly sliced a sweet onion and tossed it in the bowl. Instead of basil, I chopped fresh oregano and added it to the salad.

There is no dressing to this salad. As you can see it’s not a dry salad, but I didn’t toss it with vinaigrette or make a dressing for it. Because we have multiple bottles of a condiment in the pantry. For some reason, the hubs doesn’t check the pantry before he shops for whatever ingredients he needs for whatever recipe he wants to make. Ergo we have 3 bottles of balsamic glaze in the pantry. I’m not even kidding. So, I squirted a bunch of balsamic glaze on top of the veggies, sprinkled them with salt and pepper, and let them marinate in the fridge for at least an hour.

The salt will draw out some of the natural moisture of the vegetables. This veggie juice combines with the balsamic glaze to make a delicious natural dressing for this salad. Of course, use your own vinaigrette if you want. I may have added a little garlic salt and a pinch of dried dill, but don’t quote me on that one.

How do you make Greek Caprese Salad?

It’s really simple to whip up. I started by halving the tomatoes and tossing them in a bowl. Then I chopped up the English cucumber. I like using those because you don’t have to seed them. Not that you HAVE to seed the regular kind, but I do. They have an adverse effect on my gastrointestinal tract. I’ll just leave it at that.

I added the mozzarella pearls. You can cut those in half if you want. It depends on the size of the pearls. The first time I made this the pearls were larger, so I cut them in half. They were also marinated so they were super soft. I’m not sure that’s the best kind of mozzarella for this salad. Just saying.

I took the sweet onion and Frenched it. For those that don’t know, it’s a way to cut the onions where the slices are thing and uniform in size. You cut the onion in half vertically or through the poles (imagine the globe). Then you cut the onion through the equator or horizontally. From there you slice at an angle through each half of the onion. Not with your knife perpendicular to the cutting board, but at like a 15-degree angle to the cutting board. If that makes sense. It’s actually one of my favorite ways to cut onions for salads and every time I want a ling thin slice of onion.

The package of oregano I received from the store inspired this salad. The leaves were HUGE! I mean, like the size of the nickel huge. So, I knew I had to use that instead of basil in this Greek caprese salad. Finally, I sprinkled the ingredients with some sea salt and drizzled it with balsamic glaze. To be honest, I squirted the balsamic glaze on top of the vegetables. It was rather fun, too. I didn’t want to put too much on the veggies and have it overpower their delicious and fresh flavor.

What does Greek Caprese Salad taste like?

Super fresh. Vibrant. Delicious. Crunchy and creamy. Sweet and tart. It’s all the flavors you want in a side salad. And all the textures you want. The tomatoes are sweet and juicy. The cucumbers are crunchy and fresh. The onions are sweet and a little spicy. The mozzarella is sweet and creamy and coated in that sweet tart balsamic drizzle. Then there’s the bites of oregano that are unexpected. You think it’s basil but it’s not. It’s earthy, peppery, and more pungent than basil.

Just look at that bowl of fresh veggie goodness! Every bite is packed with delicious flavor and texture. I made sure very bite had a piece of everything in it. That’s the best way to eat this Greek Caprese Salad.

And it’s so versatile! I served mine with green harissa grilled lamb chops. You will have to wait until later this week for that recipe. They were so delicious, too! With a bright and vibrant spicy herb sauce on top. You can serve it with some bratwurst, grilled chicken, pork chops. Pretty much anything for your summer backyard dinner parties.