A Colorful Chopped Fruit Salad With Cheese

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Bring a variety of fresh fruit to the table in a single trip. This easy to prepare dish, combines five different kinds of fruit together with two sources of protein. Making a delicious, colorful & satisfying, chopped fruit salad with cheese (spoiler: that’s one source of protein). It’s a refreshing rainbow salad bowl you’ll want throughout the summer and all year long.

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The best parts of a Caprese salad and a classic fruit salad combined into one satisfying recipe.

Fresh fruit makes a great snack option. But if you’ve been stuck in a routine of grabbing the same produce, consider switching things up with this simple fruit salad recipe.

Why you’ll love this fresh fruit salad recipe

• can be prepared in advance
• includes a variety of fresh fruits
• easily adjustable based on produce availability
• has added proteins
• is a good source of fiber
• has no added sugar
• makes a filling & refreshing snack or meal

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Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this fruit salad with cheese recipe. Find the exact measurements in the recipe box below.

• apple – choose a variety you’ll enjoy raw. I like using Kanzi or honey crisp apples here.
• lemon juice – freshly squeezed from about a quarter of a lemon. This will help prevent the apple from browning & also add flavor.
• mandarin oranges – any small, easy-to-peel orange can be substituted here (including clementine, tangerines or any of the hybrids available). Choose seedless if possible.
• grapes – seedless, either red or green
• cherries – stems removed, pitted & chopped
• blueberries – leave them whole
• fresh mozzarella cheese – use small pearls here (or a larger variety that you can cut into bite sized pieces). If the cheese is packed in water, make sure to drain it before use. Save the leftovers to make this marinated mozzarella balls recipe or try these microwave cheese crisps.
• hemp hearts – also known as shelled hemp seeds, these add a little nutty flavor, extra texture, plus they’re a shelf-stable source of protein
• fresh mint leaves – thinly sliced

Missing something? Try these ingredient swap ideas

This recipe is pretty flexible. The produce can easily be adjusted based on what you have on hand or what is available/in season at the supermarket.

Either make a simple swap for different colors/variety (for the grapes, apples & citrus), adjust quantities in the to compensate for unavailable items (you should have about 3½ cups of fruit), or substitute with another fruit option.

Some other fruits that are be good in this dish include: stone fruits, pineapple, kiwi, lychee, mango & strawberry. For more colorful produce ideas, check out this post that lists fruits and vegetables by color.

You could even add some leafy greens to this (like spinach or arugula leaves). I’d do this right before serving so they don’t wilt too much. Avoid using frozen fruit or banana in this recipe. They’ll get to mushy.

How to make this fruit salad with cheese

All it takes to make this salad is some (1) prep work on the produce (2) separating the mozzarella pearls & (3) combining it all with the hemp seeds. There’s no additional dressing to mix.

Details on the chop

After washing all your produce, place them onto a clean kitchen towel to dry. Some of the fruit requires more attention:

• apple – place onto a cutting board with the stem side up. Slice vertically into four pieces, as close to the core as possible. Discard the core and dice the apple into bite sides pieces (makes 1 cup/115 grams). Transfer to a serving bowl and toss together with lemon juice.
• mandarin oranges – peel and separate the mandarins. Cut each segment into 2-3 pieces. (makes 1 cup/150 grams).
• grapes – slice in ½ (or ⅓ if they are on the larger side).
• cherries – remove stems, pit & chopped. A quick and easy way to do this without any special tools, is with a pairing knife. Carefully cut around the pit until you’ve made a full circle around the fruit. (This creates two halves.) Rotate and repeat, to make quarters. Then again to cut into eighths. They’ll easily fall off at this point making a bit of a mess. For a pretty presentation, wait to mix in the cherries until right before serving to avoid them “bleeding” onto the other fruit.
• blueberries – leave them whole
• fresh mint leaves – thinly slice using the chiffonade cutting technique; which is done by stacking, rolling and then slicing the leaves.

How to Store

Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container (I like using glass for this) for up to 3 days.

Note that some of the fruits (specifically the apples & cherries) can discolor (themselves or the rest of the salad) as the leftovers marinate in the fridge. If you’re preparing this salad in advance and want it to look it’s best, wait to combine the ingredients until shortly before serving.

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Chopped Fruit Salad with Cheese Recipe