Caprese Salad with Bacon!

Caprese Salad with Bacon

There are some dishes so iconic, so fundamentally perfect, that tampering with them feels like sacrilege. Caprese salad is one of them. That classic trinity of ripe tomato, fresh mozzarella, and fragrant basil is the taste of summer itself. It’s a dish I make on repeat from July through September, a celebration of the season's finest.

But you know me. I can't leave "perfect" alone. My mind is always whirring, wondering, "what if?"

What if we took that perfect summer salad and introduced a little smoke, a little salt, a little something unapologetically savory? What if we added bacon? Voila - Caprese Salad with Bacon!

I know, I know. But hear me out. This isn't just about throwing some crispy bacon on top. This is a complete re-evaluation of the salad's flavor profile, creating something that is at once familiar and thrillingly new. I’m calling it the "Smoky Summer Caprese," and it might just be my best idea of the year.

The heart of this dish remains the same: tomatoes. And not just any tomatoes. You must use the best seasonal, sun-ripened tomatoes you can find. Whether you go for hefty, vibrant heritage slices, sweet little cherry tomatoes, or plump grape tomatoes bursting with flavor, they are the foundation. Their natural sweetness and acidity are essential.

Instead of a simple olive oil drizzle, I infused a good quality oil with fresh garlic and basil, letting it steep until it became a fragrant, emerald-green elixir. This gets tossed with halved ciliegine—those delightful mini mozzarella balls—and plenty of fresh, hand-torn basil leaves.

But the real magic, the star of the show, is the bacon. Cook your favorite thick-cut bacon until it's perfectly crisp. Then, take it out of the pan and, while the rendered fat is still sizzling, deglaze the pan with a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. The kitchen will fill with the most incredible, sharp, smoky aroma. This mixture, a warm and tangy bacon vinaigrette, is poured over the tomatoes and mozzarella.

Add the bacon directly into the salad, give it one last toss, and that’s it. You’re done.

You don't need any other seasoning. Nothing. The saltiness of the bacon, the sharp tang of the apple cider vinegar, the sweetness of the tomatoes, and the creamy mozzarella create a perfect symphony of flavor. It is, quite simply, perfect as it is.

This is the Caprese for when summer evenings start to get a little cooler, a bridge between the height of the harvest and the cozy flavors of fall. It’s robust, surprising, and utterly addictive. Give it a try and let me know how it revolutionizes your Caprese game!

Jen Vondenbrink is a cooking, food, and lifestyle blogger at Appetite for Life since 2020.  Jen Vondenbrink has over 35 years of professional cooking experience apprenticing with local pastry and artisan bread makers, working for culinary innovator J. Bildner & Sons in Boston, as well as Starbucks Coffee Company in Seattle, Washington. Jen Vondenbrink has published cookbooks such as Thanksgiving Recipes From Home, Fun Summer Recipes, and the Cozy Soup Cookbook.  Jen Vondenbrink also hosts the Appetite for Life Cooking Club, where members get insights to enhance their cooking.  Jen Vondenbrink offers cooking classes and cooking coaching, working one-on-one with people to strengthen their cooking knowledge and skills