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Caprese Skewers with Basil Pesto

Cherry tomatoes, mini mozzarella balls and fresh basil threaded onto skewers and drizzled with a quick homemade basil pesto. A colourful, low-carb snack or party starter, ready in 25 minutes.

Snack

25

Serves 4 (2 skewers each)

Skewers of cherry tomatoes, mozzarella balls and basil leaves drizzled with green pesto on a dark tray, with toasted bread beside them

Ingredients

  • 24 cherry tomatoes (about 300g/10½oz)
  • 200g/7oz drained mini mozzarella balls (ciliegine, about 20; choose one made with vegetarian rennet if needed)
  • 40g/about 2 cups fresh basil: 20g of small leaves for the skewers and 20g for the pesto
  • 8 small skewers, about 15cm/6in long
  • For the pesto
  • 10g/1 tbsp pine nuts
  • 2 tbsp (30ml) extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp (5ml) lemon juice
  • Half a small clove garlic (about 2g)
  • 1 tbsp (15ml) cold water, plus a pinch of salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking the pan, until golden. Watch them closely, as they burn quickly. Let them cool for a few minutes.
  2. Make the pesto: blitz the pine nuts, 20g basil, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, water, salt and pepper in a small food processor or with a stick blender until smooth, or pound with a pestle and mortar.
  3. Pat the mozzarella balls dry with kitchen paper (paper towels). Thread each skewer with a cherry tomato, a basil leaf (folded if large) and a mozzarella ball, and repeat, so each skewer has 3 tomatoes, 2 or 3 mozzarella balls and a few basil leaves.
  4. Lay the skewers on a plate, drizzle with the pesto and finish with a grind of black pepper. Serve 2 skewers each, with toasted bread if you like (use gluten-free bread to keep it gluten-free; not included in the nutrition figures).
  5. Serve within 2 hours of making, or cover and keep in the fridge for up to a day; the basil darkens on standing. Keep any leftover pesto, covered with a thin layer of oil, in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Why it works

Two skewers have about 10g of protein and only 3g of carbohydrate for 218 calories. Most of the energy comes from the mozzarella and the olive oil in the pesto.

Caprese on a stick. Insalata caprese, named after the island of Capri, is tomato, mozzarella and basil dressed with olive oil, the colours of the Italian flag. Threading it onto skewers makes it easy to share.

Why homemade pesto. This quick version uses basil, pine nuts, olive oil, lemon and garlic, with no cheese, so it stays vegetarian. Jarred pesto is often made with Parmesan, which is not vegetarian.

Why it is tagged for blood sugar. With almost no carbohydrate and some protein, it is a snack unlikely to cause a rise in blood sugar. Ripe tomatoes also bring vitamin C and colour.

Many mozzarellas are made with animal rennet, so check the label if you need it to be vegetarian. Contains milk and nuts. For other light snacks, try the tzatziki with vegetable sticks or the devilled eggs with Greek yogurt.