This Italian-inspired Burrata Salad is a showstopper! It’s fresh, vibrant, and loaded with beautiful colors and textures, but the best thing about this burrata recipe is that it can be made with just a handful of humble flavorful ingredients.
Experience the delight of fresh burrata cheese in what will become your new favorite summer salad!
This salad is everything you want during hot months, but truth be told, it’s meant to be enjoyed all year round. It comes together with just a few components so you’re going to want to aim to use high-quality ingredients whenever possible.
Salad with burrata is made with juicy tomatoes, slightly bitter arugula, creamy avocado, crispy red onions, and fresh burrata cheese simply placed on top. Topped off with a drizzling of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper, which is a simple dressing very commonly used in Italy, is all you need to complete this masterpiece.
It might remind you of a Caprese Salad, which is another Italian-inspired summertime salad that celebrates pure and simple ingredients such as ripe tomatoes and fresh cheese.
It’s a beautiful salad, so it’s great for serving guests at any type of gathering, whether hosting inside for a sit-down meal, or an outside garden party. I, for one, enjoy it the most as a light lunch throughout the week.
If I can’t sit by the seaside in the Mediterranean, then enjoying a big salad on my back patio with a nice cold drink is the next best thing!
What is Burrata?
Deliciously creamy burrata is a soft cheese made from cow’s milk that originates in the Puglia region of Italy. You can find burrata in most boutique cheese shops and grocery stores with a wide selection of specialty cheeses. It’s known for its signature smooth creamy consistency inside, which is called stracciatella (an artisanal cream) and can be used in much the same way fresh mozzarella is used.
The outside is actually made of mozzarella, or some type of stretchy cheese, which acts as a bag to hold the rich creamy middle. Once you cut the burrata in half you expose that delicious creamy center, which is brimming with flavor.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- It’s truly delicious and has a great balance of taste, texture, and beauty!
- A celebration of fresh, healthy, and Italian-inspired ingredients coming together in one amazing recipe.
- Works for lunch or dinner and can be enjoyed as a light meal on its own or in smaller portions, as a starter salad.
- You can customize this salad to your liking. It’s flexible enough to be able to add in or omit whatever works for you.
- Showcase your garden haul by using fresh veggies from your garden.
How to Make this Salad with Burrata Recipe
Ingredients Used
- Cherry tomatoes: Sliced in halves. You can use just one color or a variety of colors. Heirloom tomatoes will also work, if you’d prefer and sometimes I like to use different sizes as well, just for fun.
- Red onion: Slices of red onion add a subtle pungent, slightly sweet aromatic flavor as well as a crunchy texture.
- Avocado: The creamy nature of the avocado is a nice balance for the creamy cheese. It also pairs nicely with acidic tomatoes.
- Arugula: Also known as wild rocket in the UK, arugula is a leafy green that has a peppery and slightly bitter taste, and whose leaves are naturally bite-sized, which makes for a pleasing bite. Can substitute leafy green of your choice, baby spinach, romaine, or Bibb lettuce will all work.
- Oil: Use a good quality cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil if you can.
- Balsamic vinegar: Since burrata can be enjoyed with both sweet and savory foods, it is complemented by the sweetness of the balsamic.
- Salt & pepper: Finishing off the salad with a sprinkling of both is a great way to round out all of the flavors and to top off the dressing. Good coarse sea salt is recommended.
- Burrata: The star of the show! As mentioned, it’s a creamy, delicate cheese that will eventually be blended into the salad once the components come together. If you can’t get your hands on burrata, you can substitute for mozzarella.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
The Directions
Chop – dress it up – top with cheese! Anything else you need to know? 😂
- Prep: Since this recipe comes together in minutes, you’ll want to take extra care to prep your veggies. Wash them first, then slice cherry tomatoes in half. Slice red onions into thin slices (or as thick as you like to eat them) and peel and dice the avocado. Wash your arugula and use a salad spinner to dry it. This is the salad spinner that I use and love! It comes in two sizes, and I have them both (I use the bigger one for salad leaves, and the smaller one for herbs).
- Combine in a bowl: Add all veggies into a large bowl, sprinkle with salt, pepper, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar and toss to combine. Make sure that each piece of burrata gets an even amount of salt and pepper.
- Serve: You can serve right from the salad bowl, however, I like to transfer it to a large platter and serve it that way. Cutting the burrata is as simple as taking a knife and slicing right through it. Once it’s in pieces, gently place it on top of the salad and finish with a little extra olive oil.
Tip!
For a slight variation to the dressing, make a balsamic reduction by bringing the balsamic to a boil then simmering until reduced by half. Some people like to add brown sugar or maple syrup for added sweetness to balance the tang. Using a thicker glaze isn’t at all necessary, but looks quite nice and tastes even better!
Can I make this salad ahead of time?
This salad is best served immediately, there’s nothing worse than a soggy salad. It’s a good thing it comes together so quickly! The ingredients used are fresh so to have it sit around too long isn’t a good idea. There are certain components that you can prep earlier on:
- Wash and cut your tomatoes and arugula.
- Slice the onions.
- You can also mix the oil and vinegar together in a jar and keep it handy on the counter at room temperature.
- Assemble the salad just before dressing it and don’t cut your burrata until right before serving.
Tip!
When using small burrata balls, feel free to leave them whole and allow your guests to cut right into it themselves. Seeing that creamy center for the first time is an experience in itself!
What are some other ingredients I can add to this salad?
This salad recipe is prepared using my favorite combination of ingredients, however, as with any salad there is always room for flexibility for tasty additions:
- Store bought/Homemade croutons.
- Add some fresh fruit for a sweet component. Stone fruit such as peaches, apricots, plums, and cherries are a great match with both the cheese and the balsamic vinegar.
- Chop up some fresh basil leaves and sprinkle it on top, giving the salad a pop of fresh herb flavor.
Ways to serve burrata salad
As a part of a salad bar among other summer salads such as: Caprese salad, Caesar salad, a simple tossed green salad, and this refreshing watermelon salad with feta.
Serve as a starter before: Garlic butter chicken tenders, easy roast chicken, grilled shrimp kabobs, gnocchi al Pomodoro, or penna arrabiata.
Enjoy as a meal all on its own alongside: A glass of red or white wine and a strawberry galette for dessert!
Pair with: A fresh fruit platter, crusty bread, crostini or bruschetta, a charcuterie of deli meats and cheeses, and grilled halloumi and allow everyone to sample a bit of everything.
In a world of ever-evolving decadent desserts and heavy meals, sometimes there’s nothing better than going back to basics with a beautiful vibrant salad loaded with fresh ingredients. If you love this salad as much as I know you will, please let me know in the comments!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Burrata Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cherry tomatoes sliced in halves
- 1 small red onion peeled and sliced
- 1 avocado peeled and diced
- 3 cups arugula wild rocket in the UK, or salad greens/leaves
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 8-ounce burrata ball or 2 x 4oz
Instructions
- Add all veggies into a large bowl, sprinkle with salt, pepper, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar and toss to combine. Make sure that each piece of burrata gets an even amount of salt and pepper.
- You can serve right from the salad bowl, however, I like to transfer it to a large platter and serve it that way. Cutting the burrata is as simple as taking a knife and slicing right through it. Once it’s in pieces, gently place it on top of the salad and finish with a little extra olive oil.
Notes:
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Leave a Review!