Caprese Sandwich
Caprese Sandwich is one of our ABSOLUTE Summer sandwiches for picnics, beach trips, light lunches and more! We love everything Caprese here and everything Burrata, and today we merged those together once again with bright flavors of Basil Pesto, summer heirloom tomatoes and more!
Ingredients
Caprese Sandwich
- 1 Focaccia bread flavored or plain, or your favorite crusty bread
- 1 cup arugula
- 5 Heirloom tomatoes sliced into 1/8 thickness
- 2 balls Fresh Mozzarella sliced into 1/8 inch thickness
- 1 small burrata cheese torn apart
- 1 cup basil leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper more or less to taste
- 2 tablespoons balsamic syrup more or less to taste
- 3 tablespoons olive oil more or less to tase
- 1/2 teaspoon chillli flakes optional
Basil Mayo
- 2/3 cup Mayonnaise light is better
- 3 tablespoons Basil Pesto recipe here
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice optional
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
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Choose your bread and slice it in half.
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Mix all ingredients for the basil mayo together and set aside.
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Slather both sides of the bread with the basil mayo generously.
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Start layering the caprese sandwich. Start with the greens.
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Go over that with the tomatoes.
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Cheeses go next.
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Lots of fresh basil over the cheese, and the seasoning which includes salt, chilli flakes, balsamic and olive oil to your taste. feel free to add more or less of those.
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Place the other half of the bread over the filling and press firmly.
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Slice the sandwich and serve right away!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Caprese Sandwich TIPS, FAQ
- Always use fresh mozzarella for Caprese recipes, it makes a huge difference and it's how originally it's meant to be! Buy the water packed mozzarella.
- You can find lactose free if you need to like I do!
- Similarly buy fresh burrata that can be lactose free. Burrata cheese is optional, but adds SO MUCH to this sandwich!
- Summer seasonal tomatoes and garden fresh basil are idea to make this recipe, however you can use any type of tomatoes for this recipe. And if you can't find fresh basil leaves, add extra of the Basil Pesto drizzled over the tomatoes not just in the mayo.
- This is classically vegetarian, however we've made Chicken Caprese and it was a HIT! You can add some chicken, or meats here too!
- Use your favorite bread--soft focaccia or crusty baguette or ciabatta or sourdough.
What is Caprese?
Caprese is an Italian dish from the island of Capri. It's made using fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and fresh basil, seasoned with salt, balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
What’s the Best Bread for Caprese Sandwiches?
Our favorite bread to use for this recipe is focaccia. But any crusty bread will work like ciabatta or sourdough or baguette. Overall you want to avoid soft white breads as they're not sturdy enough to handle the toppings.
Do I need Basil Pesto?
We always make large batches of our Basil Pesto and I share a full tutorial on freezing it and storing so you never run out of basil pesto all year round! So while we LOVE our homemade pesto, you can use store bought. Overall YES you need it for the recipe.
What can I add to Caprese Sandwich?
Aside from the classics, add your favorite meats, roast veggies, and any ingredients you like! keep in mind not to over stuff the sandwich so it's easier to eat :)
Caprese Chicken Sandwich
While we may make this into a separate post, for now you can make this by adding some grilled chicken, rotisserie chicken tossed with basil pesto, or better yet Chicken Caprese cooled and sliced up. Add it over the greens before proceeding with the tomatoes.