Let’s hear it for burrata cheese! I always order burrata when I find it on restaurant menus, and we’ve had some stellar combinations this summer. I can’t resist burrata’s contrasting textures—it’s like fresh mozzarella on the outside, but lusciously soft and creamy on the inside.
For this recipe, I designed a quintessential summertime burrata salad with fresh tomatoes. Serve it with crostini or a loaf of crusty bread to make it an appetizer. This burrata dish comes together in 15 minutes, believe it or not, and it’s a real showstopper.
I wanted to keep it simple but make it taste special, so I drew reference from my Easy Tomato Salad and Tomato Basil Bruschetta. I landed on a combination of cherry tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes for depth, plus freshly toasted pine nuts for a savory note. It’s not complete without a drizzle of rich olive oil, tangy balsamic vinegar, and a sprinkle of fresh basil. I hope it becomes one of your go-to recipes!
What is Burrata?
Burrata is an extra-rich and creamy variation of fresh mozzarella. It looks like a regular mozzarella ball on the outside. The inside is made of stracciatella, a luscious mixture of cream and mozzarella curds. It’s milky and delicious.
Burrata can be made with buffalo milk or cow milk. Buffalo milk is more traditional and offers a brighter, slightly tangy flavor, while cow’s milk is milder and might taste more familiar. Either one works well for this recipe.
Look for burrata near the fresh mozzarella at well-stocked grocery stores like Whole Foods. Use it promptly, especially once you’ve opened the package—it’s packed in water and doesn’t keep well like hard cheeses do.
Serve burrata at room temperature for the best flavor, or anywhere between lightly chilled and slightly warmed.
Burrata Serving Suggestions
Burrata pairs beautifully with the Italian flavors featured in this recipe: ripe tomatoes, basil (including pesto), balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and pine nuts or pistachios. If you’re not in the mood for tomatoes, replace them with fruit like sliced peaches, plums, cherries or cantaloupe.
Serve this burrata dish as a salad or appetizer. It complements most summertime meals, from casual cookouts to gourmet dinner parties. Round out your meal with any of these summery options:
More Burata Recipes
Try my Caprese Salad with Burrata, which features heirloom tomatoes. Burrata is a viable replacement for fresh mozzarella balls, as long as the recipe doesn’t call for cooking the mozzarella. Try my panzanella with torn pieces of burrata instead of mozzarella for a fun twist!
You can serve burrata on pizza, but wait to add torn burrata until the pizza is finished baking, or add it in the last minute to warm it. If it’s melted completely, it loses the contrast of the creamy interior and turns into a melty, unpredictable blob of mozzarella. Try replacing the mozzarella on my Margherita Pizza or Arugula-Almond Pesto Pizza with torn burrata, or serve it on Grilled Pizza.
Please let me know how your burrata turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
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Burrata with Tomatoes and Basil
This burrata salad recipe features tomatoes, basil and pine nuts, with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. It’s irresistible and ready in 15 minutes. Serve it as a salad or an appetizer with crostini or crusty bread. Recipe yields 4 to 6 servings.
- If you’re using pine nuts: In a small skillet over medium-low heat, warm the pine nuts until they’re fragrant and turning lightly golden on the edges, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often (don’t let them burn!). Transfer them to a bowl to cool.
- In a shallow serving bowl, combine the cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, basil and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and 1 teaspoon of the vinegar, and stir to combine all of the ingredients.
- Gently tear open each ball of burrata and nestle them gently into the center of the tomato mixture. Drizzle the burrata with the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle the pine nuts all over the dish, followed by some reserved basil leaves, plus a sprinkle of black pepper. Sprinkle a pinch of flaky salt over the cheese, if using.
- Serve with crostini or crusty bread on the side, if using. This burrata is best the day it’s made, but leftovers are good for several days in the refrigerator, covered.
Notes
Change it up: Substitute a large sliced peach for half of the tomatoes. Or for a more fruity variation, substitute peaches, nectarines or cherries for the tomatoes altogether (about 2 cups), and omit the sun-dried tomatoes. For the fruity variation, you might prefer pistachios to pine nuts.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
