Caprese Prosciutto Salad

What is better than a classic Caprese salad? A Caprese Prosciutto Salad, with the addition of salty, savory ham! If you’ve been making it plain, time to level up.

I have soooo many pictures of almost this exact salad in my photo library because it’s one of our favorite things to make and eat, especially in the summer when the local tomatoes are ripe. But honestly, we make this all year round. 

Sometimes I don’t have prosciutto so I substitute either parma ham, speck or Serrano ham. They all add a welcome saltiness and flavor that goes perfectly with the ripe tomatoes and creamy fresh mozzarella. 

This summer, my basil plants have gone to flower so I’ve been adding a sprinkling of those as well. Basil flowers are pretty and so tasty! They are a great addition to just about any salad so when you are trimming and pruning, don’t just toss them out.

 

Caprese Prosciutto Salad

My typical fresh mozzarella ball weighs a little more than 1/4 lb or 125g if I’m shopping in the UK and 8 oz or 226g, if I’m in the US. In the case of the smaller ball, I use the whole thing for this salad. If you have a bigger ball, add a tomato, it’s all good. 

Ingredients

3 medium tomatoes

1 ball fresh mozzarella (see note above)

1-2 slices prosciutto

Fresh basil leaves

Optional, if you can find them, basil flowers

Freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil

Method

Slice the tomatoes and lay them out on a platter. 

Slice the mozzarella and add one piece (or part of a piece) to top each tomato slice.

Cut the prosciutto into pieces and add one on top of each mozzarella. 

Top each piece of ham with a basil leave.  Season the salad with a few generous grinds of black pepper and a good drizzle with olive oil. 

And, if you have them, add a pretty sprinkle of basil flowers. 

This salad is best served at room temperature or just slightly chilled so if you make it ahead and store it in the refrigerator, take it out about half an hour before serving so it can warm up a bit. 

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and since summer up here in the northern hemisphere, we are sharing salad recipes. Check out the links below. 

• BBQ Chicken Ranch Salad from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Caprese Prosciutto Salad from Food Lust People Love
• Mexican Street Corn Salad from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Roasted Beet & Blackberry Salad from Amy’s Cooking Adventures
• Roasted Beet Salad with Horseradish Dressing from Palatable Pastime
• Strawberry & Green Bean Salad from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Super Delicious Keto Salad from Sneha's Recipe
• Yam Nuea Yang (Spicy Thai Beef Salad) from Culinary Cam

 

>We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Caprese Stuffed Roasted Eggplant

Caprese Stuffed Roasted Eggplant is a showstopper of a main course, guaranteed to be loved by vegetarians and omnivores alike. After all, who can resist ripe tomatoes, flavorful basil pesto and melty mozzarella roasted in a hasselback-cut eggplant?

When our elder daughter went off to university, she fell in with a crowd of vegetarians. All really nice kids, I couldn’t help but like them. But that girl had grown up in a home that was definitely meat-centric. How could she live a baconless life! (Was a baconless life even worth living? Turns out, yes.) 

Fortunately she came home that first Christmas with a flexible attitude and a few lovely recipes to teach me. She was happy to eat whatever side dishes I made with dinner and just skip the meat portion. But that began my search for tasty vegetarian recipes we would all enjoy.

On many Sunday dinner tables around the world, including ours, the centerpiece of every meal is something roasted, perhaps beef, chicken, pork or leg of lamb. The vegetables, gravy and bread rolls that accompany the meat are supporting actors, but that big oven-roasted turkey or ham at Christmas time? Those are the superstars.

In vegetarian households some replace the meat with a nut roast or faux meat of some kind, perhaps made out of tofu or seitan. I am not a fan of those though and would rather make a lovely roasted vegetable ratatouille or eggplant Parmigiana. Or skip the showstopper all together and just make several vegetable and pasta dishes with a side salad. Hey, if you really need a centerpiece, how about some flowers?

Or you can try my wonderful Caprese Stuffed Roasted Eggplant. It’s more impressive with one big eggplant. In fact, I almost turned the words around and called it a Caprese Stuffed Eggplant Roast, but you can also use several smaller eggplants if that’s what you have available.

Caprese Stuffed Roasted Eggplant

If you do have one large eggplant, the trick is to roast it in a pan or dish that is just the right size so you can press it down to fit securely. That way, it won’t tip sideways as it bakes. My eggplant is one big guy, almost 10 inches or 25cm long. It weighed 1 lb 9 oz or 710g, before being stuffed. This will serve 3-4 people as a main course, with side dishes.

Ingredients

1 very large eggplant or 2 normal sized ones

2 large beef tomatoes, halved and sliced

4 3⁄4 oz or 135g mozzarella cheese, not soft burrata but the pizza

kind, sliced

3⁄4 cup or 190g pesto 

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Optional for serving:

Toasted pine nuts, little basil leaves and fresh grated Parmesan

Method

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Slice the eggplant almost all the way through, leaving the slices connected at the bottom. (The easiest way to do this is to place a chopstick or wooden spoon handle on either side of the eggplant. Cut through just until the knife hits the chopstick or spoon. The slices should be around 1/3 in or 7-­8mm thick.

You’ll have to hold the eggplant to support the uncut side, allowing the cuts to open a bit. Put a healthy teaspoon of pesto into each cut then stuff a tomato and mozzarella slice in after, which should push the pesto down into the cut and spread it around. This was awkward to photograph but here’s my best try.

Place the stuffed eggplant in a snug ovenproof baking dish greased with a little olive oil. Push it down so it almost lays flat. It will slump completely flat as it roasts.

Drizzle on a little olive oil and roast in your preheated oven for about an hour or until the eggplant is cooked through and nicely browned. If you are feeling really insecure about its stability, feel free to prop it up on both sides with some foil or even a halved tomato. 

To serve, cut through the bottom of the slices, making sure that each slice has some cheese and tomato on top as you lay them on the dinner plates.

Sprinkle with pine nuts, basil and Parmesan, if desired.

Enjoy!

For many people, eating healthier means eating meat for fewer meals and more vegetables so I figured this dish was perfect for today’s Sunday FunDay theme Welcoming 2021 – Let’s Celebrate and Stay Healthy! Many thanks to our host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. Check out all the other lovely dishes we are sharing. 

• Baked Plantains (Plátanos Maduros Horneados) from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking 
• Caprese Stuffed Roasted Eggplant from Food Lust People Love
• Fresh Turmeric & Chia Seed Pudding by Sneha's Recipe
• Healthy Easy Immune Boosting Smoothie from Making Miracles
• Kadha (Spiced Herbal Drink) from Cook with Renu 
• Lemony Chili Roasted Sweet Potato Hummus from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Misir Wot (Ethiopian Lentils) from Palatable Pastime 
• Roasted Chicken with Greek Salsa by A Day in the Life on the Farm

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

Pin this Caprese Stuffed Roasted Eggplant! 

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