When Your Caprese Salad Needs A Little Boost, Look To Grilled Eggplant

Tomato, basil, and fresh mozzarella: Put them together with olive oil, balsamic, and a little salt, and you have a beautiful, fresh Caprese salad. This Italian summertime classic makes for an ideal light meal or appetizer, but can sometimes end up being a little too light, especially when you're particularly hungry.

Adding meat can overwhelm the delicate flavors of the mild mozzarella and juicy tomato. So instead, try another veggie with a bit more backbone to it: grilled eggplant. Grilled eggplant is a wonderful addition to this meal, with a slightly sweet and smoky flavor and some much-needed toothsome texture. Though eggplant isn't a classic Caprese ingredient, it's a welcome addition to the salad and goes wonderfully with the existing flavors in the spread. It marries well with the milkiness of the mozzarella, is already a classic pairing with basil, and stands up nicely to the acidity of the tomato. Plus it's a hefty enough veggie to make the salad feel a little more like a proper meal.

Caprese is already a relatively wholesome meal, even without eggplant. Though it's not a traditional salad served on a bed of greens, it still packs a decent nutritional punch. The combination of vitamin-rich tomatoes, protein-filled mozzarella, and basil — which is known for antioxidant properties, makes for a salad that you can feel good about. Add to that the healthy fats of olive oil and the probiotics in balsamic vinegar, and while the dish may not be low-calorie, it's certainly plant-forward and nutrient-rich.

Eggplant adds another layer of health benefits: The vegetable is a powerhouse, providing manganese, potassium, vitamins K and C, and a heaping helping of fiber. Much like basil, it also offers antioxidant properties, which can protect against substances in the body that can damage cells.

Of course, eating one salad won't dramatically change your health overnight. But adding a little extra eggplant to your diet now and then certainly can help.

Caprese salad is actually a little more modern than you might think. The dish was first created soon after World War I, sometime during the 1920's. Caprese salad was born of patriotism and made specifically to represent the three colors of the Italian flag: green, white, and red. However, its rise to popularity didn't fully begin until much later, in the 1950's.

The word "Caprese" refers to the salad's birthplace, Capri, which is an island in the Bay of Naples. Originally the dish was made with local tomatoes and a braided variety of mozzarella called treccia di Sorrento — though when making it at home, any variety will do. The key is to ensure each ingredient is as in-season as you can get it, and be sure to use the fresh mozzarella that comes in brine rather than the dry kind. You'll definitely taste the difference.

While adding eggplant lends a hearty additional, non-traditional hue to this classic Italian postwar dish, as long as the mainstays of tomato, mozzarella, and basil remain in attendance, the Caprese flavors will still shine through.