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Pan-Roasted Winter Caprese Salad

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This simple recipe for a winter Caprese gives you a flavorful salad with roasted tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and sprigs of thyme. A perfect side or appetizer to share!

A white plate with a roasted tomato winter Caprese salad on it.

Craving that tomato-mozzarella classic in the dead of winter, with no ripe tomatoes in sight? This recipe has you covered!

I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, but I really only began to think about eating seasonally when we moved to Belgium in 2015. I didn’t grow up cooking very much. And even once I did begin to cook as an adult, I continued to frequent typical US grocery stores, where you can buy pretty much anything, any time of year. At least it can feel that way!

But it’s not like that in Belgium. Out of season foods are often just not available, and I don’t mean that you can only buy a low-quality version. In a lot of cases, I mean not available at all. While this was frustrating at first, I grew to like it. I love that it forced me to learn about what’s in season when.

Tomatoes all the time

However, one thing I just can’t go without in the “off season” are tomatoes! If I were in a competition to make a tasty meal from just a few ingredients, I’d really hope some perfect, ripe, flavorful tomatoes were on my shopping list!

Close-up of cherry tomatoes on the vine, plain and on a baking sheet with thyme, garlic, and olive oil.

I know hothouse tomatoes are usually considered inferior to the real garden variety, but I love them all the same, especially in little cherry or grape on-the-vine form. If you’re curious to read more about hothouse (greenhouse) tomatoes, this page has some basic info.

Caprese salad with roasted tomatoes

So, cherry tomatoes, hothouse grown if you’re like me and just still need tomatoes in the dead of winter. Now for a little pan roasting! Toss the tomatoes on a baking sheet with some smashed garlic cloves, a few sprigs of thyme, a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt. Let roast for about 30 minutes on high heat – they’ll get blistered and crackled and extra delicious!

Now for that winter Caprese action.

Pile the roasted tomatoes onto a small plate with fresh mozzarella. Add more olive oil plus a bit of balsamic – vinegar is fine, or try a balsamic glaze! And more thyme, as much because it looks pretty as anything else.

Serve with some crusty bread and two forks! A perfect side, snack, or appetizer to share! And if you really want to impress with no fuss, serve this alongside whipped ricotta with herbs and honey, one of our favorite recipes from Fork in the Kitchen. Heaven!

A winter Caprese salad with roasted tomatoes plated with two forks, for sharing!

If you try this Pan-Roasted Winter Caprese or any other recipe on Nourish and Fete, please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. We love hearing from you, and other readers will benefit from your experience!

5 from 11 votes

Pan-Roasted Winter Caprese Salad

A simple recipe for a winter Caprese, a flavorful salad with roasted tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and sprigs of thyme. A perfect side or appetizer to share!

Ingredients

  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes
  • 3 garlic cloves , smashed
  • 4-6 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • flaky sea salt
  • 4-6 ounces fresh mozzarella (about 1 ball), at room temperature
  • balsamic vinegar or glaze

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange tomatoes, garlic, and thyme on a small, rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Roast for 25-30 minutes, just until tomatoes are blistered and starting to burst.
  • After removing the tomatoes, tear the mozzarella into large, rough pieces, and arrange on a plate. Spoon the tomato mixture over and around the mozzarella. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle with a bit more sea salt, if desired. Dig in!
Last step!Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked the recipe. This helps my small business thrive and continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 281 kcal, Carbohydrates: 12 g, Protein: 15 g, Fat: 19 g, Saturated Fat: 8 g, Cholesterol: 44 mg, Sodium: 382 mg, Potassium: 576 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 6 g, Vitamin A: 1540 IU, Vitamin C: 55.4 mg, Calcium: 321 mg, Iron: 1.9 mg

13 Comments

  1. While my family enjoys Nourish and Fete recipes on a regular basis, this one is our favorite! Summer caprese salads are a staple in our home, so this recipe was a true find! We particularly loved the rustic feel of the recipe (which was exactly what we were craving on the stormy night we tried it). I also LOVED the time, both prep time and active time are accurate. If you are reading the comments to help you decide what to make, MAKE THIS!

  2. Your photo is styled well. Why is it acceptable to claim your recipe is adapted from Bon Appetit when you only change the amount of oil and put an optional balsamic? I am honestly curious. Thx

    1. Hi Jen, thanks for the kind words on the photo! In general, the terminology “adapted from” is used to give credit and attribution when, as you note, a recipe is based on another source, but has been slightly changed and rewritten in a new author’s own words. Given the changes you note, as well as the adjusted baking time and other changes to the text, I felt “adapted from” was appropriate here. If you’re interested in reading more about this and other terminology, the always-informative David Lebovitz has published a great guide to recipe attribution (hover over that text for a link).

  3. Caprese salads are my favorite, this is a perfect winter recipe. My entire family liked it too, will be making again 🙂

  4. What a beautiful and delicious plate of food! I love eating seasonally. Where I live in California, it almost bums me out that many things are now available year round, because they import them from everywhere. While on the one had, it’s hard not love certain aspects of that, it takes away from how special it is to eat something only during a short period of time. In any case . . . what gorgeous tomatoes and how lucky you are to get them all the time in Belgium. Lovely!

5 from 11 votes (1 rating without comment)

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