Asparagus Caprese Salad
Simple, elegant, & tasty Asparagus Caprese Salad combines asparagus, fresh mozzarella, tomato & basil for a yummy 5-ingredient vegetable side!
I love seasonal eating any time of the year. But it’s extra special in late spring when the asparagus and rhubarb start to arrive! After a long cold winter, what could be more exciting!
So I decided to try making an Asparagus Caprese Salad to celebrate! I mentioned this to my youngest (aka my “picky”) daughter and she was uncharacteristically excited. I chalked this up to the dish being vegetarian!
But when I was done and everyone gathered to taste, her face sank. “There’s asparagus in it. I thought you said Caprese!”
In the end, happily, she and everyone else loved it. And if my picky daughter likes it, you know it has to be good!
Super easy to make and totally delicious, if you use a bottled vinaigrette, it even counts as a 5 ingredient recipe! (Though I also include directions for a homemade vinaigrette)
Step by Step Directions Overview
To start, you snap off or peel the woody ends of the asparagus. Then steam covered, until almost done and keep warm in covered pan. While asparagus steams, whisk together the dressing ingredients. 
Julienne the basil (roll up a few leaves, then cut into thin slices and unroll), halve the tomatoes and cut asparagus.
Toss with the dressing.
Add mozzarella balls, toss again and serve, optionally garnished with chopped chives and chive blossoms.
Notes and Tips
While I include a homemade balsamic vinaigrette recipe, feel free to use a bottled vinaigrette If you’re in a hurry.
I find it easiest to toss the salad in a larger mixing bowl, then transfer it to a smaller bowl for serving. The time I save not tossing gingerly more than makes up for washing an extra dish.
The fresh mozzarella comes in many forms. The small balls are easiest and come plain or marinated. In a pinch, you could even cut up the large logs or balls.
This recipe uses equal amounts of tomato, asparagus and mozzarella. This means that it’s very easy to scale to any quantity that you want! I picked the thickest asparagus at the farmers market to cut into nice bite-sized pieces.
Asparagus Caprese Salad
Ingredients
Salad:
- 8 ounces asparagus
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella balls drained if in water
- 6 basil leaves julienned
- Optional chopped chives and blossoms for garnish
Dressing (see note):
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Snap off or peel the woody ends of the asparagus and steam, covered, until just short of tender, 3-5 minutes. Keep warm in covered pan.
- While asparagus steams, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
- Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Julienne the basil by rolling up a few leaves, then cutting into thin slices. Unroll.
- Cut the asparagus into half inch pieces, and place in mixing bowl with the cherry tomatoes and basil. Toss with the dressing.
- Add mozzarella balls, toss again and serve, optionally garnished with chopped chives and chive blossoms.
I would have never thought to add asparagus to a salad like this! I trust you implicitly, and will give this a try soon.
Inger this sald looks wonderful and beauty and I love asparagus
Can’t go wrong with asparagus can you Gloria!
Nice to see the addition of asparagus in this salad, it would give it another dimension in flavour and texture
It had so much flavor for a simple salad Raymund!