Keto Caprese Salad with Jalapeño and Garlic

Enjoy sweet summer tomatoes with this delicious keto caprese salad that includes minced garlic and jalapenos for added flavor.

There couldn’t be a better way to enjoy sweet summer tomatoes than with this low-carb and keto caprese salad, made with ripe tomatoes and fresh mozzarella cheese. We could eat this salad almost everyday when late August hits. Even if you're not really a tomato "fan," you'll likely find this salad hard to resist.

It differs from the classic caprese salad since it includes red wine vinegar and minced garlic in the olive oil dressing (a traditional caprese salad is simply made with olive oil). We also top with chopped red onion and jalapeño for a bit of a kick.

In case you're wondering if tomatoes are low-carb and keto-friendly, the answer is YES! Tomatoes are made mostly of water and a typical serving of tomatoes is about 2 grams of net carbs.

This keto caprese salad is simple to make and quite filling for a side dish. And you can serve it with most any protein including chicken, beef or fish. The salad is just 3 net carbs per serving.

Ingredients

• Fresh, ripe tomatoes: The best caprese salad is made with fresh, in-season tomatoes. You can use whatever tomatoes are freshest, such as heirloom, vine, Roma or even grape (you'll just need to tear mozzarella into similar size pieces). You can even mix different varieties in one salad.
• Fresh mozzarella: You'll want to purchase quality, fresh mozzarella balls packed in water. You'll slice into ¼-inch thick slices.
• Extra-virgin olive oil: Quality, extra-virgin oil is another must for caprese salad since you'll taste it.
• Garlic: We love the flavor that fresh garlic adds to the dressing, but you can skip if you like.
• Red onion: We like to add a little chopped onion to our salad. We recommend soaking in ice water before adding to the salad to reduce the bite of the onion. This is an optional ingredient.
• Basil: Fresh basil leaves are another must. You can chop them into smaller pieces or keep them larger.
• Jalapeno: We like to add chopped jalapeno for a little kick, but it's optional.
• Salt and pepper: We use kosher or flaky salt (like Maldon). Freshly-grinded pepper is another must.

How to Make

STEP 1: Slice tomatoes and cheese. Chop onion, basil and jalapenos. Soak sliced onions in cold water for roughly 10 minutes (to remove bite).

STEP 2: In a small bowl, mix olive oil, red wine vinegar and minced garlic. Lightly season with salt and pepper.

STEP 3: On a serving plate, spread sliced tomatoes around plate and lightly season with salt and pepper. Arrange sliced mozzarella between the sliced tomatoes.

STEP 4: Spoon dressing over salad. Top salad with red onion, jalapeño and basil (as desired). Serve immediately.

Classic Caprese Salad Ingredients

A classic caprese salad is simply made with ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh basil and salt and pepper. The best caprese salads use fresh, high-quality ingredients.

Net Carbs in Tomatoes

Fresh tomatoes are low in carbs since they're made mostly of water. The carbs come from simple sugars and insoluble fibers. The amount of net carbs in tomatoes slightly differs by the type of variety. Here are estimates on net carbs, based on variety:

• 1 medium Roma tomato (62 grams): roughly 1 gram of net carbs

• 1 vine tomato (100 grams): roughly 1 gram net carbs

• 5 grape tomatoes (85 grams): roughly 2 grams of net carbs

• 1 whole, medium heirloom tomato (123 grams): roughly 2 to 3 grams net carbs

• Cherry tomatoes (100 grams): roughly 3 grams net carbs

• ½ cup San Marzano tomatoes (121 grams): 4 grams of net carbs

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