Heirloom Tomato + Burrata Salad

When I was growing up, the only time I would eat tomatoes was in marinara sauce. I didn’t eat tomatoes in salad or on a burger or sandwich. I didn’t like chunky tomato salsa. I basically didn’t like tomato in its raw form. I was a picky little brat eater and, thankfully, my parents never forced me to eat vegetables or anything else I didn’t like.

As I grew older (like in my 30s), I learned to like most things I didn’t like as a child. Including vegetables. And tomatoes were the first vegetable I warmed up to. Now they are one of my favorite vegetables.

On a whim the other day I bought some Burrata cheese. I figured I would make some sort of tomato and Burrata salad because – what else do you do with Burrata cheese? In searching for recipes, I was hard pressed to find a salad recipe that did not contain basil.

I get it. A caprese salad would be fabulous if you subbed fresh mozzarella for fresh Burrata cheese. But I wasn’t looking for a caprese salad. I really just wanted a tomato and Burrata salad.

And then I found it. The perfect recipe from What’s Gaby Cooking. A tomato salad marinated in olive oil, red wine vinegar and herbs and topped with heavenly Burrata cheese. No basil in sight. Not even in the herbs in the marinade.

This is the perfect salad to enjoy on a hot summer day when you don’t feel like turning on your stovetop or using your oven. It’s even good as leftovers the next day. It’s especially good if you love fresh tomatoes.

vinaigrette ingredients.

2 tsp. minced garlic
1 small shallot, minced
2 tsp. dried Oregano
2 tsp. dried Parsley
½ tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
½ tsp. Kosher Salt
¼ c. Red Wine Vinegar
2 T. Finely Shredded Parmesan Cheese (can sub Kraft grated cheese if that’s all you’ve got)
1 c. extra virgin olive oil

vinaigrette directions.

Combine first 8 ingredients in a tall plastic or heavy-duty glass container.
Using an immersion blender, blend for 30 seconds, or until all ingredients are incorporated.
While the blender is still running, stream in the olive oil until fully incorporated.
Transfer the vinaigrette to a air tight container and set aside until ready to use.

salad ingredients.

4 c. heirloom tomatoes halved (cherry + larger sliced tomatoes)
8 oz burrata cheese torn into large bite sized pieces
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

salad directions.

In a gallon-sized zip log baggy, combine the tomatoes and ½ of the vinaigrette and gently toss to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Let the tomatoes sit on the counter top for 20 minutes. Spread the tomatoes out as flat as possible and flip the tomatoes over halfway through.
Serve at room temperature with burrata on top. Garnish with additional cracked black pepper, chopped parsley, shredded basil or sliced chives.