Caprese Skewers with Pesto (Printable Version)

Juicy tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, and basil combined on skewers with a zesty pesto drizzle.

# What You'll Need:

→ Skewers

01 - 12 cherry tomatoes
02 - 12 mini mozzarella balls (bocconcini)
03 - 12 fresh basil leaves
04 - 12 small wooden or bamboo skewers

→ Pesto Drizzle

05 - 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
06 - 2 tablespoons pine nuts
07 - 1 small garlic clove
08 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
09 - 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
10 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

# How to Make It:

01 - Thread one cherry tomato, one mozzarella ball, and one basil leaf onto each skewer in sequence. Arrange the completed skewers on a serving platter.
02 - In a food processor, combine basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic clove, and Parmesan cheese. Pulse until finely chopped.
03 - With the processor running, slowly drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil until the pesto reaches a smooth consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
04 - Drizzle the prepared pesto over the assembled skewers immediately before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • They come together in 15 minutes, which means last-minute guests become your best decision.
  • The pesto tastes homemade because it is, and nobody needs to know how simple that actually is.
  • Everything about them feels light and summery without any of the guilt.
02 -
  • If you make the pesto too early, it oxidizes and turns from bright green to a sad olive color—make it no more than a few hours ahead and cover it directly with plastic wrap touching the surface so air can't reach it.
  • Don't assemble these more than a few hours ahead because the tomato juice slowly turns the mozzarella translucent and weeps onto the platter; the skewers themselves can sit in the fridge, but add the pesto drizzle at the last possible moment.
03 -
  • Buy mozzarella the day of if you can; it tastes noticeably creamier when it's fresh, and this dish lives or dies by its ingredients since there's nowhere to hide.
  • Toast your pine nuts right before making pesto instead of using ones you've had sitting in your pantry for months—the difference between stale and fresh nuts is the difference between good pesto and unforgettable pesto.
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