Prosciutto Salad with Mango and Burrata

This prosciutto salad is so easy to make, yet it feels rather elegant with salty prosciutto and mixed greens, sweet mango, cream cheese, and gooey burrata, finishing it off with a tangy balsamic glaze and some pine nuts. All this is done in less than 30 minutes, and most of it is no-hands time!

 

 

I'm a firm believer of that we eat with our eyes and that beautiful salads can make or break a meal. It must be balanced in colors, textures, and flavors. 

 

If this sounds like you too, I highly recommend trying this fennel grapefruit salad, grilled peach salad, or mint citrus salad, and for fall this maple mustard butternut squash kale salad is perfect.

 

 

Ingredients

 

• Prosciutto: brings the salty umami to the dish. 
• Mango: the sweetness from the mango is absolutely fantastic next to the salty prosciutto and tangy cream cheese!
• Burrata: Burrata cheese makes this dish so creamilicious without overpowering the other flavors in the salad.
• Cream cheese: However, if I were to choose between the burrata and the cream cheese I would 100% go for the tangy cream cheese. It is so good with prosciutto and mango!
• Mixed greens: I go for a variety of baby spinach, arugula, red rhubarb. Baby leaves are sweet and flavorful!
• Spring onions: A little extra punch and crunch. You can use any onion you like, or none at all.
• Pine nuts: This dish is kind of Italian inspired, and what better nut to choose than pine nuts? Pine nuts are amazing as a topping and I use them all the time. Especially important are they in this pesto chicken pasta!
• Homemade balsamic glaze (balsamic vinegar + sugar) takes just a few extra minutes and it is amazing in light salads like this. You can use maple syrup too, or honey for an extra special glaze. 

 

 

Step-by-step instructions

 

Prepare the balsamic glaze first. Combine balsamic vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring it to a simmer and simmer for 20 minutes or until reduced by half. Let cool (I do this in a tub of cold water while I prepare the rest). 

 

In a large serving bowl, add mixed greens, green onions, mango and prosciutto. 

 

Roast pine nuts in a dry non-stick pan on medium high heat until golden and smells nutty, about 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle on top of the salad. 

 

Dollop the cream cheese randomly over the salad, about ½ teaspoon for each dollop. In a small bowl, open the burrata. Add small pieces of burrata all over the salad. 

 

Then drizzle with a little olive oil, balsamic glaze and a sprinkle of sea salt. Garnish with fresh basil, if desired. Serve with crusty bread, enjoy!

 

 

Storage

 

This prosciutto salad is best right after it's made. However, you can cover the bowl with plastic wrap (or a tight lid), and store in the refrigerator until the next day.

 

If you know you will not eat everything right away, just separate the vegetables from the cream cheese, burrata and balsamic glaze for best results. Burrata especially is a very short-lived cheese which looses its fresh taste quickly, however, a day is acceptable (as leftovers).

 

 

Recipe FAQS

What is prosciutto?

Prosciutto is a raw, cured ham made with high-quality pork legs, a meat from Italy. It doesn't have to be prepared in any way before consumed because the curing (salting) takes the moisture and blood out of the meat so bacteria doesn't grow on it.

 

It is salty, mild and delicately sweet. You can also use Serrano ham or other cured hams if you can't find prosciutto.

 

 

What is burrata?

Burrata is also Italian. It's a cow milk cheese made from mozzarella and cream. There's an outer casing made from cheese, inside there are soft, stringy curds. The texture is what makes this cheese so interesting. It is creamy and mild.

 

Expert tips

Variations

It is only your imagination that limits what you can do with salads. You don't have to follow any rules, ratios or whatever.

 

However, the absolute minimum for me is the combination of cream cheese, prosciutto and mango (or another sweet fruit). Those are the holy trinity of the salad!

 

• Other fruits: this is my version of a peach  prosciutto salad or a melon and prosciutto salad. There's something so good with the salty prosciutto and sweet fruits. Use melon or peach if you want and the result will be quite similar - and very delicious! It's important that the fruit is very sweet. 
• Other nuts or seeds: there's no problem in switching up the nuts in this recipe and go for whatever you want. My best tips would be walnuts, roasted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds. Roasting the nuts/seeds makes the flavor so much better so do not skip that step!
• Other dressings: If you do not like balsamic glaze, you could go for a light lemon vinaigrette or a creamy garlic dressing.
• Make it more filling: You can add cooked chicken to this dish if you want more protein. Use simple flavors like salt, pepper and garlic powder when you cook it.
• Make crispy prosicutto: If you want more texture from the prosciutto, you can fry it in a dry non-stick pan on medium high heat for a few minutes. Dry it on a paper towel. I really love the creamy texture of raw prosciutto, but sometimes we crave crispy!

 

 

Enjoy! 

 

Did you like this recipe? Here are more salads I think you would enjoy:

 

 

 

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