Individual Caprese Salad
Individual Caprese Salad is an easy elegant appetizer that you will wow your guests with at any get together, little will they know how easy it is to make with our 5 ingredient pesto that is then layered with juicy tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, cheese tortellini, which is drizzled with a sweet and tangy balsamic vinegar served in shooter glasses or mason jars.
Caprese Salad Appetizers
Caprese is one of my favorite things to eat! The combination of the mozzarella with the tomatoes and the pesto with the balsamic is the most heavenly combination to me! There is a reason why I love to make my Caprese Christmas Tree around the holidays and whip up Air Fryer Tomato and Pesto Grilled Cheese sandwiches for lunch all the time, but I have to say these individual Caprese salads might just be my new favorite! They come together so quickly (about 15 minutes) and make the perfect appetizer for any occasion.
How to Make Caprese Salad
- Add pine nuts to a dry (no oil), cold frying pan; toast pine nuts over low heat on the stove top, stirring frequently, until they become fragrant and start to toast, about 5 minutes. They will burn very quickly, so watch them closely.Remove from pan to cool.
- Add basil, pine nuts, garlic cloves, parmesan cheese, a generous pinch of salt and pepper, and half the olive oil to a food processor or blender. Process about 30 seconds, scrape down sides of bowl, add more of the olive oil as needed and process until a drizzly consistency is reached. Set aside.
- Add a couple tomatoes to the bottom of the jar or glass, followed by tortellini, mozzarella, and a small dab of pesto, layer until you reach the top of the glass, then drizzle ¼ teaspoon of balsamic vinegar on top. Serve cold, or room temperature.
Tips Tricks and FAQs
- You can easily double the recipe.
- When making Caprese you want to use high quality ingredients. This helps all the flavors really stand out.
- Fresh mozzarella pearls are readily available, but if you can’t find them, any fresh mozzarella will work such as Ciliegine, cut it into little bite sized pieces if need be.
- You can use store bought pesto if you prefer.
Storage of Caprese Salad
This salad is best enjoyed right away.
Storage of Pesto
If you have extra pesto from this recipe you can store it in the fridge in a glass airtight container. This will last about 1 week and is great to use on pasta, garlic bread, veggies, or even roasted chicken.
Can I make these Caprese Salad Shooters ahead of time?
You can make these individual Caprese salads a couple of hours ahead of time, but not any sooner. Sliced tomatoes create a lot of liquid over time and this liquid will sink to the bottom of the glass as it sits. If you do need to make them earlier, use whole cherry tomatoes. Drizzle with the balsamic right before serving.
Individual Caprese Salad
Individual Caprese Salad is an easy elegant appetizer that you will wow your guests with at any get together, little will they know how easy it is to make with our 5 ingredient pesto that is then layered with juicy tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, cheese tortellini, that is drizzled with a sweet and tangy balsamic vinegar served in shooter glasses or mason jars.
Ingredients
- Pesto
- 3 Tablespoons pine nuts
- 2 cups basil
- 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- ½ cup good quality extra virgin olive oil, such as Colavita
- Kosher salt & freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved if desired
- 1 pkg. Refrigerated cheese tortellini
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella pearls, drained
- Specialty items
- 12 small vessels, such as shooter glasses, shot glasses, or tiny mason jars
- Cocktail forks or appetizer skewers
Instructions
- Add pine nuts to a dry (no oil), cold frying pan; toast pine nuts over low heat on the stovetop, stirring frequently, until they become fragrant, and start to toast about 5 minutes. They will burn very quickly, so watch them closely. Remove from pan to cool.
- Add basil, pine nuts, garlic cloves, parmesan cheese, a generous pinch of salt and pepper, and half the olive oil to a food processor or blender. Process about 30 seconds, scrape down sides of the bowl, add more of the olive oil as needed, and process until a drizzly consistency is reached. Set aside.
- Add a couple of tomatoes to the bottom of the jar or glass, followed by tortellini, mozzarella, and a small dab of pesto, layer until you reach the top of the glass, then drizzle ¼ teaspoon of balsamic vinegar on top. Serve cold, or room temperature.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 226Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 253mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 7g
Sounds great! If I use store bought pesto, how much would I use? TIA
About 1 cup. 🙂 Enjoy them! 🙂