Welcome to the world of ridiculously easy salads that include 3 ingredients + a just-as-easy dressing, which also includes 3 ingredients. It takes less than 10 minutes to make, and it tastes like a summer explosion in your mouth if you want a truly accurate description.
This salad was inspired by a lady in my FRG (family readiness group – a huge thing in the Army for wives and families [mainly wives], and it becomes extra active when the guys are deployed). We recently had an FRG party where everyone brought a Pinterest recipe that they wanted to try. I attempted a dessert and – big surprise – it was a fail. Why do I even attempt desserts? I have the baking ability of my 3 year old niece.
Anyway, the woman who hosted the party made a tomato mozzarella salad like this one, and it just hit the spot SO HARD. It is simple, fresh, so flavorful, and the perfect spring and summer recipe! Tomato, mozzarella, and basil is just one of those combinations that makes the little birds sing while flying in circles around your head while you eat it. I don’t know who discovered this magical trio, but PROPS. I’d like to give you a hug, if you’d be cool with that?
The only thing that makes it even better is when you throw some balsamic on there. Hello, friend, get in my belly ASAP – please and thank you ✌🏼.
Like I mentioned above, this salad has three ingredients, and the super simple dressing has three ingredients…
Salad:
- Cherry tomatoes
- Fresh mozzarella
- Basil
Dressing:
- Balsamic vinegar
- Olive oil
- Dijon mustard
Who knew that six little ingredients could make such a bomb.com salad, tho? I am one to over complicate things from time to time and add more ingredients than necessary. But the delicious simplicity of this dish just satisfied me so much as I was munching HARD at the FRG party, so I wanted to be very careful not to over complicate it and let the ingredients shine. Which is why we want to use perfectly ripe cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. Since there are so few ingredients, we want the ingredients we use to be BOSS, feel me?
P.S. Guess what? That basil that you see in these pictures is from my garden. Am I still allowed to use the word garden when my “garden” is made up of five containers that sit in front of my house? Does that still count? It does? Thanks for reassuring me.
I have the blackest thumb in the history of black thumbs and kill anything and everything I try to grow. Last year I killed my basil plant, which a guy at my nail salon kindly informed me: “Honey…that’s a skill.” My black thumb is so black that I kill plants that are basically impossible to kill…i.e. basil.
BUT – this year, so far, don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I have killed zero of my five plants. Whatttuuuppp. Granted, we only planted them like 3 weeks ago, but STILL, they are not only not dead, they seem to be thriving! My husband has been helping me with them, so maybe he has a super green thumb that softens the blackness of my thumb. Maybe his greenness makes my black thumb a gray thumb? We will see. More tests are needed.
But regardless, the basil that was tossed liberally into this salad was home grown, yo. I feel so fancy. Like a true food blogger. I’ve always wanted to grow my own herbs and veggies, so we will see where this goes, but it could be the start of some yummy home grown things!
Do you guys have gardens? If so, lend me your secrets as to how you keep rabbits from eating your veggies. They ate our few producing cherry tomatoes last year…bitter.
PrintSuper Simple Tomato Mozzarella Salad
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 0 mins
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella balls, quartered (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 tablespoons basil, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
Instructions
- For the salad, combine the tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil in a medium bowl and toss to combine
- For the dressing, whisk the vinegar, oil, and dijon mustard together in a small bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper
- To assemble, pour the dressing over the salad and toss until everything is evenly coated
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 111
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 55 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Carbohydrates: 3 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
If you make this or any of my other recipes, be sure to Instagram it and hashtag #thegarlicdiaries!
In the mood for more yummy salad recipes? Check these out:
Warm Black Bean and Quinoa Salad with Spicy Lime Dressing
The Most BOSS Salad of All Time
Will try this
You’ll love it!