Peach Prosciutto Caprese Salad: The Ultimate End of Summer Salad

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Peach Prosciutto Caprese Salad is the ultimate end of summer salad. It’s like a final summer treat when pumpkin spice is encroaching around every corner and hectic school days begin again. I love caprese salads year round. There’s something about tomatoes, mozzarella, balsamic vinegar, and basil that are so perfect together. The sweetness and tang from tomatoes is cut by creamy mozzarella and slightly salty prosciutto. Balsamic vinegar adds a welcome hit of rich, dark notes, and fresh basil finishes the salad with a light aromatic smell and flavor. You may be confused by throwing a peach into the mix, but if you really think about it, tomatoes are fruits too! This is basically a glorified fruit salad! Peach prosciutto caprese salad is the perfect packable lunch for school days, work days, or for anyone on the go!

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Back To School Lunches

Speaking of school… I just completed the first week! It was fun, hectic, and exhausting. My music teaching schedule is very full, so there is barely time to heat up a meal and eat it. If you are like me, fun lunches are important. Lunch is one of the biggest highlights of my day. Let’s be honest, if your lunch is sad, then it makes facing the second half of the day a slight uphill struggle. I need to have some fun, protein filled lunches that take less than 10 minutes to make and eat. Cue the caprese salad!

In all honesty, this is hardly a recipe. You can find thousands of recipes for caprese salad online. However, I believe that cooking is a preference. It doesn’t always have to be an exact science especially when it comes to work lunches. I always go by eye. Not everyone has the same love of balsamic vinegar or basil. What I can give you are the basic building blocks for the perfect caprese salad!

Let’s Build A Work Salad!

Some days at work I barely have time to wait for something to heat up in the microwave. Since I am not the biggest PB&J sandwich fan, salads are a more interesting alternative! However, meal prepping salad can sometimes end in a messy, soggy, disappointing lunch. Here are a couple simple tricks to make your work lunches fun and just as good as being home.

Don’t Throw Away Your Spice Jars!

Seriously! If you need/want to bring salad of any description to work, don’t dress your salad before leaving home. There is nothing worse than a slimy, sodden, and depressing piece of lettuce. Empty spice jars are perfect because the little holes in the lids allow you to drizzle the dressing. If you are accident prone, it helps you avoid spilling dressing everywhere. Bonus! Shaking the jar prior to pouring it on your salad emulsifies your olive oil and vinegar. This way your have a great salad dressing as opposed to just dousing salad in oil and vinegar.

Don’t Forget The Salt!

Finishing salt on salad really brings out the delightful tomato taste we all love and provides a delightful crunch. Since your salt would just melt away if you added it early, bring it along in a tiny snack bag. Any coarse salt works. I love Fleur de sel, but since that’s expensive, I often use coarsely ground Himalayan pink salt.

Garden Bounty

Tomatoes have and always will be the best garden treasure. I can’t even describe how delicious the first bite of a sun-kissed juicy tomato is. Garden fresh tomatoes are always best for caprese salads, but if you can’t find those (or if its the middle of winter) I always opt for tomatoes on the vine as opposed to the meatier Roma tomatoes. Those also taste great, but winter Roma tomatoes always taste a bit mealy to me. If possible, try to choose a good quality tomato for your not-so-basic lunch!

Eww! Old Olive Oil…

Since there are hardly any ingredients and no cooking required in this recipe, the type of olive oil you choose matters. I had the great misfortune once to use some really old, rancid olive oil…it was not a fun lunching experience. Surprisingly enough, olive oil is not the sort of thing that will be ok sitting for years and years in your cupboard. Eventually it will get bitter or rancid. I prefer to use extra virgin olive oil that says it’s light, buttery, and mild. Taste it before you use it. If it has a really strong flavor, it might be the kind of olive oil that is better cooked as opposed to showcased.

Choose Your Vinegar Wisely

Low quality balsamic vinegar tends to be more liquidy and acidic. Since we don’t want to pucker up from the tart tasting vinegar, choose a high quality balsamic vinegar. My current favorite balsamic vinegar is this wonderful fig balsamic vinegar I got on a trip to Florence Oregon. The variety of balsamic vinegar and olive oils at the All About Olives store was astounding! I also got some great blueberry balsamic vinegar from the Gorge White House in Hood River Oregon. If you don’t have access to a good vinegar, I love using Nonna Pia’s Balsamic Glaze or Fini Balsamic Reduction. It’s not as sour, a little bit thicker, and is a great topping on caprese salad.

Enjoy Your Lunch Time!

I hope you enjoy this idea for a not-so-basic lunch! It’s a breeze to create, delicious to eat, and satisfies the need for fresh veggies, fruit, and protein all in one tasty bowl. Happy eating!