When I was in South Carolina last weekend for a girls’ trip, we had a great lunch at a seafood place where they had some delicious appetizers. My favorite, by far, was a fried green tomato caprese salad with goat cheese instead of the usual mozzarella—it’s probably a good thing we were sharing. I could have easily polished it off on my own and filled up before my main course even arrived.

Over the weekend, I was working on an article about zucchini noodle recipes, and I couldn’t resist making a caprese-inspired concoction. I could not be happier with the results. For a flavor upgrade, swap your basic balsamic for a thick, concentrated variety and drizzle on top for a striking color contrast.

Goat Cheese Caprese Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 medium zucchini, spiralized
• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 ounces goat cheese, sliced or crumbled
• Fresh basil leaves, torn
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Toss zucchini, tomatoes, goat cheese, and basil together.
2. Divide between 4 plates. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic over each. Season with salt and pepper.

To make this more of a meal, feel free to add some beans (I did cannellini beans with this and loved it!) or some chicken or shrimp.

Do you ever get recipe inspiration from restaurant meals?