Ready in 10 minutes, this little dish is much more than a burrata salad! Burrata with fresh tomatoes, basil, prosciutto and crusty Italian bread is a little meal in its own right. The perfect start to an Italian-style dinner!
Burrata cheese with tomato and basil is a classic combo I can’t live without! And the crunchy olive oil-toasted Italian bread, salty prosciutto, and tangy capers take it to the next level! You can think of this as a slightly indulgent burrata salad or an appetizer to start a delicious Italian dinner.
Personally, I’ll have it as a summer meal with nothing more than a refreshing Aperol Spritz!
In this post:
What is burrata?
Burrata is a soft Italian cheese made from cow’s milk or water buffalo milk. The word burrata comes from the Italian word burro, which means “butter." So, yes, this cheese is buttery in both texture and flavor!
People confuse burrata with mozzarella cheese. It’s an easy mistake to make, because each burrata ball is actually a shell of fresh mozzarella surrounding a gooey, stringy, cream and curd filling (called stracciatella). To simplify, you can think of it as mozzarella’s softer, richer cousin!
The taste of burrata is one of a kind. It is at once incredibly buttery, milky, and ever so slightly sweet. Part of its appeal is that you can spread it onto crusty bread, nestle it into pasta dishes, or enjoy it with some prosciutto and fruit, like in this burrata appetizer recipe.
Burrata cheese is not hard to find – if your local grocery store has a good cheese selection, they will likely have it. Look in the fridge section next to mozzarella and feta.
Ingredients you'll need for this burrata recipe
Bright, rich, and tangy, this savory burrata salad needs just a few ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Crusty Italian-style bread - Use something like ike ciabatta, ciriola, or casareccio. (A baguette loaf would work in a pinch, if you cannot find Italian-style bread.) It’s also fine to use leftover garlic bread if it’s still nice and crunchy.
- Extra virgin olive oil - Our Italian Nocellara EVOO is the ideal choice here. Its aroma of freshly cut tomatoes works well to complement the cherry tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes in this recipe.
- Burrata cheese - You’ll need 8 ounces of creamy fresh burrata.
- Prosciutto - Salty prosciutto pairs well with rich, tangy flavors. Ham, (cooked) pancetta, and salami would work as well, but will alter the flavor of this burrata recipe.
- Grape or cherry tomatoes - You need 1 cup of halved cherry or grape tomatoes. If you like, other fresh tomatoes like sliced heirloom would work, too!
- Jalapeno - Seed it to remove most of its spiciness, and then mince.
- Sun-dried tomatoes - Chop 3 ounces of quality sundried tomatoes for some sweetness and tang.
- Olives and capers - Both add a good amount of brininess.You can use one or the other, if you don’t have both. You can also try bits of preserved lemon or canned artichoke hearts.
- Red pepper flakes, optional - For a less spicy option, try Aleppo-style pepper.
How to make this burrata appetizer
Once your ingredients are ready, this burrata appetizer comes together with very little effort. Grab a large platter or serving plate. Add some toasted crusty bread and burrata cheese, since they are the stars of this dish, then fill in the gaps you see on the platter with fresh tomatoes, basil, capers or olives, and sun-dried tomato bits. Season with kosher salt and black pepper, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. A drizzle of olive oil is the perfect finishing touch. And you’re done! An easy, flavorful burrata recipe in mere minutes!
What to serve with it
Burrata prosciutto with bread and tomatoes is a wonderful light lunch served by itself at room temperature with a bubbly drink of your choice. But like bruschetta, this burrata plate can be served as an appetizer to start a delicious Italian meal ahead of things like chicken piccata, pasta primavera, baked meatballs, or eggplant lasagna.
Leftovers and storage
Like mozzarella cheese, burrata cheese by itself will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge once opened. It usually comes in the brine, so be sure to keep it in the same box with the brine covering the cheese balls.
But when combined with the other ingredients, I recommend eating your burrata immediately or within a day or 2 at most. To keep the toasted pieces of bread as crunchy as possible, separate the toasts from the other ingredients and store it at room temperature in an airtight container.
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10-Min Burrata with Tomato, Basil, and Prosciutto
Ingredients
- 8 ounces crusty Italian-style bread, like ciabatta
- Extra virgin olive oil, Italian Nocellara
- 8 ounces burrata cheese
- 3 ounces prosciutto
- 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 Jalapeno, seeded and minced
- 3 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- ⅓ cup olives, any kind you like
- 2 teaspoons capers
- Basil leaves, handful, torn
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Tear the bread up into pieces and arrange them, crusty side down, on a sheet pan. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, making sure to spread the evoo over the soft (fleshy) side of the bread. Broil for a couple of minutes, watching carefully for the bread to gain some color.
- Arrange the toasted bread pieces on a large platter. Add in the burrata, prosciutto and tomatoes, and top with the remaining ingredients.
- Finish with a good dash of kosher salt and black pepper (particularly on the tomatoes and burrata), and a little red pepper flakes, if you don’t mind the heat. Drizzle olive oil all over and serve.
Video
Notes
- Leftovers and storage: This burrata appetizer is best enjoyed fresh on the day you make it. If you have any leftover, keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days. To keep the toasted pieces of bread as crunchy as possible, separate the toasts from the other ingredients and store it at room temperature in an airtight container.
- Visit Our Shop for quality Mediterranean ingredients including extra virgin olive oils and spices. I highly recommend our Italian Nocellara EVOO and all-natural sun-dried tomatoes for this recipe.
This is so good! I didn’t have prosciutto on hand so I used some reduced fat hard salami. I also used Rosemary Parmesan bread. I’ll be using this recipe for lunches as well and just bulk it up with some added greens. 💋🤌🏻
Love the substitution ideas, Mary! Thanks for sharing!
I love you and your recipes. I look forward every day to receiving them in my e-mail
Delicious flavours that love being together and healthy too it's a sunny 🌞 meal for all year!
OMG this is divine!! I'd never tried burrata before, but I will definitely be making this over and over. Such an easy summertime snack.
Enjoy!
This appetizer looks as good as it tastes!!
Yesss! Thanks, Erin!