Grilled Eggplant Caprese Salad, the perfect recipe as we approach late summer and tomatoes are ripening on the vine. The combination of the sweetness of the tomato, the creaminess of the mozzarella, the smoky grilled eggplant, and that delightful rich, acidic sun dried tomato dressing has this caprese on the podium for goodness.
Caprese salad always has me thinking of summer. It is my favorite season with the warmth, the plethora of local organic produce available, and the beautifully colored dishes that are always an eye and hunger quencher.
Caprese salad is an Italian dish which some say was first mentioned in the early 1920's when it appeared on a menu at the Hotel Quisisana. A place where they say the founder of Futurism, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, raged against pasta calling it "outdated." There are other stories saying that it was the invention of a patriarch mason. It was after World War I that he loved to encase the colors of the tri-color into a fragrant bun. It was reported decades later in the 1950's that King Farouk wanted something light, fresh for an afternoon appetizer. He was served a sandwich with mozzarella, tomatoes and basil. So can we say then it was definitely one of the discoveries of the twentieth century? To tell you the truth it doesn't really matter to me. I love a good caprese and am grateful that someone had the creativity and vision to create it.
Today with mass tourism it ceases to be a Capri recipe, and has become an international dish. The Mediterranean dream which has been improved and embellished removing the vaccine mozzarella and replacing it with buffalo mozzarella a product of Campania.
Today we are doing our take on the caprese salad adding in some beautiful grilled eggplant. Nicely charred and caramelized giving this summer recipe, Grilled Eggplant Caprese, elevated flavors of freshness and deliciousness your taste buds will be forever grateful for.
Grilled Eggplant Caprese Salad, here we go!
The key to a good caprese relies on the freshness and quality of the ingredients. The mozzarella large, fresh, hand made, usually found at your nearest Italian center. Left at room temperature, then cut into thick rounds as the bigger the slice the more flavor that comes through. You could also substitute buffalo mozzarella, and if you do, drain it as it has a lot of milk. The tomato, organic, ripe, cut into rounds and rested to take the frigid temperatures of the fridge out. I turn them on the plate so that the juices really get going onto the plate. The tomatoes should not be unripe or too ripe. When cutting into them there should be some juice but they still should remain intact. The color I say "ramato" copper red. The eggplant nicely grilled after being drizzled and sprinkled with n excellent cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Last but not least the fresh basil. They say to break it with the hands. This will keep the aromatics high and the flavor robust.
With the tomatoes rested and at room temperature, the mozzarella nice, creamy and milky, the eggplant grilled and charred, all we have to do is make up the dressing. Chop up some sun dried tomatoes. We used the ones in oil in a jar. Very intense in flavor and rich in color. Chop them fine, throw them into a bowl with some cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, chopped basil, salt and pepper, a quick whisk and your dressing is ready to go.
Now it's time to put this masterpiece together. Layer the eggplant, tomato, and mozzarella on a plate changing up the order as you go. The dance goes something like this: tomato, mozzarella, eggplant. Eggplant, mozzarella, tomato, and so on. I think you are getting the idea. A quick whisk of the dressing again and with a spoon drizzle it onto the caprese. You don't want to bathe the ingredients with it, just spots of it sporadically. This will enhance the flavors of the tomato, eggplant and mozzarella, yet the flavors of those ingredients still come through. The finishing touch, the hand broken basil leaves which will entice your eaters wonderfully with that aroma so many love. That's it. This plate is ready to serve. And don't forget to slice a nice rustic bread to soak up all those juices!
The flavors are amazing. The eggplant plump and caramelized, with just that bit of smoke to remind me of being in campagna, the beautiful Italian countryside. The tomatoes juicy, sweet, acidic. The mozzarella, creamy and rich in that organic milky velvety heaven it represents. The hits of basil, so aromatic that it has your nose dancing, and that dressing with the sun dried tomatoes, robust pungent housed in that beautiful Italian gold, the e.v.o. oil. Nice bites of sea salt and crushed black pepper to liven your taste buds. Wow, what a great dish to enjoy on those wonderfully warm and sunny summer days. It is so easy to fall in love with this simple yet refined dish, that so proudly delivers the colors and flavors of products that have made Italian cooking what it is today. Mozzarella, eggplant, tomatoes, and basil, humble, yet intense.
From our kitchen at Sugarlovespices to yours.
Enjoy!
Song of the day: "Ahead by a Century" by The Tragically Hip.
P.S. Thanks Gord Downie and the boys of The tragically Hip for their gift to us.
PrintGrilled Eggplant Caprese Salad
- Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant
- 3 Tbsp cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2-3 basil leaves, chopped
- ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes
- ¼ cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 ball fresh mozzarella, sliced
- 2 heirloom tomatoes, cored and sliced
- fresh small basil leaves, for the top
Instructions
- Wash and trim ends of eggplant, cut it crosswise. Place slices on a baking sheet, brush both sides with the 3 tablespoon olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Grill eggplant slices, covered, over medium heat 10 to 12 minutes, or until slightly charred and tender, turning once halfway through grilling. Let cool to room temperature.
- In a food processor or blender, combine sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and chopped basil. Blend until finely chopped.
- On a large platter arrange eggplant slices, mozzarella slices, tomato slices, overlapping a little. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
- Top with sun dried tomato mixture and basil leaves.
- Serve at room temperature. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4-5 servings
A great recipe for the abundance of seasonal cherry tomatoes is :
And a very flavorful use of the eggplant is:
BURRATA, PROSCIUTTO & SPICY EGGPLANT PANINO
Disclosure: All links in our post are NOT affiliate links. They are only about products or places we normally purchase and like.
When I am not cooking, I enjoy playing musical instruments, singing, writing. I have learned over the years to live in gratitude and enjoy the moment.
Demeter | Beaming Baker says
Loreto, the second I saw this dish, I thought, "my sister would LOVE this!!" I bet they would also be very grateful for whomever it was that came up with this. I absolutely love grilled eggplant, and the sound of this delicious ingredient being charred and caramelized: it's just heavenly. As always, I enjoy your musical picks. Such a great way to kick off the week. Wishing you and Nicoletta a good one! Pinned of course! 🙂
Hi Demeter
Thank you so much always am so grateful for your comments. It was truly an amazing dish and Nicoletta and I were mopping the plate with that good crusty bread. We are so happy that you enjoy our music picks. It is such an important part of who we are. Would love to hear how your sister liked the caprese.
Have a great week.
Loreto
The FoodOlic says
Love Caprese already and this version is giving the classical salad a nice twist! Love the dried tomato topping and added eggplants! Great job!
Thank you, At first I thought do I dare try to elevate an already brilliant dish, then I said what the heck, why not, and was so happy with the result. Sometimes fear gets in the way of some great opportunities, and in order to experience the unexpected we have to walk through.
Happy Saturday to you!
Cheers!
Loreto
The FoodOlic says
I agree! A little change is sometimes for the better...if we would do always the same old recipes we would move nowhere... gotta try new stuff sometimes... other times stick to the traditions. A healthy mix of things! Have a great saturday as well Loreto!
Thank you, I agree balance is the key and respecting traditions is important afterall remembering where we came from helps us move forward stronger.
Eyecandypopper says
This sounds absolutely wonderful! I had a Caprese salad for the first time many years ago on the island of Capri, believe it or not. I'm not a huge fan of eggplant because I find it difficult to "get it right", but this sounds delicious mixed in with the classic recipe.
Hi Gabrielle, isn't Capri beautiful, that whole region of the Amalfi coast is majestic and romantic. A great place to experience wonderfully brilliant tasting food. The produce there is so vibrant and flavorful. Don't give up on the eggplant you will get it, and when you do you will find yourself always going back to use it. Especially in this caprese the flavors marry so well.
Happy Cooking!
Loreto
Charlotte says
I've never thought to add eggplant to my caprese but now I can't believe I've waited this long to try it! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Charlotte, welcome to the eggplant caprese train. You are going to absolutely love this dish, have some nice rustic crusty bread on the side, and I assure you, that bread will find it's way to the bottom of the plate, nestling nicely in the remains of the dressing. All those flavors mingling, juice, tasty, wow I am making myself hungry now, lol. Thank you for your comment, and have a glorious weekend!
Loreto
diversivore says
What a beautiful recipe. I didn't know the history of caprese, but it's an awfully interesting one I must say. I love how you've worked eggplant into this recipe (for that matter I just love eggplant). I'm always looking for new and interesting ways to work with it. Your plating reminds me very much of the ratatouille-inspired confit byaldi by Thomas Keller. Both dishes do a phenomenal job of making fresh, seasonal produce look absolutely stunning. Fantastic work as usual.
Hi Sean thank you for commenting. I really enjoyed reseaching caprese. I often wonder about the past, the way of life, pioneers and especially renaisance time, the street markets, poets ranting on the roads, chatter in the air, all so interesting, would be great to be able to time travel. As for this caprese the addition of the grilled eggplant went so well with the fresh mozzarella, and tomatoes. I just love eggplant anyway we prepare it. That smokiness off the grill really added so much dimension and diversity to this dish.
Have a great weekend Sean!
Cheers!
Loreto
Justine @ JustineCelina.com says
I love a classic caprese and the way you've elevated it here looks just perfect. I bet it eats more like a meal this way with the hearty eggplant addition. Pinning for future reference / inspiration!
Hi Justine, it definately eats like a meal a very delicious one. Eggplant has that rich fleshy texture, and in conjuction to the mozzarella and tomatoes offers a nice marriage of flavor. Thank you so much for your lovely commet, we so aprreciate it!
Have a great cooking week!
Cheers!
Loreto