Caprese Salad | Keto, Low-Carb

A quick and simple Italian delight, this keto-friendly Caprese Salad is a classic that you’ll want to make all the time! Vine-ripened tomatoes, fresh basil, and delicious mozzarella lend themselves to this iconic salad for a healthy and fresh appetizer or side dish that can be prepared and enjoyed by just about anyone. Try it alongside my Keto Chicken Parmesan – you won’t regret it!

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Peace, family.

If you’re in need of a quick and easy summer salad, appetizer, or side dish for picnics, barbecues, potlucks and get-togethers, then look no further. This simple Caprese salad checks all the boxes:

• Low-Carb
• Keto-Friendly
• Visually Stunning
• Delicious
• Comes Together in Less Than 10 minutes.

This salad is simple, but uses high quality ingredients. Beautiful, fresh off-the-vine tomatoes take center stage in this Italian classic, which makes it the perfect seasonal dish for summer. From what I could find Caprese salad dates back to at least the 1920s. The dish was created, possibly near or in Capri, as sort of a salute to Italy; you’ll notice that it features the beautiful tricolor of the Italian flag – green, white, and red.

What Kind of Cheese is Used in Caprese Salad?

For this salad, a good mozzarella cheese is a must! You don’t want the pre-packaged slices found near the bagged shredded cheese – the kind that’s used for sandwiches. Take a visit to your grocer’s deli to see if they can cut you thick slices of fresh mozzarella cheese. There are also several brands of good mozzarella cheese logs/balls – many of which come packaged and sliced. Two brands I highly recommend are BelGioioso and Galbani fresh mozzarella. For this recipe, I used the fresh mozzarella medallions and they worked perfectly. If you’re handy with a knife, and have one sharp enough to get even, smooth, perfect slices then you might opt to purchase a log/ball and slice it yourself.

Fresh basil leaves are integral for a good Caprese salad. Sweet basil is one of my absolute favorite herbs and lends so much flavor to this dish. A caprese salad without fresh basil leaves is just – a bowl of tomatoes and cheese (which is also fine if you ask me, but that’s not what we’re going for here). You’ll find tips below on how to select the best fresh basil leaves.

Is Caprese Salad Keto?

This caprese salads comes in at 5 net carbs per serving, making it great for anyone following a low-carb or ketogenic lifestyle. Heck, this salad is enjoyed by millions of folks who don’t follow any specific type of diet at all – it’s just that good. My version does use Worcestershire sauce, which can be a little carby, depending on what brand you choose to purchase. As usual, you’ll want to read your nutrition labels and use as much or as little as you wish, depending on your macros. You may even choose to omit Worcestershire sauce altogether – it is not used in the classic version of Caprese salad, but I do enjoy it as an addition. In this recipe I used about one tablespoon for the entire salad and that worked for me.

How to Make Caprese Salad | Keto, Low-Carb

Start by slicing your vine-ripened tomatoes about a quarter inch thick, or to your liking. You’ll want to use a sharp knife to get a smooth, even cut.

The next step is to slice your mozzarella – again you’re looking for even slices to ensure consistency in presentation. If you opt to purchase fresh mozzarella slices then you will, of course, omit this step.

Next, you’ll prepare your fresh basil. Try to purchase basil that looks vibrant and free of any wilting, blemishes, or tears. To clean the basil leaves, simply submerge them in a small bowl of cold water, gently agitating to remove any visible dirt. As the dirt settles in the bowl, you will want to drain and repeat until no dirt remains. Then, gently blot your leaves on a paper towel (to remove excess moisture) before carefully removing each leaf from the stem.

You’ll then arrange the tomato slices, mozzarella cheese slices, and fresh basil leaves on a serving dish, alternating each component in a way that is visually pleasing, ensuring that no single ingredient is too bunched up in one area.

Once you’ve arranged the ingredients to your liking, you will drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and Worcestershire sauce.

Finally, you’ll season evenly with kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste. Easy!

As usual, try it out and let me know what you think!

Peace,

Adri

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