White Bean and Tomato Caprese Salad Side Dish Recipe

Sometimes a home cook can start feeling like they are running out of ideas for side dishes to serve with family dinner. I know I get tired of potatoes and steamed broccoli and want something fresh and flavorful. This White Bean and Tomato Caprese Salad recipe has a bright taste without overpowering the main dish. It can be a great side dish option no matter what entrée you plan to serve with your family dinner. 

You will love the ease with which you can pull this dish together. The ingredients are easy to find, and you may already have many of them on hand.

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Ingredients for White Bean and Tomato Caprese Salad

Because the recipe is uncomplicated, you can mix up the flavor profile from time to time. I’ve made a few suggestions below.

• two 15 oz cans of cannellini beans
• garlic
• mozzarella cheese
• cherry tomatoes
• lemon juice
• olive oil
• fresh basil leaves

You can use low-moisture mozzarella cheese or use fresh mozzarella. It really depends on which you prefer. The fresh mozzarella will add creaminess to the dish. The low-moisture mozzarella will give a distinct textured bite to the salad.

I do recommend sticking with fresh basil leaves as opposed to dried basil. That’s because the flavor, while deliciously sweet, is more subtle than dried. It adds a bright pop of green to the dish and is more pleasing to the senses in flavor, aroma, and even visually.

Learn more about the difference between fresh and dried basil over at Lacademie.

If you only have dried basil on hand, you can use it. However, the flavor is more concentrated. So, you will want to use only half the amount as recommended in the recipe. Also, the color will be different since dried basil is darker.

For this recipe, I opted for cherry tomatoes. You can also use grape tomatoes or diced Roma tomatoes if you’d prefer.

I like the lemon flavor in the dressing of this salad. It gives a bright, fresh essence to the dish. You could use another acid option if you’d like. Try balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar to change the flavor profile from time to time.

How to Make this Salad

You’ll want to drain and rinse the beans. Then pour the beans into a medium bowl.

Next, cut the tomatoes in half, and cube the cheese. Add the tomatoes and cheese to the bowl.

Chop the basil into strips, otherwise known as julienne. To accomplish this, simply stack the basil leaves on top of each other. Then roll the leaves into a cylinder. Then, make slices in the rolls. This creates long strips of the basil leaves. Add to the bowl.

Squeeze a fresh lemon and measure out 2 tablespoons of juice. Add the juice and olive oil to a small bowl, then add the minced garlic and whisk to combine. Drizzle the mixture over the bean, tomato, basil, and cheese. Then gently stir to combine.

Keep cool until ready to serve.

How to Pair this White Bean and Tomato Caprese Salad

This salad is very versatile. It’s a great side dish for any meat you’d like to pair it with. Use it as a side for a Pork Roast Dinner, or enjoy it with Homemade Lasagna for a complete family dinner.

Because of the protein in the beans, this could make a wonderful stand-alone lunch meal as well.

An excellent option for a meatless meal is the use of beans. This cold white bean and tomato Caprese salad is a yummy cold dish that can be the main dish in a meatless meal.