Caprese Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Some days you just need a caprese grilled cheese, am I right? This recipe is easy to make, and jam packed with flavor. Perfect for summer days when you want a hot, cheesy sandwich without a lot of hassle.
What’s great is that you can customize this recipe too. Feel free to add any of your favorite ingredients or swap things out. You can even try adding a drizzle of balsamic vinegar reduction for an extra punch of flavor.
What are Caprese Cheese Sandwiches Made of?
Perhaps one of the most famous sandwiches is the Caprese. These sandwiches includes classic Italian ingredients that blend together to create a wonderful marriage of balsamic, leafy greens, fresh mozzarella, and tomato. Often, the balsamic glaze includes a mild sweetness to offset the tart tomato and peppery greens.
There are many variations on the Caprese ingredients, from bruschetta served as appetizers to classic panini sandwiches. In this variation, we’re going to elevate these ingredients to the next level with a deliciously creamy grilled cheese. Once you have the ingredients down, you can even start experimenting with different ingredients and food. Some people choose sourdough bread over artisanal or choose to add a little roasted garlic to their pesto for extra kick. Sourdough adds a great chewiness, but you can also use ciabatta bread. If you can, buy your bread fresh. No matter how you modify this sandwich, it’s hard to go wrong with the base ingredients of a Caprese sandwich.
Don’t Skimp on the Mozzarella Cheese: Recipe Ingredients
Bread – Cut four thick slices of artisanal or sourdough bread.
Butter – You’ll need to coat one side of the bread to prevent it from sticking to the pan. It will also give you the beautiful brown sear when making these sandwiches.
Tomato Salad – Combine tomatoes, diced shallots, minced garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and black pepper for a simple marinated fresh tomato salad.
Mozzarella – Cut a few slices of mozzarella cheese or other Italian cheese to layer on the sandwiches.
Pesto – You’ll need about one tablespoon of pesto per sandwich. It adds so much flavor to each half.
Fresh Basil – Add a layer of fresh basil to the sandwich for an extra pop of basil flavor.
What is the Best Cheese for Grilled Cheese?
The great thing about grilled cheese is that you don’t have to choose just one cheese. There are many melty, gooey cheeses that taste divine with a little applied heat. For this Caprese grilled cheese, we’re staying true to its Italian roots with a little bit of Mozzarella cheese.
It may sound surprising to put mozzarella on a grilled sandwich, but you’ll be blown away by how gooey and delicious it is once its out of the pan.
Is Grilled Caprese a Healthy Snack?
Well, it’s healthyish, and that’s good enough for us! Cheese sandwiches aren’t considered the most healthy of snacks, but the caprese grilled cheese ingredients bring down the saturated fats a notch and load it up with healthy antioxidants and vitamin c from the pesto, tomato, and greens.
So long as you are choosing the right ingredients (like good quality tomato) and don’t over-do it on your portions, you can consider this caprese grilled cheese a healthy enough snack to enjoy guilt-free.
If you’re curious about the nutrition information for one serving, take a look at the bottom of the recipe for more information.
How to Make Caprese Grilled Cheese
Cut four slices of bread and butter each side. Set aside.
Combine sliced tomatoes, diced shallots, minced garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and black pepper in a bowl. Let the tomatoes marinate for 15-20 minutes.
Slice the mozzarella thin. It’s the perfect cheese caprese sandwiches need.
Stir the pesto to make sure it is well combined. This acts as a caprese sauce for the grilled cheese sandwich.
Heat a non-stick skillet or a cast iron pan over medium heat.
Place down two slices of the bread butter side down.
Layer on some mozzarella, then the marinated tomatoes.
Next, add a few dollops of pesto, and a pinch of fresh basil leaves.
Top with the second piece of bread, butter side up.
Sear both sides until golden brown and the cheese is melted.
Serve and enjoy.
Storage
Caprese grilled cheese isn’t the best food dish to store, which means this meal is best enjoyed immediately.
If you really must store it, however, be sure store it in a sealed container with a paper towel in the bottom to absorb any condensation or additional moisture. It should be stored in the fridge for no more than 24 hours for this recipe. You can reheat this grilled cheese in the microwave for 30-40 seconds or until the cheese is soft again.
Caprese Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
- 4 slices bread
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 slices mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in halves
- ¼ cup shallots, diced small
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons pesto, store-bought is fine
- 4 leaves basil
Equipment
- 1 non-stick pan
- 1 small mixing bowl
Instructions
- Cut four slices of bread and butter one side of each slice. Set aside.
- Combine sliced tomatoes, diced shallots, minced garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and black pepper in a bowl. Let the tomatoes marinate for 15-20 minutes.
- Slice the mozzarella thin.
- Stir the pesto to make sure it is well combined.
- Heat a non-stick skillet or a cast iron pan over medium heat.
- Place down two slices of the bread butter side down.
- Layer on some mozzarella, then the marinated tomatoes.
- Next, add a few dollops of pesto, and some fresh basil leaves.
- Top with the second slice of bread, butter side up.
- Sear both sides until golden brown and the cheese is melted.
- Serve and enjoy.
