Roasted Caprese

As I have mentioned in my previous post that the hubby loves having Caprese salad before dinner, almost every day - with fresh sliced homegrown tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, EVOO, and balsamic vinegar. Today, I decided to make caprese for him in different way by roasting tomatoes in the oven for just 12 minutes to bring out the intense sweet flavor from the fresh tomatoes combined with the balsamic vinegar which married perfectly with a deep and delicious flavor of basil pesto – I used store-bought that tastes so great but if you want to do it from scratch, you can find the recipe I always use from the Food Network website.

“Taste Great!” The hubby approved!    Huh!  That was easy!  ^__^

What you need:

2 medium tomatoes – about 2 or 3 diameter
Fresh mozzarella cheese
Balsamic vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Basil pesto – I used store brought
Basil leaves, thinly sliced for garnish
Salt and ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 350’F

How To:

- Cut 2 tomatoes in half and scoop out the pulp to make 4 cups
- Arrange the tomatoes cups in a small baking dish, drizzle with EVOO and salt, and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the tomatoes cups are just soften. Remove from the oven and let them cool.
- Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon basil pesto in the bottom of each tomato cups, top with fresh mozzarella cheese, ground black pepper, drizzle a few drops of balsamic vinegar, and top with thinly slices of basil leaves. 

Served at room temperature or chilled.

Enjoy!

^__^