Melon & Prosciutto Caprese Salad

Melon & Prosciutto Caprese Salad is perfect for summer picnics, barbecues, and dinners al fresco on the patio enjoying the summer sun!

Melon and Prosciutto salad.

It’s a classic appetizer that always makes me think of summertime in Europe. No matter where we would go, but especially in Italy, I could always count on finding prosciutto and melon on the menu.

A refreshing yet hearty summer salad

When the weather heats up here in the States, I love to bring a little of that common European appetizer to life in the form of a salad. It’s a fun way to update the traditional Caprese salad – which has mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil.

This Melon Prosciutto Caprese Salad is the perfect balance of flavors: you get the salt from the prosciutto and the sweet from the melon. The basil gives the dish a nice, bright finish that makes it even more of a celebration of summer on a plate!

This “recipe” is really one of my almost-no-measure recipes. Meaning: use as many or as few cantaloupe and mozzarella balls as your taste prefers. Want a meatier salad? Add more prosciutto!

The only thing I would caution against is using too much olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Too much of either can overpower this generally light summer recipe. Plus, if you make this ahead of time and it sits out for a while during a picnic or barbecue, the prosciutto and melon will get a little too soggy.

I served this recently at a Bunco night. Since then, I have heard from at least two friends who have made this melon and prosciutto salad for other summer gatherings.

It’s a crowd-pleasing dish, for sure! You can adjust the amount of ingredients easily to feed a small wedding party if you wanted to.

It’s such a fun summer salad. Bring it to picnics, work parties, barbecues. Or, just make it for yourself and enjoy a nice relaxing evening out on the back deck!

What wine pairs well with this summer salad?

This light, fresh salad pairs well with a glass of Rosé. You could also pair it with a crisp Chardonnay aged in stainless steel. Or try a glass of Grüner Veltliner with this salad.

More summer recipes

• Backyard BBQ: Party Ideas
• Perfect BBQ Side Dish Recipe: Corn with Basil Lime Butter
• The Perfect Summer Party: Food, Drink, and Entertaining Ideas
• Melon & Prosciutto Caprese Salad
• Pineapple Mango Salsa

Melon and Prosciutto Caprese Salad

5 from 3 votes

Prep Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 15 mins

Melon Caprese Salad is perfect for summer picnics, barbecues, and dinners al fresco!

Servings: 12 -15

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Ingredients

• 1 cantaloupe seeded and either sliced into cubes or scooped out into cute little melon balls
• 1 package prosciutto or 2 if you want more meat!
• about 1 pound of mozzarella balls I used half of a ginormous Costco-sized package of individual servings that each had three mozzarella balls in them
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil plus a few leaves for garnish
• 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper

Instructions

• Layer all ingredients onto a large serving plate or tray. I usually start with a layer of full basil leaves and prosciutto, then top with cantaloupe melon balls, sprinkle in the mozzarella balls in between cantaloupe, then fill in the gaps with more prosciutto.
• Sprinkle chopped basil over the entire salad.
• Drizzle olive oil over the entire salad.
• Drizzle balsamic vinegar over the entire salad.
• Lightly salt and pepper.
• Using a spoon, gently toss main ingredients on top of the base layer all together so the cheese and melon balls all get a little bit of the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil.
• Serve immediately, or refrigerate up to 2-3 hours before serving.

Notes

NOTE: The measurements here are estimates and you can certainly adapt them based on how many people you need to feed, and also what is available to you at your local market.

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What’s your favorite summer salad?