TL/DR – Beet Caprese Salad. It’s a delicious Caprese salad… with beets. Added nutrients, beautiful marriage of flavors. Done. –
Until very recently, beets weren’t a big feature in my kitchen. But I had a revelation this week when I went off book at the grocery store and threw two small organic beets in my basket. Beet Caprese Salad came together quickly and the flavors work together quite well!
The recipe calls for small beets mostly because they are easier to manage when plating. If all that could be found were large beets, it would be beautiful to thinly slice and then quarter the slices. Get funky with some geometry and let the kids help!
Roast small beets at 400 degrees F for about 35 minutes and large ones for up to an hour. Just wrap them in foil and place them on a baking sheet. Then let them cool and slice thinly to create nice Caprese layers. If possible, get two different colors of beets to amp up the plate appeal. Roasting beets ahead of time and sticking them in the refrigerator for later is a great idea.
Add thinly sliced fresh mozzarella, fresh basil leaves, good balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Then sprinkle with freshly cracked black pepper and kosher salt. It will be gone in a flash.
For another great summer salad or side, try Carrot Radish Ginger Salad.
Beet Caprese Salad
Ingredients
- 2 small beets, preferably different colors, or one large beet
- 4 oz fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
- 2 medium tomatoes, halved if necessary and thinly sliced
- 10 fresh basil leaves
- 1 T good balsamic vinegar
- 1 T extra virgin olive oil
- dash of kosher salt
- dash of black pepper
Directions
- Step 1 Wrap the beets in foil, place on a baking sheet with a rim and roast at 400 degrees F. About 35 min for small beets, up to 60 min for large beets. Test by poking with a fork. If the fork comes out easily, they’re ready. This can be done in advance.
- Step 2 While beets roast, slice the mozzarella and tomatoes, wash and dry the basil leaves and set aside.
- Step 3 Once beets are roasted, cool completely.
- Step 4 Thinly slice the beets, about 1/8 inch.
- Step 5 Arrange the ingredients in a pretty pattern on the plate, then sprinkle with the balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Top with a dash of ground black pepper and kosher salt. Serve immediately.
