Caprese Salad

This is a great summer salad ~ easy, light and delicious! Obviously tastes best when tomatoes are ripe.
{ Prep Time: 5 mins / Difficulty: Super Easy! / Yields: 4 servings }

Ingredients:

3 large ripe tomatoes (I used 6 small plum tomatoes, either will work fine!)

4 ounces mozzarella cheese

8-10 basil leaves

balsamic vinegar

extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

kosher salt & ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, bring balsamic vinegar to a boil over medium-low heat. Cook for 10-12 mins, or until the vinegar has reduced to a semi-thick glaze. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

2. Meanwhile, slice tomatoes about 1/4" thick. Then, do the same with the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle the tomatoes with salt and pepper and place on a paper towel to soak up the excess juice. Arrange slices on a plate, alternating the tomatoes and cheese. (I had more tomatoes than cheese, so I layered two tomatoes, then 1 piece of cheese.)

3. On a cutting board, finely chop the basil leaves, leaving a few sprigs for garnish. Drizzle the olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the salads, then sprinkle with chopped basil. Let the salads marinate 5-10 minutes before serving.