If you know me, I’ll pretty much eat anything involving tomatoes. I love them! Add in two more of my favorite things – basil and cheese – and you got me.
Many times, caprese salad is served with prosciutto on the side or a balsamic glaze on top. That’s where I got the idea for these skewers – an easy way to combine all of my favorite things on one skewer, which makes it ideal for parties. Instead of having people struggle to cut the components of a traditional caprese salad into individual servings, it’s all on one skewer they can grab.
First, let’s talk about sourcing the ingredients for this. You can purchase a small pack of basil leaves from the grocery store, but I highly recommend just buying a small basil plant. You can find them in the produce section of any grocery store, and it’s almost the same price for the whole plant as it is for just a few leaves. If I can keep it alive with my black thumb, so can you.
You can use any small stuffed pasta for the skewers. Grocery stores sell pre-filled tortellini, but I purchased my stuffed pasta from Alimentari at Left Bank, which is a vendor inside Transfer Co Food Hall in downtown Raleigh. They not only have stuffed pastas made by hand, but they have house cured charcuterie meats, and they are a whole animal butcher! Super cool place. These pastas were stuffed with ricotta and mushroom – delicious. Pasta tastes way better freshly made.
The only real cooking element of this dish is making the balsamic glaze. Balsamic glaze is literally just balsamic vinegar cooked down and reduced into a glaze form. It sweetens it up a bit and makes it thick enough to glaze something. Simply pour 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar into a sauce pan and simmer over medium heat until it coats the back of a spoon.
Set the glaze aside, boil your pasta for 3 or 4 minutes, and then you can start assembling the skewers.
I put the cherry tomato on first, then I fold a piece of prosciutto or in this case, coppa ham, in a ball/triangle and place it on the skewer. Then I slide on the pasta, a basil leaf, and a mozzarella ball.
I put them right onto the serving plate I’ll be using and then take a spoon and drizzle the glaze on top. I think it looks cool with some of the glaze on the dish.
Then all I do is garnish with a little chopped basil to make them “prettier”. If you’re making these ahead, don’t glaze them until you’re ready to serve. Store them in the fridge covered with plastic wrap.
Loaded Caprese Skewers
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 12 small stuffed pastas, such as tortellini or cappelletti
- 12 cherry tomatoes
- 12 fresh basil leaves
- 12 slices of cured ham, such as prosciutto or coppa
- 12 mozzarella balls
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, pour the balsamic vinegar and simmer over medium heat for 7-12 minutes, until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Set aside.
- Boil stuffed pasta according to package directions, usually about 3-5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- To assemble the skewers, slide a cherry tomato on first. Then fold the piece of meat into a small ball or triangle and slide onto the skewer. Add on the stuffed cooked pasta, a basil leaf, and a mozzarella ball. Place the skewers on a serving plate.
- Drizzle the balsamic glaze on top of the skewers and serve at room temperature. If you want to make them ahead, keep the skewers in the fridge and don't glaze them till you're ready to serve. Garnish with additional chopped basil if desired.
