Perfect for gatherings, this easy and attractive Caprese Salad with Cherry Tomatoes Olives and Artichoke Hearts is great as a side, lunch, or even as a light meatless meal.
Heres a pretty Summer salad that’s great for a party, as a side, or as a light meal.
It comes together in minutes and keeps well in the fridge.
I saw a similar caprese salad with cherry tomatoes at the grocery store the other day and it looked so good that I thought I would make my own version. I loved the colors of the white mozzarella, black olives, and red grape tomatoes, but I wanted a little green for contrast. I added a few green olives and a small jar of marinated artichoke hearts.
It was so easy that I will be making this again and again throughout the Summer…
This is a make-the-day-before salad because it needs time to marinate in the salad dressing. It can be eaten as a lunch salad or as a side to a great grilled piece of meat. Alternately, throwing a little grilled chicken or cooked pasta into the bowl would turn this simple salad into a simple and refreshing Summer meal.
Variations:
- Add grilled chicken
- Add cooked pasta
- Add chopped fresh basil
- Add fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
Caprese Salad with Cherry Tomatoes Olives and Artichoke Hearts is 4.5 net carbs per serving.
Caprese Salad with Cherry Tomatoes Olives and Marinated Artichoke Hearts
Ingredients
Garlic and Herb Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp champagne vinegar
- 1 tbsp water
- 2 tsp Garlic and Herb Seasoning Blend
- 1 teaspoon erythritol
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- pinch of salt
Caprese Salad
- 6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
- 6.5 ounces marinated artichoke hearts
- 6 ounces large pitted black olives
- 6 ounces grape tomatoes
- 1 teaspoons Garlic and Herb Seasoning Blend
Instructions
- Salad Dressing – Immersion Blender or Blender Method: Measure all of the ingredients into a bowl or into the blender carafe. Blend until emulsified. It will separate over time, but a good shake will bring it back together.
- Assembling the Caprese Salad: Drain the fresh mozzarella cheese. cut into chunks about the size of the whole grape tomatoes, and add it to a medium bowl. Drain the can of black olives and cans of marinated artichoke hearts. Add the olives and artichoke hearts to the bowl. Add the tomatoes to the bowl. Pour about 3/4 of the dressing over the mixture and add the two teaspoons of Garlic & Herb Seasoning. Stir and refrigerate.
- Stir and adjust seasoning before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Seems sad to waste the flavor from the artichoke hearts by throwing it out. Why not suggest adding it to your dressing? Or use unmarinated hearts.
DELICIOUS! I didn’t have green olives on hand so I just used black olives. It was WONDERFUL! I will absolutely make this many more times.
Hello! How big is each serving supposed to be? This looks delicious, can’t wait to try it!
Hi Summer. I’m sorry I sat on this comment for a while. I meant to make the salad to measure for you, but didn’t get to it. I just divide as best as I can visually. That’s the best I can do at the moment. The recipe serves five at 4.5 net carbs each. -Kim
Hi, thanks for this great recipe. In the instructions however it calls for Dijon mustard but it isn’t listed in the ingredients. Wondering if it should or should not be included? Thanks!
Hi Julie, great question and catch! No, you don’t need the mustard. I have updated the recipe. I removed that section from the recipe (I had actually cut and pasted it from the original vinaigrette recipe) because it’s only needed if one doesn’t have a blender and wants to do it by hand. I think most people have blenders now-a-days. Mustard is a cheat and helps the ingredients emulsify. Thanks again! -Kim
Happy weekend! Just letting you know I featured this recipe in my weekly Low-Carb Recipe Love on Fridays. Looks like a great recipe; I hope a lot of my readers will come over here and try it!
Kalyn, thanks so much! I will pop on over and leave a comment and link to your post on Facebook. I hope your readers come on over and visit my little blog, too! :) You have a happy weekend, too! -Kim
I am having some girls over for lunch and this recipe will make a perfect side dish!! Can’t wait to try it. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Katie! You girls have fun and thanks for the nice comment! Thanks for stopping by. Have a nice week! -Kim