If you’re looking for a red-and-white salad, appetizer, or side dish for Canada Day, Tomato and Bocconcini Salad is perfect. Cherry tomatoes and bocconcini cheese balls create a striking contrast, while fresh basil adds a bright, herbal note to this simple salad.
This tomato and bocconcini salad is one of my go-to recipes for entertaining because it’s so quick and easy to prepare.
With just five minutes and five ingredients, you can have a beautiful dish ready to serve. It works as a salad or an appetizer—serve it in a bowl, thread the ingredients onto skewers, or offer toothpicks for guests to enjoy as finger food.
Simply toss everything in a bowl, stir gently, and you’re done. It’s fresh, healthy, and very flavorful. It’s also ideal for any red-and-white themed celebration—think Canada Day, Valentine’s Day, or a festive holiday gathering.
I love using fresh tomatoes from the garden in recipes like this. If you have an abundance of grape or cherry tomatoes in summer, this is an ideal way to showcase them.
What is bocconcini cheese?
Bocconcini are small, round balls of fresh mozzarella. Mild in flavor and soft in texture, they pair perfectly with tomatoes and herbs in salads and appetizers. You’ll usually find bocconcini packaged in water in the specialty cheese section or refrigerated dairy case of most grocery stores.
Tomato and Bocconcini Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 20 bocconcini balls (small mozzarella balls)
- 20 cherry or grape tomatoes
- 40 fresh basil leaves, chopped
- Sea salt, to taste
- Optional: 2 tbsp chopped parsley and/or 1 tbsp chopped chives
To make this easy salad:
Slice the bocconcini balls in half. You can also halve the tomatoes if they are large, but I usually leave small cherry or grape tomatoes whole.
Place the bocconcini and tomatoes in a bowl and drizzle with the olive oil.
Add the chopped basil (and optional parsley or chives, if using), then sprinkle with sea salt to taste.
Toss gently to coat the tomatoes and bocconcini with the oil and herbs without breaking them up. Transfer the salad to a pretty serving bowl and chill briefly if desired.
If you prefer to serve this as an appetizer, arrange the tomato and bocconcini halves on skewers or set out toothpicks for guests to assemble their own bites.
Enjoy—and happy Canada Day!
Tomatoes and Bocconcini Salad
10 mins
10 mins
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 20 bocconcini balls (small mozzarella balls)
- 20 cherry or grape tomatoes
- 40 small basil leaves, chopped
- sprinkling of sea salt
- optional: 1 tbsp chopped chives and/or 2 tbsp chopped parsley
Instructions
- Slice bocconcini and tomatoes in half if desired and place in a bowl.
- Drizzle with olive oil.
- Add chopped basil (and optional herbs).
- Sprinkle with sea salt to taste.
- Toss gently and transfer to a serving bowl.
- Chill briefly, if desired, before serving.
Nutrition
|
Carbohydrates: 1 g
|
Protein: 10 g
|
Fat: 14 g
More patriotic ideas to enjoy
Canada Day Wind Twirlers
Canada Day God’s Eye Craft
4th of July Twig Ornaments