This Peach Caprese Salad it’s a delicious twist on the classic! It features slices of fresh, juicy, ripe peaches among traditional tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil. A sprinkle of Aleppo (or other spicy) pepper and a drizzle of tangy balsamic vinegar provide the perfect complement to this sweeter-than-usual Caprese salad. This recipe in five minutes it is excellent as a side dish for grilled chicken or fish. Or serve it with bread and you will have the perfect result light summer meal!
A traditional Caprese salad features thick slices of ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil leaves. It is drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. It’s delicious in its simplicity and honestly, I could eat it every day, especially when the weather is warm and tomatoes are in season!
But sometimes you want to shake things up a bit, you know? Enter: PEACH Caprese Salad. It’s still beautifully simple and allows all the individual ingredients to shine. What a way to showcase two of summer’s most delicious seasonal offerings: ripe peaches and tomatoes!
You can simply season it with only oil, salt and pepper, as required by the traditional Caprese salad recipe. But I love adding a little spicy Aleppo pepper (chopped chilli would also be fine)and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, which pair so well with the sweet peaches.
Ingredients of the caprese salad with peaches
- Peaches – make sure they are large and ripe, but not so ripe that they are mushy, otherwise they will be difficult to slice and remove the stone. You could make a variety of caprese salad with another sweet fruit such as plums or apricots.
- Tomatoes – I like the big heirloom tomatoes here, as long as they’re in season. Any slicing tomato will work. I find vine tomatoes and Campari tomatoes to be the most reliable for good flavor, even when they are not at their seasonal peak.
- Fresh mozzarella – If you wish, you can purchase it already sliced for convenience. If you can find buffalo mozzarella (made with buffalo milk instead of cow’s milk), I advise! But any type of fresh sliced mozzarella will do.
- Fresh basil leaves – Out of season, you can get away with a few dollops of pesto, in a pinch.
- Aleppo pepper and balsamic vinegar – these are optional, but recommended. Crushed red chili pepper can be used instead of Aleppo pepper and for a sweeter flavor balsamic glaze can be used.
- Olive oil, salt and pepper
How to prepare Caprese Salad with Peaches
Following a circular shape, place a slice of fresh tomato, a slice of fresh peach, a slice of fresh mozzarella and a large basil leaf. Continue following the circle until you meet at the other end, then tuck the final layer of basil leaves under the first tomato. Season with salt, pepper and Aleppo pepper and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. That’s all!
Tips and tricks
- Use a high-quality extra virgin olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar for the best flavor.
- For olive oil, look for the terms extra virgin, cold-pressed and unfiltered on the label. I like California Olive Ranchwhich is a widely accessible brand.
- For balsamic vinegar, look for the terms “aged” and “three leaves” on the label. They will be a little sweeter, tastier and less vinegary. Here’s a guide to the best balsamic vinegars.
- Serve the peach caprese salad immediately. Over time the ingredients will become soggy, so it’s best to prepare it just before eating!
Serving Tips
My husband and I had this peach caprese salad with bread to mop up the dressing. It was the perfect light lunch! If you serve it with bread, you can add more olive oil and balsamic vinegar so you have enough to absorb the bread. Here’s my favorite no-knead crusty bread recipe, perfect to serve with this salad!
You can also serve it as a side dish for grilled chicken or fish or any other protein (like this seared salmon with shallot butter)
It’s also great as an appetizer or side dish to your favorite pasta recipe (I have a weakness for Pasta Puttanesca).
Other Caprese Recipes
Here are some other recipes that use fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil! If you love this flavor combination as much as I do, you’ll love these other twists on the classic.
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Peach Caprese Salad
The Peach Caprese Salad is a twist on the classic, with juicy, sweet, ripe peach slices nestled among traditional tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil leaves. A sprinkle of spicy Aleppo pepper and a drizzle of tangy balsamic vinegar – along with the usual suspects of olive oil, salt and pepper – is the perfect pairing with sweet peaches! Serve with bread for a light summer meal or as a side or entrée for grilled chicken or fish.
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Portions: 2 portions
Calories: 426kcal
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ingredients
- 1 big peach pitted and cut into 6 round slices
- 1 large tomato cut into 6 round slices
- 6 slices fresh mozzarella (about 6 ounces)
- 6 large basil leaves or more if they are small
- sea salt taste
- fresh cracked black pepper taste
- Aleppo chili pepper or chopped chilli, to taste (optional)
- 2 spoons extra virgin olive oil (more or less if you prefer)
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze (optional, more or less if you prefer)
Notes
- Prepare in advance: Caprese salad is best served immediately. The ingredients will become soggy after a while, so it’s best to serve it immediately after preparing it. If you want to make it ahead of time, you can assemble the peaches, tomatoes, cheese and basil on the plate a few hours in advance and add the seasonings and oil/vinegar just before serving.
- Another stone fruit like plums or apricots can be a good substitute for peaches here.
- Make a chopped salad by dicing the ingredients into large cubes instead of slicing them. Serve in a shallow bowl, alone or over a bed of greens.
- Serving Tips: serve with bread (homemade, if possible!) to absorb all the seasoning: in this case you can add more olive oil and vinegar to make sure you have enough. Place ingredients on top of bread – a long baguette cut in half or individual portions – for a sandwich option. Or serve it as a side dish with grilled chicken or fish, or any other favorite protein, or as a starter for pasta!
Nutrition
Calories: 426kcal | Carbohydrates: 13G | Protein: 20G | Fat: 33G | Saturated fats: 13G | Polyunsaturated fats: 2G | Monounsaturated fat: 16G | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 547mg | Potassium: 312mg | Fiber: 2G | Sugar: 10G | Vitamin A: 1411UI | C vitamin: 12mg | Soccer: 443mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information disclaimer
The nutritional information provided is my best estimate and does not include added sodium from flavoring seasoning, any optional ingredients, and does not take into account brands. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
