It’s time to create some tomato basil mozzarella skewers that will add color and fun to your party. The delightfully easy appetizers are sure to impress your guests.
These skewers can be made in under 15 minutes and are ready to serve immediately or can be stored a day ahead.
Tomato Mozzarella Basil Skewers
The idea came to me many years ago and when I finally decided to write about them I realized I wasn’t the only one with this seemingly unique idea!
These skewers are easy and quick to make. They include three easily available ingredients and materials which are:
- Basil
- Tomato (grape or cherry)
- Mozzarella balls (small)
- Skewers (small, stainless steel is best)
Do Tomato Mozzarella Basil Skewers use Grape or Cherry Tomatoes
You can use grape or cherry tomatoes. I use whatever is in the store or what I happen to be growing in my garden.
Cherry tomatoes are typically sweeter than grape tomatoes.
I prefer using grape tomatoes however because when they are pierced they do not splatter like cherry tomatoes. Grape tomatoes typically are more dense and therefore make less of a mess.
If you watch my video you’ll see that there is no mess made which was a good thing since I didn’t have use of my kitchen at the time. 🙂
Which Order Should the Tomato Mozzarella Basil Skewers Be Made?
When making your skewers, always start and end with either a mozzarella ball or a tomato, not the basil.
That’s because the basil will unfold, and you want them to remain folded and in place for proper presentation.
You start with the mozzarella ball and slide it onto the skewer.
Then add the folded basil leaf, followed by a tomato and another folded basil leaf.
Repeat the process with the mozzarella and stop with either the tomato or mozz.
Mozzarella Tomato Basil Skewers and Olive Oil
Typically, when you find tomato, basil, and mozzarella together you will also find Olive oil and/or balsamic vinegar.
That’s because a healthy caprese salad will use a drizzle of olive oil. Some people like using balsamic too.
But we certainly don’t want to drizzle any oil or vinegar on the skewers themselves because they would create a massive drippy mess for your guests.
What I recommend is having the oil and vinegar available separately on table so if people want to use them for dipping or however, they can.
How to Eat Tomato Mozzarella Basil Skewers
Your guests may be impressed with your colorful skewers (which should remind people of the Italian flag), but they may be a bit perplexed on how to eat them.
The guests can simply slide the ingredients off the skewers into a bowl or plate.
They can season the mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil using the supplied olive oil and balsamic vinegar along with a dash of pepper if they’d like.
This is an appetizer that they would want to eat with a fork, not finger food.
How Many Basil Mozzarella Tomato Skewers are Made from a Pint of Tomatoes
If you’re trying plan accordingly and don’t know how many basil mozzarella tomato skewers to make, I’ll try to give you rough estimate.
First off, the real answer is… it depends.
How long are the skewers that you’re using? Do you want to add as many tomatoes and mozz balls as possible from end to end? How big are the mozzarella balls and tomatoes?
As with any party or group gathering, figuring out food quantity is critical. So let’s first figure out how many items are required per skewer.
The skewers I used are about 8”. Each skewer holds:
- 3 small mozzarella balls
- 3 grape/cherry tomatoes
- 5 basil leaves
If your friends really like this type of food, I would allow for a min. of 2 skewers per adult and 1 skewer per child.
For 10 Adults with 2 Skewers Per Adult
- 60 small mozzarella balls (3 balls x 10 people x 2 skewers = 60)
- 60 grape/cherry tomatoes (3 tomatoes x 10 people x 2 skewers = 60)
- 100 basil leaves (5 basil leaves x 10 people x 2 skewers = 100)
And you can do the math from there…
That may sound like a lot, especially the basil but if you grow your own basil you know 100 leaves should not be a problem.
How to the Serve Tomato Mozzarella Basil Skewers
The best way to serve your tomato mozzarella basil skewers is just like you would a kabob. Place the skewers on a party tray with enough of the skewers on each end so they are easy to pick up.
I would lay them flat, not upright in a container.
I would serve these skewers alongside some other antipasto platters or trays.
You do not want the skewers sitting out too far in advance of serving because you wouldn’t want the mozzarella balls to dry up.
If you need to place them out but are unsure for how long until the guests will be ready to partake, then place a damp paper towel over the platter of skewers.
Your basil should be fine and retain their color.
What Type of Skewers are Best for the Basil, Mozzarella and Tomatoes
In my video below you’ll see that I am using wood skewers, but while they worked fine, my husband when grabbing one got a sliver of the wood in his hand.
So we went online and ordered some metal 7” skewers on Amazon which I now wish I had used in the video because they are perfect!
So if you choose to do this Italian recipe, I recommend looking at your local store or online for the stainless steel skewers which are pretty cool.
Making the Tomato Mozzarella Basil Skewers Ahead of Time
I would not make these skewers too far in advance, certainly no more than a day.
Here are a few reasons:
- Basil leaves may wilt even if kept in the fridge. Basil leaves like any herb require water to stay fresh once they are cut from the stem/branch.
- Mozzarella balls of any size, should be stored in water to remain fresh and not dry out.
Those are the main two reasons. It would be great to make them ahead the day before, but I would not recommend it.
Instead just get all your ingredients together and make the skewers a few hours ahead and cover in the fridge with a damp paper towel to keep the mozzarella and basil from drying out.
However, the good news is that they are very quick and easy to make, so preparing them a few hours at most should be fine.
What Other Ingredients can be Used Besides Mozzarella Tomato and Basil
As the saying goes, rules are meant to be broken, so the same goes for many recipes.
Feel free to be creative by adding in additional ingredients, but I would stick to those commonly found with Italian fresh salads such as antipasto.
Here are some ideas:
- Pitted olives
- Artichokes
- Various cheeses (cubed)
- Meats such as prosciutto, salami, pepperoni.
Similar Dishes to Serve With This Recipe
Once you know how to make chickpea salad, you’ll want to serve it at every party you go to!
This is a great summer recipe that will be enjoyed by all, even by anyone who never had pan fried zucchini flowers before!
Try this cannellini bean salad loaded with healthy Mediterranean ingredients!
If you enjoy these recipes, and my tomato mozzarella basil skewers recipe, then I invite you to not just follow me on social but join my email list and I’ll send you more recipes and Italian tips!
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Tomato Mozzarella Basil Skewers
Equipment
- 10" stainless steel skewers
Ingredients
- 36 small fresh mozzarella balls
- 36 whole cherry/grape tomatoes
- 60 fresh basil leaves if you have fresh basil plants finding 60 leaves is not as much as you would think! You can also simply use fewer basil leaves.
- 12 skewers 2 skewers per person
- extra virgin olive oil served separately
- balsamic vinegar served separately
Instructions
- Start by placing a mozzarella ball on the skewer and slide to the end of the skewer
- Fold a basil leaf in half or in thirds and slide that onto the skewer so the skewer holds it in place
- Add the tomato (grape or cherry) and slide that next to the basil leaf
- Fold another basil leaf in half in and slide on the skewer
- Repeat steps 1-4 two more times, ending with a tomato
- Set aside and repeat with the next skewer.
- Serve on a large platter with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar available separately.
Video
Other Similar Recipes that Use Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil
If you enjoy this recipe you may also enjoy other similar recipes too such as my fried eggplant and mozzarella stacks, cherry tomato caprese and my traditional and healthy caprese salad.
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Ciao Friend! If you’re new here, I’d like to send you two easy and delicious Italian recipes every week. If you want in, just sign up using this form! I’d love to share my recipes with you!
