Made with ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and sweet basil, a freshly-pressed Caprese panini is one of the tastiest handheld meals around! Easy to make, and ready to eat in 10 minutes.
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Why this Recipe Works
This ridiculously fresh and tasty sandwich is quick and easy to make, and a delicious way to enjoy those late-summer tomatoes as they come off the vine. Inspired by the classic Italian Caprese salad, it is a light, satisfying combination of fresh mozzarella, ripe tomatoes, and sweet basil, all layered between sourdough bread and fresh pesto.
The only thing that can really go awry when making a grilled caprese sandwich is if you put it together wrong and it ends up soggy. As I mentioned while detailing our classic Rueben recipe, the sequence in which you assemble the ingredients in a grilled sandwich is critical.
In the case of a caprese sandwich, the trick is to create a solid barrier between the sliced tomatoes and the bread. The the oil from the pesto will leak into the bread a bit, but it won't break it down or make it too soggy. The tomato juices, on the other hand, can make a real mess.
We solve this problem by lining one side of the sandwich with a wall of basil leaves, and the other with a layer of arugula reinforced with a layer of sliced mozzarella. Assembling the sandwich this way, the tomatoes are literally partitioned away from the bread layers.
What Goes into this Recipe
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
★ Bread: Sourdough is our first choice for grilled caprese sandwiches. It has enough body to withstand the pesto, and grills up nicely in the process. We also often use ciabatta rolls.
For cold-pressed sandwiches that you don't intend to grill, we suggest using ciabatta rolls. They hold up to the sandwich fillings for long periods of time, and are perfect for picnic sandwiches.
Avoid using soft white breads; they won't hold up well.
★ Pesto: Use either purchased or homemade basil pesto. If you want to make your own, the recipe card below includes a quick and easy pesto that you can make in about 5 minutes.
★ Fresh mozzarella: Use fresh mozzarella.
Fresh mozzarella and the mozzarella that you sprinkle on your pizza are two different things. Fresh mozzarella usually comes in balls or logs packed in a mild brine. It had a mild, creamy flavor, and it melts like a dream. Fresh mozzarella is also soft and porous like a sponge, and will absorb some of the juices that are created from grilling the sandwich.
The next best cheese choice is burrata, a soft, fresh Italian cow's milk cheese with an outer shell made of soft mozzarella.
★ Tomatoes: Use flavorful, meaty tomatoes. (We love making caprese sandwiches in the late summer when heirloom tomatoes are in season!)
★ Fresh basil: You really need to use fresh basil to even call it a caprese, but in a pinch, you can sub in more arugula or some fresh mint.
★ Arugula: Lemony, peppery, and bright, arugula can stand up to the heat of grilling and still taste fresh. Use baby arugula if you can find it. Baby arugula has smaller, more tender leaves and a milder flavor.
Substitutes: Fresh spinach or more fresh basil.
How to Make a Caprese Sandwich with Pesto
Whether you are making your sandwich cold-pressed or grilled, the assembly process is the same.
Sandwich Assembly
Spread pesto onto one side of each piece of bread. Layer arugula onto one pesto-covered slice, and basil onto the other.
Put the sliced tomatoes on top of the basil, and mozzarella slices on top of the arugula, and then put the whole thing together.
With your sandwich now assembled, you have three choices. You can:
- Eat the sandwich cold, as is.
- Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until you're ready to grill or eat it.
- Grill it now.
Grilled Caprese Panini
Preheat the grill.
Lightly brush the outside faces of the sandwich with olive oil.
Grill the prepared sandwich for 3-5 minutes on each side. (If you use a panini press or waffle iron, it is not necessary to flip the sandwich, as you are cooking both sides at the same time.)
Allow the sandwich to set for 5 minutes before cutting.
FAQs & Expert Tips
A panini press is helpful, and it gives you those cool little ridges and valleys on the sides of your sandwich, but you can easily grill your sandwich other ways:
• Electric Grill or Skillet - Set the grill to 275°-300°F (135°-150°C) and grill the sandwich low and slow; about 4-5 minutes on each side. Use a bacon/sandwich press or a small frying pan on top of the sandwich to press it down as it grills.
• Waffle Iron - This is by far my favorite: it gives your sandwiches a funky waffle pattern as it presses it!
• Grill Pan & Press - Heat up the grill pan and then use a bacon/sandwich press to press the sandwich from the top. Leave the press or pan on top while the sandwich grills.
• Skillet & Press - Same using as a grill pan.
• Double Frying Pan - Use a smaller frying pan on top of the sandwich to press it down as it grills in a large frying pan.
If you just aren't into any of those ideas, just grill it as you would a grilled cheese sandwich.
Caprese, in Italian, is short for insalata caprese; literally, "salad in the manner of Capri." Many (including myself) have a habit of pronouncing it cah-prey-zee; however, the correct pronunciation is cah-preh-zeh or cah-prey-zay.
Source
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Grilled Caprese Sandwich
Equipment
- 1 panini press optional; or electric grill, heavy skillet, or waffle iron
- 1 pastry brush optional
Ingredients
Sandwiches
- 2 slices sourdough bread or ciabatta roll
- 2 tablespoons basil pesto purchased or homemade (recipe below)
- 2-3 ounces fresh mozzarella sliced ¼-inch thick
- 1 large tomato sliced ¼-inch thick
- 1 handful arugula
- 6-8 large basil leaves more or less
- kosher salt to taste
- light olive oil for grilling
Easy Basil Pesto (optional)
- 1 handful basil leaves about a cup, loosely packed
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts or chopped walnuts
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3-4 turns freshly ground pepper
Instructions
Sandwich Assembly
- Whether you are making your sandwich cold-pressed or grilled, the assembly process is the same.
- Spread pesto onto one side of each piece of bread. Layer arugula onto one pesto-covered slice, and basil onto the other.Put the sliced tomatoes on top of the basil, and mozzarella slices on top of the arugula, and then put the whole thing together.
- With your sandwich now assembled, you have three choices. You can (1) Eat the sandwich cold, as is, (2) Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until you're ready to grill or eat it, or (3) Grill it now.
Grilled Caprese Panini
- Preheat the grill.Lightly brush the outside faces of the sandwich with olive oil.Grill the prepared sandwich for 3-5 minutes on each side. (If you use a panini press or waffle iron, it is not necessary to flip the sandwich, as you are cooking both sides at the same time.)Allow the sandwich to set for 5 minutes before cutting.
Easy Homemade Basil Pesto (optional)
- Put the basil, pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor, molcajete (Mexican mortar and pestle), or small blender cup. Drizzle in olive oil. Process until the the pine nuts and garlic are the consistency of very course sand.
- Add the parmesan and work it in, by pulsing once or twice, or by working it with a pestle in the molcajete.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Electric Grill or Skillet - Set the grill to 275°-300°F (135°-150°C) and grill the sandwich low and slow; about 4-5 minutes on each side. Use a bacon/sandwich press or a small frying pan on top of the sandwich to press it down as it grills.
- Waffle Iron - This is by far my favorite: it gives your sandwiches a funky waffle pattern as it presses it!
- Grill Pan & Press - Heat up the grill pan and then use a bacon/sandwich press to press the sandwich from the top. Leave the press or pan on top while the sandwich grills.
- Skillet & Press - Same using as a grill pan.
- Double Frying Pan - Use a smaller frying pan on top of the sandwich to press it down as it grills in a large frying pan.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
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Originally published July 25, 2013. Post has been updated with new content, images, and recipe instructions to improve reader experience.
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