Insalata Caprese with Balsamic Reduction Sauce

Caprese salad is one of my favorite side dishes/salads to serve with any Italian meal. If I’m serving pasta at my house you can expect either a Caesar salad or this recipe for Insalata Caprese with Balsamic Reduction Sauce!

Years ago, I started making my own balsamic reduction sauce. This was before you could easily find it in the grocery store. You were lucky if you could find it in a specialty food store. So I would make it from scratch.

To make the sauce: in a pot add balsamic vinegar and white granulated sugar. Bring to a boil stirring frequently until the sugar has dissolved. Then reduce the heat and simmer until the mixture has thickened (about 10 minutes). As soon as it’s reduced by half transfer to a glass storage container. Let cool to room temperature then place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

As you  read above making balsamic reduction sauce is actually very easy to make. I store the reduction in a glass jar in my refrigerator. I only have ever kept this reduction sauce for a month in my refrigerator. Heck, two weeks if I’m lucky! You’ll find yourself using this thick sweet balsamic sauce on salads, meats, and more. It’s not just for caprese!