This Caprese Grilled Cheese Sandwich is so simple, yet simply delicious!
If you’re looking for a tasty way to spruce up a grilled cheese with just a handful of basic ingredients, look no further. Follow me…
Caprese Salad
Caprese is the celebration of mozzarella, basil and tomatoes. It’s one of the most simple salads around, by my god is it delicious. A true marriage of flavours that really work, and, that work in a sandwich. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Tomatoes – I recommend Beef/Beefsteak tomatoes because they’re big and firm, meaning they hold up nicely in the sandwich without turning to mush. Pat dry to remove excess moisture, just to avoid a soggy sandwich.
- Mozzarella – Always fresh! Again, pat fry if needed.
- Basil – I like it roughly torn, just so it’s a bit more prominent in the sandwich. But you can finely dice if you wish.
- Balsamic Glaze – Not always traditional, but certainly no stranger to a caprese salad. Adds a gorgeous tangy sweetness to the sandwich.
- Salt & Pepper – To season the tomatoes.
The Bread
Alrighty, we’ve got the filling. Here’s what you’ll need to turn it into a sandwich:
- Bread – I recommend using something like a sourdough. The reason is it’s nice and firm, which helps contain the soft, gooey filling.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – This is a classic addition to a caprese salad. We’re going to use this to fry the sandwich!
- Garlic – We’re going to rub the sandwich in garlic, kinda as you would bruschetta. It adds a gorgeous hit of flavour, so I highly recommend using it!
Caprese Sandwich
When you’re making the sandwiches, you ideally want to work fairly swiftly. The reason is the longer you leave them sat there, the more moisture the salt is going to draw out of the tomatoes. As such, I usually make a couple, then as they’re frying I get going on the other two. Just so they’re not sat there for too long.
To coat the bread, you can just drizzle the oil, but if you’re extra like me and prefer a more even coverage, grab a brush and slather it over that way!
Process shots: brush bread with oil (photo 1), flip (photo 2), add mozzarella (photo 3), add tomatoes (photo 4), add basil and balsamic glaze (photo 5), add bread and brush with oil (photo 6).
Caprese Grilled Cheese
When making the grilled cheese, usual stuff – medium heat until crispy both sides with the mozzarella nice and gooey.
Rubbing with Garlic
You’ll want to rub the bread with garlic once it’s fried. This will give you a more rough texture to work with, meaning more of the garlic will brush onto the bread. The heat will also very lightly cook the garlic and take out its pungency.
Process shots: add sandwich to pan (photo 1), fry then flip (photo 2), rub top side with garlic (photo 3), once cooked add garlic-side-down and rub the other side (photo 4).
Serving Caprese Sandwiches
I recommend eating them soon after frying, just so they stay nice and crisp! Plus the longer they sit, the more watery the tomatoes get.
I usually serve these up by themselves for a simple lunch, but if you want to make more of a meal out of them you could add some Garlic Parmesan Fries or Marinated Olives!
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for these caprese sandwiches then shall we?!
How to make Caprese Grilled Sandwiches (Full Recipe & Video)
Caprese Grilled Cheese
Equipment
- Large Non-Stick Pan & Spatula/Turner
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Paper Towels
- Brush & Small Pot
Ingredients
- 8 slices of Sourdough, or other firm bread
- 10.5oz / 300g Fresh Mozzarella, sliced
- 3 Beef/Beef Steak Tomatoes, sliced (approx 12 slices total, 3 per sandwich)
- 1/2 small bunch Fresh Basil, roughly torn or finely diced
- 2-3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil, or as needed
- 4 tsp Balsamic Glaze, or as needed (see notes)
- 1 clove of Garlic, peeled but left whole
- Salt & Black Pepper, as needed
Instructions
- Pat your tomato slices with papers towels to remove some moisture. If your mozzarella was stored in brine then pat that dry too.
- Brush 2 slices of bread with extra virgin olive oil then flip them over so they're oil-side-down (you'll prep the other 2 sandwiches in a sec). To those slices add mozzarella, followed by tomato slices. Season the tomatoes with a good pinch of salt and pepper, then add basil and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Place a second slice on top and brush with oil.
- Add to a pan over medium heat and fry until the bottom slices crisp up and turn deep golden. Flip them over then rub the top with garlic. Continue frying until the other slice is crisp and the mozzarella is starting to melt, then add to a chopping board garlic-side-down. Rub the other side with garlic.
- Whilst these sandwiches are frying prep the other two sandwiches. I don't recommend prepping them all at the start (unless you can fit all 4 in the pan at once) because the oil will seep into the bread and the salt will draw out moisture from the tomatoes as they sit.
Quick Demo
Notes
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition:
If you like the look of these caprese sandwiches be sure to check out my Bruschetta Grilled Cheese Sandwiches!
For more similar sandwiches check out these beauties:
Italian Inspired Sandwiches
- Arrabiata Grilled Cheese
- Pesto Grilled Cheese
- Italian Sausage Grilled Cheese
- Sausage and Peppers Sandwich
If you loved this Caprese Sandwich Recipe be sure to Pin it for later! Already made it or got a burning question? Give me a shout in the comments below!
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