Strawberry, Tomato, and Ricotta Salad

Some recipes are great because they marry countless, complex ingredients together - this is not one of them. I love this recipe because it is very, very simple. But oh so delicious. This is a five-ingredient recipe (including the garnish). It takes sweet strawberries and pairs them with acidic tomatoes, with some cooling ricotta and sticky balsamic. Topped with basil for extra freshness, this recipe will leave you feeling clean and cool. 

Jump to Recipe

I recommend this recipe as a side dish or appetizer. If you pair it with nice crunchy bread like a baguette and cheese, you’ll have a simple weeknight dinner for two with no cooking (see the bit about reducing the balsamic in the microwave instead of the stove top)! This is also a great way to use tomatoes - with tomatoes, it’s either a drought or a flood. They ripen so quickly sometimes in late summer that you’ll wind up thinking ‘what am I going to do with all these tomatoes?’ This recipe is what!

First, wash the tomato and strawberries and remove the strawberry stems by gently pulling them off. Slice the strawberries into quarters and the tomatoes into similarly sized chunks - depending on the sizes of your tomatoes and strawberries. Place them, intermixed, in a bowl or serving dish. 

Next, you can reduce the balsamic either on the stovetop or in the microwave. I made this recipe in the summer and I did not feel like putting on the hot stovetop, so I did this in the microwave. The first time, I burned it and learned my lesson - so you get to benefit from my trials and errors. The key here is to do it in installments. You’ll want to microwave the balsamic for one minute at a time. Impatience will lead to burning the vinegar into the consistency of tar at the bottom of your dish. If you go slowly (even when I say slowly it is still just a matter of about five minutes), you’ll boil off some of the moisture and thicken the balsamic, making it sweeter in the process.

If you do the balsamic on the stovetop, use a low heat. Whether stove or microwave, you can test that your balsamic is the right consistency if when you dip a spoon in, it leaves a coating, rather than running off.

• 

• 

Add small dollops of ricotta to the top of the tomato and strawberry dish to add a creamy touch. I prefer to use low-fat ricotta or fat-free, but regular-variety works well, too. One peril of using reduced-fat options is that brands’ versions may come out more watery or mealy. I prefer it creamy. Stick with full-fat or test brands out here and there to find one you like. If you prefer, you could substitute the ricotta for cottage cheese or mozzarella, but I think the ricotta is really something special in this.

Drizzle the reduced balsamic onto the top and pick some fresh basil and tear, julienne (cut into thin strips), or just put whole leaves on top.

Tip: If you are growing a basil plant, you can help the plant grow bushy and full while you are deciding which leaves to take for your meal. I once had a basil plant and I didn’t realize you had to prune it. I left it alone and within a season it produced little flowers, then developed tall, woody stalks and almost no leaves. Pruning the basil plant helps the plant decide to keep producing leaves and stay tender. So, when you are taking your basil for this strawberry salad, do yourself a favor: don’t just pluck basil leaves willy-nilly. Instead, look for a place on one of the stalks where the basil is starting to have two little leaves come out in opposite directions. Take scissors or kitchen shears and cut the stem right above where the little leaves would branch from. On top of what you cut, you’ll have some mature leaves and you can use those for your recipe. In the coming weeks, your basil will develop the leaves where you cut them, branching into two stalks instead of just one. That’s how you make the volume of your basil increase in width!

That’s it! Enjoy!

---

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 5 mins

Makes: 2-4

Ingredients

• 1 quart strawberries

• 2 large tomatoes

• 5 basil leaves

• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

• 1/2 cup ricotta

Equipment

Small saucepan if reducing the vinegar on the stove

Microwave if reducing the vinegar in the microwave

Instructions

• Wash and quarter the strawberries, pulling off the green stems.

• Cut the tomatoes into small chunks, approximately the same size as the strawberry pieces.

• Place the strawberries and tomatoes together, mixed in a small bowl or serving dish.

• In a bowl, microwave the balsamic vinegar for one minute at a time (approximately 4-5 minutes in total) until the vinegar has slightly thickened and become sticky, and coats the back of a spoon.

• Take small dollops of ricotta and place on top of the fruit mix.

• Drizzle the balsamic reduction on top of the mix.

• Tear the basil on top and enjoy!