Cannellini Caprese with Burrata
SCRAPS #70: burrata for dinner, please!
Today I’m sharing with you a recipe from my friend’s, Caroline Chambers’s new cookbook, What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking, which is out today!!! The Cannellini Caprese with Burrata is a recipe from her 15-ish minutes chapter, packed with 15-ish-minute dinner ideas, which we could all use more of. I picked this recipe, since I think it encompasses Caro’s cooking style so well: it’s witty, easy, never-fussy and flavor-forward. The tomatoes and basil are fresh and so summery, the beans are creamy and filling, the dressing is perfectly tangy and you won’t be able to get enough of that burrata oozing all over the plate. I served mine with freshly baked sourdough bread and it was a dream!!!
Caroline Chambers is the author of What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking. She grew up in the kitchen on her mom’s hip, learning how to cook in their Winston-Salem, North Carolina, home. Her professional food career began in her early twenties when she worked as a chef and caterer. After a stint in a professional test kitchen, Caro struck out on her own as a freelancer, developing recipes for a host of publications as well as brands such as Boursin Cheese and Kim Crawford Wine, and in 2018, she published her first cookbook, Just Married. In 2020—at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic—Caro began sharing her recipes and connecting with home cooks on Instagram (@carochambers), and launched her newsletter, What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking, which flew to the top of the Substack charts; her podcast, So Into That, followed in 2023. Caro lives in Carmel Valley, California, with her husband, George, and their three young sons, Mattis, Calum, and Cashel—one of whom can almost always be found in the kitchen on her hip. When she doesn’t feel like cooking, Caro’s go-to meal is Veggie Peanut Noods.
Here’s an even better picture of Caro’s recipe, photographed by Eva Kolenko
The cookbook is officially out today, so you can get it from wherever books are sold!
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 15 minutes
MAKES: 4 servings as a main, 6 as an appetizer
Printable recipe:
Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves
1 (15-ounce) can white beans, such as cannellini or navy, drained and rinsed
2 pints cherry tomatoes
1/4 small red onion
3/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1 large avocado
2 (4-ounce) burrata balls, drained and at room temperature
Bread (any type!), for serving
Instructions
In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, honey, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Use a Microplane to grate in the garlic.
Add the beans and use a fork to lightly smash them; they should still hold their shape.
Halve or quarter the tomatoes and place them in a colander. Sprinkle with a big pinch of salt and toss, then leave them in the sink to drain for a bit.
Meanwhile, thinly slice the onion and gently tear the basil leaves. Add both to the dressing. Dice the avocado and add it to the bowl as well. Add the drained tomatoes to the salad and gently toss to combine.
Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Divide the salad among four bowls. Tear the burrata balls in half, placing a half on top of each salad.
Slice the bread and serve alongside. (I like to spoon a little burrata and salad over a baguette slice and eat it like bruschetta!)
TIP The tomatoes will give off a lot of liquid, so if you have leftovers, pour that off before enjoying a second time so the salad doesn’t get soggy.
LEARN A rule to live by: If your bread is really good, you probably don’t need to toast it. But if it’s grocery store bread, a drizzle of olive oil and a blast under the broiler will bring it to life.
BULK IT UP Add a big handful of mixed greens or arugula to make it a leafy green salad.
RIFF Make it a handheld appetizer situation by making crostini! Toast a bunch of baguette slices, smear them with good ricotta, then pile a spoonful of the caprese salad on top.
What else I’m making ASAP from Caro’s cookbook:
Salmon Crunch Bowls
Fancy Fish
Photos by Eva Kolenko
Looks bomb dot com
So excited to get my book!