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Sides and Snacks

Summer Tomato & Ricotta Salad

Move over burrata & caprese, and say hello to the Summer Tomato & Ricotta Salad. Your new bestie for all your entertaining needs this summer.

I’m not going to lie, I have a thing for tomato and cheese salads. Burrata, caprese, even a Hawaiian switch-up with ricotta. Every summer needs a main character, and I’m petitioning early that this summer’s is this tomato & ricotta salad. Ricotta is an overlooked darling of the Italian cheese world that is just begging to be paired with the perfect tomatoes beginning to pop up at Farmer’s Markets. We’re going to cloak these farm-fresh tomatoes with ricotta smeared below and scooped atop, and then dust them with major boosts of flavor courtesy of parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, and lemon olive oil. This appetizer is easy, peasy, and, if you use lemon olive oil like me, lemon squeezy!*

Ingredients:

(Serves 2-4 as an appetizer)

  • 1 tsp cooking oil (I use avocado)
  • 1/8 cup breadcrumbs
  • 2.5 oz fresh ricotta cheese
  • 1 tomato on the vine, sliced**
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1/8 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • Drizzle lemon olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Directions:

  1. Prep first! Slice your tomato, chop your parsley, and mince your garlic. Keep separate.
  2. Heat 1 tsp cooking oil (I used avocado) in a pan. Add breadcrumbs, stirring frequently for 1-2 minutes, until cooked. Keep an eye on these! They’re sneaky and have a habit of going from perfectly crispy to burnt in seconds.
  3. Using a knife or rubber spatula, spread ricotta on your serving plate. Repeat until the center part is sufficiently covered forming a bed of cheese for the rest of your ingredients (I did this 3 times). I know it might be tempting to skip this step. You’re putting cheese atop the tomatoes, after all. Do not skip this step. You’ll thank me layer when each bite of tomato has a delicious smear of ricotta cheese below it.
  4. Layer tomatoes atop the bed of cheese. Add the rest of your ricotta, spoonful by spoonful. Then sprinkle on your garlic, then parsley, then drizzle of lemon olive oil, then salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Notes:

*If you don’t have lemon olive oil, I highly suggest buying it. But don’t worry, you don’t need it for this recipe. Simply replace with whatever olive oil you have on hand (extra virgin is preferred), and squeeze a small wedge of lemon in its place.

**If you’re making this in the summer, please use farm fresh tomatoes. You can support local businesses by looking up your nearest farmer’s market, and your flavors will be 100x better if you’re eating produce local and in season.

What am I listening to as I make this?

What can I learn while I make this? Ricotta means “cooked twice” in Italian because of the unique way it’s made!

What if I want to make a caprese-esque appetizer but not this recipe? Don’t worry– I won’t be offended! Check out these other ideas below:

Want more Carmel Kama’aina content? Follow me on Instagram. All my latest recipes and behind the scenes tricks are published first on Instagram. Sneak a peek below:

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