It’s tomato season, and we’ve got a recipe for classic Caprese salad. It’s bright, fresh, and easy to toss together — perfect for hot summer nights. Plus, we’ve added something special to this recipe to make it even more delicious: homemade garlic-butter croutons. They come out of the pan super flavorful and crispy, and they serve as a textural foil for all the garden-fresh ingredients. All together, it’s a craveworthy combination that will convert even the most committed salad skeptics.
How to:
For the Stovetop Croutons:
- Use sharp, serrated knife to remove crust from bread and cut into 1 inch cubes.
- Place Dinner Bell Salted Butter in large wide pan and set over medium heat. When butter is fully melted, add garlic cloves and let cook for a few minutes to infuse flavor into butter. Add cubed bread and salt. Stir bread around until it’s well coated with butter and toast until golden brown on all sides. Watch closely so the croutons don’t burn.
- Remove croutons from heat and cool completely, discard the garlic.
For the Caprese Salad:
- Pour balsamic vinegar into small saucepan and set over medium high heat. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until reduced and coats the back of a spoon. This should take about 10 minutes. Cool completely.
- Toss the sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and croutons in large bowl. Drizzle with reduced balsamic vinegar and olive oil to taste and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
- Store any leftover balsamic vinegar in the fridge.*
*To save a step, you can purchase a bottle of balsamic reduction from the grocery store in place of making your own.
Recipe Source: Go Bold With Butter