Caprese Salad with Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette
August 23, 2024. Caprese Salad with Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette.
As much as I love to cook and bake I just don’t have the time these days for complex recipes with a lot of prep time. And with no kids in the house my husband and I just don’t buy as much food anymore- not to mention with our schedules we also eat out more often. So, when I do cook I try to keep dinners simple and customizable, using things we have on hand already. Simple, healthy, fresh and easy are what we like for dinners. Of course, salads are a favorite dish to achieve these dinner goals as well as a great way of getting my carnivorous hubby to eat his veggies.
This colorful salad is based on the popular Caprese salad that so many enjoy. I made it into a meal with fresh spinach and grilled chicken. Since my hubby loves spinach I used that as the base although this recipe would work with any mixed greens. My favorite part is using up the leftover bread for delicious homemade croutons! So often bread ends up in the freezer and goes unused and thrown out. This uses that bread in a delicious way! I also really like the yummy vinaigrette created with my favorite Good Seasonings Italian dressing mix and some leftover sundried tomatoes we had in the fridge. This was an experiment that turned out well! Customize this salad as you like. The grilled chicken on top makes it a wonderful and healthy dinner with good protein.
Caprese Salad with Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette
Caprese Salad with Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Caprese Salad (per 1 salad)
- 2 cups freshly washed baby spinach leaves (or greens of your choice)
- 1 seasoned and grilled chicken breast (I season mine with kosher salt and italian herbs)
- 1 handful cherry or grape tomatoes halved
- 1 tbsp. toasted pine nuts (see below)
- 1 handful small mozzarella balls
- kalamata and/or green olives (mix is good too)
- 1 handful homemade croutons (see below)
- parmesan cheese
- sundried tomato vinaigrette (see below)
- fresh basil (optional for garnish)
Toasted Pinenuts
- pine nuts
Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette
- 1 pack Italian Good Seasonings dressing mix
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes in olive oil (drained)
Homemade Croutons
- Cubes of bread (this is a great way to use old bread, freezer bread, baguettes, etc.)
- olive oil
- kosher salt
- parmesan cheese
Instructions
Caprese Salad
- Lay spinach on plate.
- Top with grilled chicken breast, tomatoes, mozzarella, pine nuts, olives, and croutons.
- Drizzle on dressing and sprinkle top with parmesan.
- Garnish with fresh basil.
- Serve.
Toasted Pinenuts
- Toast raw pinenuts in saute pan over medium until lightly brown (this happens quickly)
Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette
- Combine all ingredients in blender and puree until smooth.
- Serve as desired.
- Store in fridge.
Homemade Croutons (really good!)
- Drizzle breads cubes with olive oil and toss.
- Sprinkle with kosher salt and parmesan cheese and toss some more.
- Saute bread cubes in pan over medium high heat until toasted brown.
- Serve on salad.
Have a beautiful day!
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