Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad Recipe: Low Calorie Vegetarian Dinner
![Rebecca D. Dillon](https://cdn-fastly.hometalk.com/media/profile/2021/12/30/351134_20.jpg?size=91x91)
This roasted tomato Caprese salad is a twist on the classic recipe. Made with tomato, cheese, basil and avocado, this is an easy salad to make as a side dish. It’s also perfect to serve as a vegetarian lunch or dinner idea on hot summer nights. You’ll love how quick and easy this Caprese salad is to prepare, even on busy weeknights.
I live in the South, and it gets hot in the summer. After the heat of the day, I’m just not in the mood for a heavy dinner. I also don’t want to turn on my oven and heat up the house even more than it already is.This roasted tomato salad is easy to make on the stove. It’s ready in about 10 minutes, so it’s perfect for busy weeknights. Eat it as a vegetarian dinner, or serve it as a light side dish with grilled meat or pasta.
A traditional Caprese salad is served at room temperature, but this roasted tomato salad is served warm. Roasting the tomatoes gives them more depth to their flavor. It makes them rich and almost makes this Caprese salad recipe taste like lasagna.
The flavors of the tomatoes, basil and cheese come together to create a simple but delicious roasted tomato Caprese salad. Since this is a simple dish, I recommend using the highest quality ingredients that you can find. I find that finding bocconcini cheese is best, but a high quality mozzarella cheese will also make a good substitution for this easy dinner recipe.
This Caprese salad recipe is easy to modify. You can change the dressing that you use and the cheese, so you can make it to complement your main dish or just change the flavor if you serve it often.
Tips for Making the Best Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad
For a delicious roasted tomato Caprese salad, follow these tips:
- Use the highest quality ingredients that you can find.
- Add oregano instead of or in addition to the basil.
- Use fresh ripe roma tomatoes for the best roasted tomato salad. You can also use cherry tomatoes.
- Add balsamic vinegar or another clear vinegar or lemon juice.
- Use a high quality mozzarella or bocconcini cheese. Look for water buffalo cheese if available.
To get tips on whether this salad should be chilled, discover nutrition information for this dish, learn more about bocconcini cheese, find out how long roasted tomatoes last, and for wine and serving suggestions, be sure to check out my original post on how to make roasted tomato Caprese salad here.
Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad Recipe: Low Calorie Vegetarian Dinner
Recipe details
Ingredients
- 5 Roma tomatoes
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 Cup Bocconcini cheese
- ½ Cup fresh basil
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, fine ground
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, fine ground
Instructions
- Preheat a large skillet with a large drizzle of olive oil over medium heat.
- Chop the roma tomatoes into quarters. Then place the tomatoes face down in the skillet once hot. Cook the tomatoes for two minutes. Flip, then cook tomatoes for an additional two minutes or until roasted.
- Peel the avocado and remove the pit. Chop the avocado into bite sized pieces.
- Combine the roasted tomatoes, chopped avocado and bocconcini cheese in a large bowl.
- Drizzle the salad with olive oil. Then stir the salad gently and top with chopped basil leaves.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
![Rebecca D. Dillon](https://cdn-fastly.hometalk.com/media/profile/2021/12/30/351134_20.jpg?size=91x91)
Comments
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Looks delicious! Thanks for sharing!