Grilled Zucchini Caprese Salad

I love this delicious Grilled Zucchini Caprese Salad all stacked up and served with my favorite Basil Vinaigrette. And these stacks of grilled zucchini, fresh Mozzarella, tomato, and basil vinaigrette have all the flavors of summer!

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If you’ve looked around the summer archives in this blog you know how I love that summer produce. There are some recipes that just symbolize summer for me, and Grilled Zucchini, Basil Vinaigrette, and Caprese Salad are summer standbys that I’ve been making for years.

So when I had the idea for this Grilled Zucchini Caprese Salad that combined all those summer favorites into stacks of grilled zucchini with thick slices of ripe tomato and creamy fresh Mozzarella, drizzled with basil vinaigrette, I knew it had to be a winner.

If you want something that will really impress your friends, you must make this as soon as you have zucchini and fresh garden tomatoes! This would be perfect as a side dish with something like Very Greek Grilled Chicken for a summer dinner. And if you’re a fan of these ingredients, I bet this is a recipe you’ll make over and over!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• large zucchini slices
• round slices of fresh mozzarella
• thick slices of tomato
• purchased or homemade vinaigrette dressing (for making basil vinaigrette)
• basil puree or chopped fresh basil 
• Newman’s Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing (affiliate link), for marinating zucchini
• Dried Basil (affiliate link)
• Spike Seasoning (affiliate link), or any all-purpose seasoning blend

What is Caprese Salad?

Caprese Salad is an Italian favorite named after the island of Capri. The salad traditionally has fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and balsamic vinegar, but that flavor combination has become so popular that now there are endless variations of salads with Caprese in the title.

Fun Caprese Salad Ideas from Kalyn:

I love this Caprese Salad variation with the tomatoes and mozzarella stacked up on grilled zucchini. If you like that idea, there are some other variations that are fun:

• You can replace the red tomatoes with a green tomato like my favorite Green Zebra Tomatoes, or alternate red and green tomatoes.
• You can use Green Zebra Tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and Green Goddess Salad Dressing to make a variation I’d call Green Goddess Tomato Mozzarella Stacks.
• Or if you really want to think outside the box, try replacing the grilled zucchini with slices of Kiwifruit for an interesting Kiwi Caprese Salad!

Steps for making Grilled Zucchini Caprese Salad:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. I combined chopped fresh basil from my window herb garden with Le Parisien Vinaigrette to make the basil vinaigrette. I make this first so the basil flavor can develop in the dressing while it sits in the fridge. (Use your favorite low-sugar vinaigrette.)
2. It’s important to use zucchini that are big enough so the zucchini will be slightly larger than the slice of mozzarella. Cut zucchini slices about 3/4 inch thick so the zucchini will stay a tiny bit crisp when it’s cooked.
3. I made a simple marinade for the zucchini with Newman’s Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing (affiliate link) combined with some Dried Basil (affiliate link) and Spike Seasoning (affiliate link). (You could make this without marinating the zucchini, but this step adds a lot of flavor.)
4. Put the zucchini in a Ziploc bag and marinate on the counter for 4 hours or more.
5. When you’re ready to cook, spray the grill with oil or non-stick grill spray and heat to high. Turn grill to medium-high when you put the zucchini on.
6. I took this next photo from the other angle so I would remember to tell you to rotate each piece of zucchini after about 5 minutes so you can get criss-cross grill marks.
7. Then turn the zucchini over and cook 3-5 minutes more on the second side, depending on how done you like it.
8. While the zucchini cooks prepare the fresh mozzarella slices.  I used pre-sliced mozzarella which is so convenient.
9. Slice garden ripe-tomatoes into slices about as thick as the zucchini.
10. To arrange the dish, start by putting a slice of Mozzarella on top of each piece of grilled zucchini.
11. Then top the Mozzarella with a piece of tomato and drizzle with the basil vinaigrette.
12. Serve with a little extra basil vinaigrette on the side for people who want extra, and enjoy!
13. You’ll want to make this often if you have zucchini and fresh tomatoes, so you may want to make extra Basil Vinaigrette.

More Caprese Salad Variations:

Want More Summer Tomato Salads?

Check out 20 Summer Tomato Salads for more amazing salad ideas for summer tomatoes!

Low-Carb Diet Suggestions / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Siggestions:
If you’re making Grilled Zucchini Caprese Salad for a low-carb or carb-conscious eating plan, it’s important to use vinaigrette with less than 2 grams of sugar per serving (or make your own vinaigrette.) Tomatoes do have some carbs, but there’s a lot of other low-carb ingredients to balance that out here; slice the tomatoes a bit thinner if you prefer.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Tomato Recipes or Salad Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This favorite Zucchini Caprese Salad recipe was first posted in 2013. It was last updated with more information in 2023.

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