Caprese Salad

So I'm cooking for 1 since Ro is traveling - and didn't have much time to cook tonight, so I used some ingredients I had on hand and made up noodles and a caprese salad.

We usually don't have "real" mozzarella on hand, but I made a quick run to the grocery store yesterday so just picked up a small package.  (You have to go "real" here folks - it tastes so much better!)

I used fresh basil leaves -- you could probably put pesto on top instead, but I wanted to have "healthy lettuce" for salads this week!  Just throw it in a salad spinner to keep it fresh all week long :)

This salad can go with any pasta!!  We made this up at cookbook on "pasta night" - and we all loved it!  I for real don't like plain tomatoes - but something about this combo makes me go back for seconds!  Do it up!

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
4 ripe medium tomatoes

Salt and pepper (to taste)

Mozzarella cheese (tube like form – Costco)

Fresh basil leaves

4 Tbsp EVOO

4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Quarter tomatoes and thinly slice.  Divide tomato slices evenly among four salad plates.  Sprinkle tomato slices with salt and pepper.

Slice mozzarella into 8 slices.  Top each plate of tomatoes slices with a slice of cheese. 

Roll basil leaves into a tight cylinder and slice crosswise into thin strips to make about ½ cup.  Sprinkle basil evenly atop each salad.  Then drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of vinegar over each salad.  Then top salad with salt and pepper again – and you are ready to eat!