Caprese Salad Pitas
It wouldn’t be summer without a caprese.
A caprese salad just signifies summer to me. Growing up, we’d have caprese nearly every night in the summer months. Living in California, we’re insanely lucky to have these ingredients year-round, so I definitely frequent this recipe quite often.
One of my go-to caprese recipes is here if you’re interested in a more traditional salad take!
The key to an amazing caprese is having the freshest ingredients. I always opt for heirloom tomatoes–because they’re the perfect delicate weight for a salad. Their freshness is also unparalleled in the realm of tomatoes. Eating them raw is like biting into candy!
Basil is also key here. You need the freshest of the fresh in order to obtain the true Italian caprese flavor. One of my favorite things to do on Sundays after the farmers market is to run home to make a fresh caprese salad–the flavors will never be fresher than the day of!
In terms of fresh mozzarella–you need to buy good mozzarella. I love this brand.
When it comes to the pita you can pretty much go with your personal preference here–I love whole wheat because they tend to be a bit stronger and can hold together pretty well. However if you happen to have traditional pita on hand, definitely use that!
My secret ingredient here is the basil oil. It is SO good and really lends itself well along with the fresh basil flavor. I use this brand. If you don’t have basil oil on hand, its no problem to use olive oil–just make sure you’re using a flavorful, good olive oil.
Ingredients
1 small heirloom tomato
1/4 red onion, chopped
handfull cucumber, skinned and sliced
pinch of fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup fresh mozzarella, torn into small pieces
1 tbsp basil oil
pinch of salt and pep for taste
squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1 pita, toasted, halved and opened to create little pockets
Chop the tomato, onion, cucumber, and basil–adding it to a medium mixing bowl.
Add the mozzarella and drizzle the oil. Mix together and then add the salt, pepper and lemon. Stir until everything is evenly coated by the oil.
Gently toast the pita and then slice it in half–you don’t want it too crispy so that it starts to crack apart when you’re separating the layers to create the pockets. Once the layers are pulled apart, spoon in the caprese to each half. Top with fresh basil and an extra squeeze of lemon juice.
Enjoy!
