Cantaloupe Bocconcini Salad
Ready in mere minutes, this super tasty Cantaloupe Bocconcini Salad is so refreshing, it’s guaranteed to be a true favorite this summer!
Here’s a salad that’s super quick, super easy to make, but that also happens to be extra elegant and wonderfully tasty and refreshing! Perfect for summer!
I haven’t invented anything here: cantaloupe and bocconcini is a very classic pairing… but if you wanted to change things up a bit, you could very well replace the cantaloupe with another variety of melon, like honeydew or canary, for instance. Or even use a combination of different melons; this would also add a beautiful contrast in taste and color.
Hey, why not go ahead and even throw in some watermelon?
Likewise, you could use feta or goat cheese, in lieu of the bocconcini, for a more intense cheese flavor…
Ultimately, just use this recipe as a guide, and then let your imagination run wild!
If you want to make your salad extra pretty, make cute little balls of cantaloupe with the help of a melon baller.
If you don’t already own one, I say that you should definitely consider investing in one. While you probably won’t be using it every day, you’ll be very happy to find one in your drawers when the need for it suddenly arises! Plus, they cost virtually nothing and take up close to no space at all… so I say it’s a kitchen gadget that’s definitely worth having.
If you’re gonna go the ball route, though, plan on using a real big cantaloupe, since you’ll be producing a lot of “waste”! Indeed, just like when you’re cutting out circles out of pie dough, you’ll be carving out balls of melon, leaving all kinds of “unballable” flesh behind. Now that don’t mean that you have to throw all that melon flesh out. By all means, scoop it out with a large scoop and keep it to munch on later… or sooner!
If you didn’t want to go through all the trouble of making melon balls, or if you didn’t have a baller handy, you could very well cut your cantaloupe into cubes instead. In that case, you would also get away with a much smaller melon, as you wouldn’t be producing any waste, save for the skin…
No matter what route you decide to take, once your melon is good and ready to go — you’ll need about 3 cups total — throw it into a mixing bowl, along with the mini bocconcinis, chopped herbs, evoo, vinegar and salt.
Give everything a good stir and serve immediately, or place your salad in the fridge for a few hours to allow flavors to meld. Don’t go much longer than a few hours though, for this salad loses its freshness rather quickly.
For that same reason, I can’t recommend making it ahead of time but it comes together so quickly, I’m guessing that won’t be a problem…
Cantaloupe Bocconcini Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups cantaloupe balls, or cubes*
- 15 mini bocconicinis, cut in half
- 3 tbsp chopped basil
- 1 tbsp chopped mint
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
- generous pinch of salt
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and toss delicately to combine.
- Serve immediately, or place in the fridge for a few hours to allow flavors to meld.
- This salad loses its freshness rather quickly so I can't recommend making it ahead of time.
Notes
Nutrition
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