I certainly have been into the fresh field ripened tomatoes lately! I have been picking up at least a full basket of them every week and most weeks they have disappeared long before the end of the week. Primarily I have been enjoying them in BLT sandwiches but recently I had a new idea and that was for a caprese grilled cheese sandwich. The idea came from a caprese salad which is a nice and simple salad that consists of tomatoes, mozzarella and basil and I figured that it would make an excellent grilled cheese sandwich! I mean you really can't go wrong wrapping something up in buttery and toasty bread grilled to perfection while at the same time melting the fresh mozzarella into an ooey gooey mess!
For the basil component of this sandwich I decided to go with a basil pesto as I was thinking that a pesto would work better in the sandwich than straight basil leaves and the pesto would also add even more flavour. One thing that you want to make sure that you do is bring everything including the mozzarella up to room temperature to ensure that it melts completely. Another tip for getting the fully melted cheese is to not slice the mozzarella or the tomatoes too thickly and if the worst should happen and the cheese does not completely melt then you could always throw the sandwich into the oven for a few minutes after it has been grilled. Don't worry if some of the melted mozzarella spills out of the sandwich onto the pan, just let is cook until it turns a nice golden brown; those burn bits of cheese on the side might just be the best part of a grilled cheese sandwich!
Caprese Grilled Cheese Sandwich
What better way is there to enjoy perfectly ripe tomatoes other than smothered in melted cheese along with some fresh homemade basil pesto in a sandwich that is grilled to perfection?
Servings: makes 2 sandwiches
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Printable Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 slices bread
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons basil pesto
- 1 ball fresh mozzarella, room temperature, sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 1 large ripe tomato, room temperature, sliced 1/4 inch thick
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat.
- Brush the outside of each slice of bread with oil, spread the pesto on the inside, place the mozzarella on the pesto on of one slice of bread, top with the tomato, season with salt and pepper and finally top the other slice of bread pesto side in.
- Add the sandwich and grill until golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 2-4 minutes per side.
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