Caprese Lettuce Salad with Ham; lilies

There is nothing better at the end of a hot, busy day than a meal that requires absolutely no cooking at all.

No, I’m not talking about a sandwich eaten in front of the TV or takeout delivered to your door.

I’m talking about a simple, fresh salad, tossed and served with a chilled rosé, eaten while watching the sun set.

Just because one isn’t heating up the kitchen doesn’t mean one can’t enjoy a civilized meal.

Just so you know – I have never lived anywhere that having food delivered was an option. For me, eating has always required preparing the food – or driving somewhere.

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Caprese Lettuce Salad with Ham

This is the perfect hot weather salad. I buy a thick slice of ham at the deli counter. I used mini-mozzarella, but a regular one, cut or torn into chunks would work as well.

  • Author: Katie Zeller
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 2 servings 1x
  • Category: Salads

Ingredients

Scale
  • 8oz (240gr ham, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1012 small mozzarella balls, cut in half
  • 1 cup (4oz, 120gr) cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  • 1 avocado, removed from shell, cut into chunks
  • handful of fresh basil leaves, torn if large
  • enough lettuce for 2 main dish salads, washed and spun dry 
  • Balsamic Vinaigrette:
  • 3 tbs good olive oil
  • 2 tbs Balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbs Dijon-style mustard 

Instructions

  • Tear lettuce and put into a large salad bowl, along with basil leaves. 
  • Add 2 – 3 tbs vinaigrette and toss well to combine. 
  • Taste, adjust. 
  • Add ham, tomatoes, mozzarella, avocado, and toss gently. 
  • Serve,remaining vinaigrette on the side. 
  • Balsamic Vinaigrette:
  • Whisk vinegar and mustard.
  • Slowly whisk in oil.

Notes

I used both purple and green basil. 
Substitute smoked turkey breast for the ham.
You could add anything else you have lurking in the pantry: olives, white beans, sweet corn. We kept it simple and served it with a baguette.

Keywords: summer salad, caprese

Caprese Lettuce Salad

My lilies have been gorgeous this summer.

It makes such a big difference when the bunnies don’t eat them.

One could say that about the rest of the garden as well.

It’s still hot here, although not as bad. According to the forecast it’s supposed to stay this way for the rest of the summer.

I guess we’ll adjust.

Bonnie has finally figured out that the fan I have on the floor is not something to be afraid of. Tonight she was sprawled right in front of it, with the breeze ruffling the fur on her belly.

Guapa is still skeptical…..

2 thoughts on “Caprese Lettuce Salad with Ham; lilies”

  1. Salads are so much better in the summer. And yes, aside from the no roughage warning, I had a cob salad last night for dinner. Made a huge one for hubs and me. It was yummy 🙂

    It’s not nearly as hot today as yesterday, but we’re supposed to have a hotter than usual summer which figures since it took until the end of June to even warm up! Mother Nature is making up for lost time, I think. 😉

    Your lilies are beautiful! Mine have finally started to bud.

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