These Caprese Sandwiches are stacked with thick slices fresh mozzarella cheese, juicy ripe tomatoes, and fresh basil leaves, then drizzled with balsamic glaze. Toasting the bread and drizzling it with olive oil, then rubbing a garlic clove on it while it’s still warm, adds a subtle flavor that puts this simple sandwich over the top! This is the perfect no-cook summer dinner or lunch idea when it’s way too hot to cook and it takes five minutes to throw together.
There’s not much better than the combination of fresh mozzarella, juicy ripe summer tomatoes, and fresh basil. The Holy Trinity of summertime. And when you throw these classic ingredients in between two slices of good bread with some olive oil, garlic, and balsamic glaze? *chef’s kiss*
Best of all? You don’t have to cook anything and it only takes five minutes!
Ingredients for Caprese Sandwiches
- Bread – Almost any kind will do, but I love a good Italian bread or crusty sourdough. See below for more ideas.
- Fresh Mozzarella
- Tomatoes – the riper the better – if you don’t have good in season tomatoes, try Campari tomatoes (available at most grocery stores).
- Fresh Basil
- Olive oil
- Balsamic Glaze – you can find this at the grocery store or make it yourself.
- A garlic clove – optional but highly recommended, or garlic powder.
How to make Caprese Sandwiches
- Toast the bread.
- While the bread is still warm, drizzle it with olive oil and rub the cut side of the garlic clove over the oil. This will infuse the garlic flavor onto each piece (a great trick for avocado toast as well!).
- Layer the tomato slices, basil leaves, and fresh mozzarella on one slice of the bread.
- Season with salt and pepper and drizzle the balsamic glaze on top.
- Top with the other slice of bread, slice in half, and enjoy!
You can use any kind of bread you want. I love a nice sliced Italian bread, and sourdough or a homemade crusty bread recipe will also work. Ciabatta, focaccia, whole grain for a nutrition boost, gluten free bread – whatever you want!
Absolutely! Caprese sandwiches are delicious as is, but other additions can be made like prosciutto, salami, grilled chicken or other meats, a generous spread of pesto (in addition to or as a replacement for the fresh basil), or even fruit like peaches! Some crushed red pepper or chili crisp would also be delicious for a spicy kick.
Other Caprese Recipes
- Caprese Pasta Salad
- Naan Caprese Pizza
- Roasted Tomato and Burrata Caprese Toasts
- Spicy Caprese Salad
- Caprese Chicken (from Foodie Crush)
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Caprese Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 2 slices bread Italian or sourdough is great for this
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove cut in half cross-wise
- ½ tomato sliced thickly
- 6-8 fresh basil leaves
- 2-3 thick slices fresh mozzarella
- 2 teaspoons balsamic glaze
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Toast the bread. As soon as it comes out of the toaster, drizzle each piece evenly with the olive oil on one side and rub the cut side of the garlic clove over the oil.
- Add the tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella to one side of the sandwich.
- Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with the balsamic glaze.
- Place the other piece of bread on top (oiled side facing in), cut in half, and enjoy!
Notes
- You can use any kind of bread you want here, but I love a good slice of soft Italian bread, or something similar. No knead bread slices would also be great here, as well as focaccia. Boost the nutrition with whole grain bread if you prefer.
- The garlic clove rubbed on the bread is delicious, but you can skip that step if you like. A sprinkle of garlic powder on top of the olive oil would also work.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
This post originally appeared on Bowl of Delicious on March 18, 2015. It has been republished with new photos, improved recipe instructions, and more pertinent information.
Lachlan
I’m using this for a major prac in school, thanks so much!
Elizabeth
So happy it was helpful for you!
Paige
Thank you!
Paige
Hi Elizabeth! What would be the nutritional breakdown per serving? Thank you!
Elizabeth
Hi Paige! I use a nifty online calculator to approximate nutritional information: https://www.caloriecount.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
Here’s what I got from plugging the ingredients in (although it will depend on what kind of bread you use and how thick you cut the cheese):
Calories 524
Calories from Fat 279
Total Fat 31.0g
Saturated Fat 11.4g
Trans Fat 0.5g
Cholesterol 45mg
Sodium 776mg
Potassium 220mg
Total Carbohydrates 32.4g
Dietary Fiber 4.2g
Sugars 6.0g
Protein 31.6g