For our first recipe this go around, I wanted to start with a simple recipe that requires little work since this first week of Lent has a few more days of fasting than other weeks. So, I thought that this salad would be a great way to start the Great Fast with something simple and delicious.
Speaking of the Great Fast, members of the Eastern Church as well as Eastern Catholics actually start the Lenten season on the Monday before Ash Wednesday called Clean Monday, which actually happens to be today when this video is coming out. These Christians tend to have more strict fasting rules, so technically, since mozzarella is a dairy product, they aren’t allowed to eat this meal for Lent, but if you substitute it with vegan cheese or avocados, it should be fine to eat for Eastern Lent.
For any extra balsamic glaze, you can use it for drizzling on other salads or other vegetables. And it also goes well on pizza, especially Margherita pizza, which uses the same ingredients in this salad as toppings.
Speaking of which, along with this salad, there are a ton of other recipes that you can serve this meal with, such as pizza and pasta to make this a full Italian meal. You could also just serve it on some bread to make a delicious caprese sandwich.
Although this is more of a summer dish, you should be able to get these ingredients fresh relatively easily in most grocery stores, but usually this salad is most popular in summer since that’s when the tomatoes and basil are normally grown. But regardless of when you make it, this salad is a great way to bring some summer freshness to your day and is a light and refreshing meal to enjoy during Lent or any other time of the year.
Ingredients:
- 1lb or so ripe tomatoes
- 12-16 oz fresh mozzarella
- 1 bunch fresh basil leaves
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil for drizzling
- Some salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp balsamic glaze -or- Some normal balsamic vinegar
Step 1: Reduce Balsamic Vinegar
First, we’ll prepare the balsamic reduction, so in a small saucepan, add in your balsamic vinegar and bring it to a low boil.
Then, reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often, until the vinegar has thickened and reduced to your desired thickness, about 8-10 minutes.
The balsamic reduction will also thicken some more as it cools, so I would err on the side of slightly runny, but reduce it to whatever thickness you prefer.
Step 2: Prepare Rest of Ingredients
While we wait for this to cool (or if you’re using premade balsamic glaze), we’ll prepare the rest of the ingredients, so for your tomatoes, give them a wash and then slice them into ¼ inch thick slices.
And if needed, slice your mozzarella into ¼ inch thick slices as well.
Then, for your basil, pick the leaves from the thicker stems, leaving them whole or ripping the larger leaves into smaller sizes, if desired.
Step 3: Arrange Ingredients, Season w/ Salt & Pepper, Drizzle w/ Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar, & Enjoy!
Once your balsamic glaze is cooled and ready, on a serving plate, arrange your tomato slices, mozzarella slices, and basil leaves so you can see every layer.
Then, season generously with salt and pepper, drizzle the salad with your olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and with that, your Caprese Salad is ready to eat.