I love being inspired by a dish I’ve had at a great restaurant. During our latest trip to Oahu, Hawaii we just had to go back to one of our favorite restaurants: Kalapawai Cafe in Kailua, a quaint little place with delicious and beautiful food. And that is where I got the idea for this Caprese Salad with Beets. I’ve had more Caprese salads (traditionally made with just tomato and fresh mozzarella) than I care to admit but this dish from Kalapawai Cafe was a breath of fresh air with the simple addition of beets – genius and so delicious!
So next time you need a fast and light meal, or if you want to up your salad game for a dinner party, give this healthy and satisfying Caprese Salad with Beets a try!
This recipe requires no cooking at all…..unless you would like to make the pesto from scratch, and kudos to you if you do that!
Start by slicing the tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and precooked beets into 1/2-inch slices.
Then simply layer them on top of each other, with a fresh basil leaf in between each layer. And to make it fancy, I like to add a little swipe of pesto on the plate.
Once you have the tomatoes, mozzarella, beets, and basil layered, drizzle good extra virgin olive oil and balsamic glaze on top. Finally, add a handful of pea shoots and a small sprinkle of black pepper if you’d like. Bon appetit!
- ½ lb fresh mozzarella,1/2-inch thick slices
- 3 vine-ripe tomatoes, 1/2-inch thick slices
- 4 ounces precooked beets, 1/2-inch thick slices
- 1 large bunch fresh basil leaves
- Handful of pea shoots
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil for drizzling
- Balsamic glaze or balsamic vinegar for drizzling
- 1/4 cup of pesto
- Black pepper (optional)
- Slice the tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and precooked beets into 1/2-inch slices.
- Alternate layers of tomato, mozzarella, and beet on top of each other, with a fresh basil leaf in between each layer.
- Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and balsamic glaze on top. Top with a handful of pea shoots and a small sprinkle of black pepper if you'd like.
- Finally, add a swipe of pesto onto the plate for dipping.
- I've found precooked beets at Trader Joe's and Wegman's in the produce section near the baby carrots and celery.
Love your recipes! :-)
Thank you so much, Bonnie! :)