Caprese Zucchini Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Mission: Keep zucchini interesting. Caprese Zucchini Salad will do just that & more! It’s tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette along with creamy mozzarella, juicy tomatoes & fresh basil.

This recipe is sponsored by our friends at Tessemae’s! 

When gardens give you zucchini, you make all.the.zucchini recipes!

And…sometimes you get tired of all.the.zucchini! That’s exactly why I’ve set out on a mission to keep zucchini interesting this year. And really, there’s no reason we should get bored of it. By doing a quick search on Pinterest, you’ll find that it’s possibly the most versatile vegetable in existence.

Today, I’m sharing an incredibly easy and fresh Caprese Zucchini Salad recipe with you. I’m a sucker for caprese. I mean, you really can’t go wrong with the combination of creamy mozzarella, fresh basil, perfectly ripe tomatoes and a delicious balsamic vinaigrette. Speaking of balsamic vinaigrette, in this recipe I used Tessemae’s Balsamic Vinaigrette. I love the light flavor it provides, the organic ingredients and how it can be used as a dressing as well as a marinade. Versatility is my jam!

Now let’s get to the recipe…

Fast, fresh and fiercely flavorful!

Caprese Zucchini Salad is really quite easy to make. A little chopping, spiralizing (or slicing), tossing and marinating, and you’ve got yourself a healthy and fresh salad to add to the table or potluck. Both Jess and I own an Inspiralizer that fulfills all of our spiralizing needs. However, no sweat if you don’t own a spiralizer, simply slice the zucchini into thin, half-moons instead. If you’re looking for convenience, many grocery stores (even ones in my rural location), carry pre-spiralized zucchini.

Caprese Zucchini Salad is tossed in Tessemae’s Balsamic Vinaigrette.

When it comes to pre-made dressings and marinades, Tessemae’s is our go-to! The clean ingredient list, the variety of delicious options to suit all taste buds and diet preferences (vegan, Whole30, no-sugar etc.) and the passionate and genuine folks behind the brand. We love it all! This Balsamic Vinaigrette featured today is a very light and pleasant tasting dressing. I also use it as a marinade for chicken and love the delicious flavor it adds without being overly vinegary. Here is the description from Tessemae’s…

We took a classic and made it our own. By using the highest-quality ingredients including Balsamic of Modena, we present to the world the greatest Balsamic ever made by hand.

Interested in giving Tessemae’s a try? You can place an order of a 4-pack or 6-pack here. Unsure of what to order? Here are my faves: Creamy Ranch, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Lemon Garlic, Creamy Caesar, Buffalo Sauce, BBQ Sauce.

Fresh mozzarella makes me happy, but if dairy isn’t your thing, you’ve got options. 

I’ve recently added dairy back into my life so I get the whole dairy-free thing. I chose to avoid for some time it in efforts to find the culprit to my stubborn acne. I’ve been acne-free now for about 3 months or more (other than a few minor breakouts during certain times of the month) and have slowly been reintroducing foods. I’m linking my acne to stress because I haven’t found any foods that trigger it. Thank goodness, because I love cheese and chocolate! 🙂

With that said, at The Real Food Dietitians, our goal is to share a little something for everyone. So if you’re one to avoid dairy, whether it’s due to an intolerance, allergy, experimental (similar to my situation) or you live a vegan lifestyle, we’ve got your back. Simply sub the mozzarella for Kite Hill dairy-free cheese or chunks of avocado. Both will add that creamy deliciousness similar to the texture of fresh mozzarella.

Get that fork ready for twirling – it’s time to give this Caprese Zucchini Salad a try!

Can’t get enough zucchini recipes? Give our Spicy-Asian Zucchini Noodles, Grain-Free Double Chocolate Muffins, Zucchini Turkey Meatballs, Zucchini Fritters, and Italian-Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats a try!

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Let's Get Cookin'

Caprese Zucchini Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

• Author: Stacie Hassing
• Prep Time: 15 min
• Total Time: 15 min + marinade time
• Yield: 4-5 servings 1x
• Category: Salads

Print Recipe

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini, sliced into half-moons or spiralized (I used the ribbon setting)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3/4 cup fresh mozzarella pearls
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced (~1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup Tessemae’s Balsamic Vinaigrette* (add more to taste)
• Black pepper

Instructions

1. Gather all of the ingredients and prepare veggies.
2. For the spiralized or sliced zucchini, pat dry with paper towels to absorb as much liquid as possible.
3. Next, combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Toss with the dressing.
4. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes in the fridge before serving.
5. Toss and add salt & pepper to taste.
6. Top with additional fresh basil and a pinch or two of black pepper.

Notes

*To make homemade balsamic vinaigrette: Combine 1/3 cup avocado oil or olive oil, 3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar, 1/2 tsp. dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning plus salt and pepper, to taste.

Storing: To store this salad, place leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Prep: This salad holds together well. You may prepare it the day before it’s on your menu.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/5 of recipe
• Calories: 237
• Sugar: 4 g
• Sodium: 300 mg
• Fat: 20g
• Carbohydrates: 6 g
• Fiber: 2 g
• Protein: 7 g

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This post was made possible by our friends at Tessemae’s. Though we received compensation for this post, the opinions expressed here are  – as always -100% our own. Thank you for supporting the great companies we work with thereby allowing us to continue creating great recipes and content for you.

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