Cool and refreshing, burrata salad is a delicious take on the classic Caprese salad. Instead of mozzarella, this recipe takes a fresh piece of burrata and surrounds it with chopped tomatoes, leafy greens and a flavorful pesto dressing.
You can tear the burrata into pieces or simply cut it open and let the delicious cream soak into the salad. In a pinch, you can replace the pesto dressing with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for a last-minute appetizer.
What is Burrata Salad?
What is burrata salad, anyway? This appetizer or side dish uses fresh ingredients like tomatoes and burrata cheese with greens and features the colors of the Italian flag. This light, summery dish is the perfect complement to homemade pasta, grilled steak or a fresh charcuterie board.
You can serve it at the start of an Italian-inspired meal or enjoy it by itself on a cool spring afternoon. Just make sure you serve it as soon as possible, as burrata salad is best when it’s fresh.
What is Burrata?
If you’ve never had burrata before, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the mild, creamy flavor that brings out the taste of the vegetables and pesto dressing.
Burrata is a sack of mozzarella filled with cream and shredded pieces of mozzarella. Burrata is often made from cow’s milk, but some varieties come from the milk of water buffalo. When you slice it open, the delicious, buttery cream oozes out onto your plate.
Burrata makes a great salad and appetizer ingredient, but you can enjoy it by itself if you’re a cheese lover. You can try it instead of regular mozzarella for a cool, creamy take on classic Italian dishes or as a topping for crostini.
You might not easily find burrata at your local grocery store, but you can grab a DIY cheese kit to make it at home, order it online or check out the nearest gourmet food store.
What’s your favorite way to serve fresh burrata? Let us know in the comments below. And if you enjoyed the recipe, please share!
Burrata Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups mix of greens like arugula, baby spinach, baby red and/or green lettuce, radicchio etc. - (you can use spring mix)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes - quartered
- 1 large burrata cheese - at room temperature
Pesto Dressing:
- ½ cup packed fresh basil leaves
- 1 clove garlic - chopped
- 3 tbsp. raw pine nuts
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ tbsp. lemon juice
- Salt and pepper - to taste
Instructions
For the Pesto Dressing:
- Combine the basil, garlic and pine nuts in a food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped.
- While the processor is running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and lemon juice. Blend until smooth.
- Add salt and pepper, to taste.
To Serve the Salad:
- Place the greens mix and cherry tomatoes on a large serving plate. Add the burrata to the center of the salad. Drizzle with the pesto dressing. This salad can be served as an appetizer for 4 people (cutting the burrata into pieces) or side salad for 2.
Equipment
Notes
- The nutrition information for this recipe does not include the pesto dressing.
- If you don’t have time to make the pesto dressing, you can drizzle the salad with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Nutrition
Nutrition information on In the Kitch is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may not include toppings and/or sauces.
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