Tuscan tomato mozzarella basil stack (Printable)

Elegant appetizer of layered tomato, mozzarella, and basil drizzled with olive oil and balsamic glaze.

# What You'll Need:

→ Fresh Produce

01 - 4 medium ripe tomatoes
02 - 1 small bunch fresh basil leaves

→ Dairy

03 - 9 oz fresh mozzarella cheese

→ Pantry

04 - 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
05 - 2 tbsp balsamic glaze
06 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
07 - Sea salt, to taste

# How-To Steps:

01 - Cut the tomatoes and mozzarella into 8 even rounds approximately 0.4 inches thick each.
02 - Rinse the basil leaves under cold water and pat dry thoroughly.
03 - Place one tomato slice on a serving platter, layer with a mozzarella slice, then add a basil leaf. Repeat until the stack reaches 3 to 4 layers high, finishing with a basil leaf on top.
04 - Insert a long toothpick or bamboo skewer vertically through the center of each stack to stabilize the layers.
05 - Drizzle each pillar with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic glaze. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper according to taste.
06 - Present immediately as a vibrant and refreshing appetizer.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It tastes like summer tastes, if that makes sense—bright, fresh, and impossible to mess up.
  • You'll feel fancy serving these, but nobody needs to know you spent fifteen minutes putting it together.
  • It works for unexpected guests, romantic dinners, or just when you want to remember what good food actually feels like.
02 -
  • Room temperature tomatoes taste better than cold ones—take them out of the fridge 20 minutes before you start, and you'll taste the actual tomato instead of just coldness.
  • If your pillars start leaning, it's usually because your slices aren't even or your toothpick isn't centered. Cut more deliberately next time, not faster.
03 -
  • Use a mandoline slicer for perfectly uniform tomato and mozzarella rounds, but watch your fingers—those blades are sharper than any knife.
  • If you're prepping ahead, keep your tomato and mozzarella slices on separate plates in the fridge, then assemble just before serving so nothing gets soggy or warm.
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