Next Post
Baja Fish Tacos with Chipotle Mango Salsa.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
Can we do “Pretty Eats” Monday?
Because you guys, I am in need of some serious color in my life these days. I will not go into all the white details because I don’t even want to think about it, but it’s been snowing and snowing and I am SO over it. I need color, sunshine and warmth please!
My cousin Abby headed to Costa Rica on Saturday, and I gotta to say, I wish I had been on that flight with her. I have never wanted to be in a warm and sunny and tropical place more than I do now. Like the craving is BAD.
So bad that I just spent the last ten…eeerrr, fifteen minutes, looking at all the places around the world that are located on or near the equator. I’ve decided that when I get old and burn myself out of working non-stop, I am going to move to Brazil and find a tiny little house on the beach and eat all the Brazilian food (bring on the mangos, pineapple, passionfruit, cilantro, black beans and coffee please!) and chocolate.
Ahh, alright, fine that will probably never happen, because I am really not the most adventurous person in the world, but you know, I can dream.
PS. I honestly just spent fifteen minutes looking at the map of the world on google and was so into it. I feel like I have not looked at a map since I was in middle school. I forgot how interesting and like, “whoa” it can be. So many places I want to see and visit and experience… guess I better become a little more adventurous like my mom and brothers, huh?
Anyway, this salad is kind of the right spot in my world of muddy white snow. It’s funny, my eats are VERY spring like, even early summerish, but my actually life is still completely winter. I am bundled with double sweatshirts, and find myself standing by the stove any chance I can get.
UGH.
Good news is that my grocery store seems to know it’s spring. That’s means heirloom tomatoes, asparagus and all the avocados! YESSS.
It is no secret that I am a huge fan of caprese anything. I mean, who could not love fresh tomatoes, basil and mozzarella? It’s a combo I will never, ever tire of. I took the classic caprese salad and kind of elevated it with the addition of grilled asparagus and toasty homemade bread crumbs. Simple additions, but they just bring on a fun little twist and make the salad a little heartier too!
Oh and duh, I of course added avocado as well. Like I said yesterday, I am obsessed.
I feel like this salad is perfect for so many things. You can quickly throw it together for lunch, serve it at your next dinner party or serve it up this Sunday for Mother’s Day. I always think of caprese recipes around Mother’s Day since my mom is a huge fan…mozzarella and basil are her faves.
Yes, I do learn from the best. 🙂
And speaking of cheese?!?! You guys, have you had buffalo mozzarella yet? Oh my gosh, it’s the BEST. I mean, it’s still mozzarella but with like a creamy inside and a bit of a tang. I cannot get enough…and between all the buffalo mozzarella and burrata I am eating these days I may just go broke. Oooooopppppps.
But I mean, it’s worth it cause cheese is the best. 🙂
All that said, you can obviously use regular mozzarella for this too, but try to find some good stuff since it really matters in a caprese salad! And then that’s kind of it. Pretty simple, but super pretty and so flipping good.
Whether you make this for guests, your mom or yourself, everyone will be very happy!
Panzanella Style Caprese Asparagus Salad.
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories Per Serving: 677 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Toasty Bread
- 1 pieces smallish loaf of ciabatta bread roughly torn into
- olive oil
- kosher salt and pepper
Salad
- 1 bunch fresh asparagus
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1-2 large heirloom tomatoes sliced
- 2 cups heirloom or regular cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 ripe but firm avocados, sliced
- 1 cup kalamata olives pitted
- 1 bunch fresh basil roughly chopped
- 8 ounces fresh buffalo mozzarella regular mozzarella or burrata, torn
- handful of microgreens + mint
Vinaigrette
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- kosher salt and pepper
- crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Add the bread cubes to a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt + pepper and toss well to coat, making sure all the bread has been coated in olive oil and seasoned.
- Bake for 10 minutes, toss and bake another 5-10 minutes or until the bread is golden and crisp.
- Heat an outdoor grill, skillet or grill pan to medium high heat. Drizzle the asparagus with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Transfer the asparagus to the grill pan and grill until charred, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from the grill and season lightly with salt and pepper or to taste.
- In a large bowl or on a platter, arrange the the tomatoes, avocados, olives and asparagus. Season the tomatoes lightly with salt and pepper. Top with basil. Scatter the mozzarella and toasty bread over top. Finish with a sprinkle of microgreens. Serve with the Vinaigrette (see below).
Vinaigrette
- Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl. Taste and adjust as needed.
And if nothing else, this Panzanella Style Caprese Asparagus Salad will surely brighten up your Monday!
Hey! Loved your salad! It is so tasteful and colorful. I’m from Brazil and I’m feeling flatered that you’d choose my country to live in the future. Come and I’ll make a FEIJOADA and BRIGADEIROS for you ???
Hi Cintia!! So happy you liked it!!
That sounds AMAZING!! I wish!!
This is beautiful, all those lovely colours! I agree that there is a big difference between a good buffalo mozzarella and regular mozzarella, which I tend to find a bit bland and rubbery, it is worth getting the good stuff, it’s just a shame that good cheese is so expensive…
Thank you ! But seriously it is!! Good cheese is the best….and super expensive! (worth it!)
This is a salad like NO OTHER. I think that if I were to display this in an art gallery, it would sell for hundreds of thousands just because it’s so beautiful! LOL! 😀
LOL!! That would be something I need to see!! Thanks a ton Cassie!!
Dang that looks amazing! The bright colors really can cheer up a Monday!
Anything to cheer up a Monday!!(:
This just may be too beautiful to eat….how gorgeous are your photos. Panzanella is a favorite in our house and we eat it all summer.
WOWWOW!! Thank you so much!!
This is gorgeous—totally brightened my grey day!
(: I love brightening peoples Mondays!! Thanks Jess!
Ah, salad. My belly craves salads non stop, we have had the most glorious couple of days, but now rain is expected by the middle of this week. I am so done with it!
http://bloglairdutemps.blogspot.pt/
Nothing wrong with a salad craving belly!! Now rain is no bueno!! Hope the weather switches up for both of us!! LOL!
This looks good!
There are only two things I will change.
I’m not a fan of fresh mozzerella, but I would use plain goat cheese or Boursin.
Also, I would add anchovies.
What do you think if all the veg was grilled?
Hey Charlie! I am not sure about grilled tomatoes. I wonder if there would lose on their juices while on the grill? The avocados you can grill though. Let me know if you have questions, thanks!!
Girl. I feel you. We’ve have a few nice days here in New England, and I was hopeful that Summer was just around the corner. But now we’re back to cold, dark and rainy days. Ugh. I’m so ready for sunshine. This panzanella salad spread is totally making me feel better though! Just gorgeous!
I think I the brightest colors come out in my food when its dark and gloomy ?? But seriously sunshine would be amazing! Thanks Liz!
I love asparagus, but I have never seen an asparagus salad look SO darn good. Love all the colors!
New to me to!! Glad you like!! Thanks Gabriella!(:
Looking good and delicious as always. Thanks for sharining.
Thank YOU!!
This is definitely brightening my Monday! What a genius way to do a salad Girl! It’s so vibrant and inviting. I want to be eating it like right now!
That was my goal!!(: Thanks Tori!!
Spectacular! You are truly the best!❤️
Awh Thank you so much Eva!(:
These are indeed colorful pictures and I bet a very tasty salad.
Wish I could dive into it right now. My oatmeal isn’t going to taste all that good after seeing this.
haha! Oh no!! I hope not!! But thanks a ton Nancy!
So photogenic, I just can’t wait for summer! We are moving house soon to a bigger kitchen so there will be lots of entertaining, I just can’t wait to serve huge platters of colorful foods/salads! #goals
AH!! Sounds so awesome!! SO jealous!! And thank you!!