Heirloom Tomato & Mozzarella Caprese Sandwich

This caprese sandwich is among my favorites for a hot summer day when heirloom tomatoes are at their peak. I top crispy ciabatta bread with fresh pesto, sun dried tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, heirloom tomatoes and sweet balsamic glaze. It’s based off of a sandwich that I used to get from Malibu Kitchen.

It’s a small gourmet sandwich shop and bakery in the Malibu Country Mart that serves great comfort food as well as great sandwiches, something that is hard to come by in Malibu, California. Over the years the owner has developed a reputation akin to Seinfeld’s “soup Nazi”; he will refuse service to anyone on a phone. There are plenty of stories about the eccentric owner, I chalk some up to urban legend, but the fact remains – the food is good and people go back.

Heirloom Tomato & Mozzarella Caprese Sandwich

Key Ingredients in This Recipe

• Heirloom Tomato – With their superior flavor, heirloom tomatoes come from seeds passed down and are typically at least 50 years old. Look for a variety of colors. If you like heirloom tomatoes check out these other recipes here. I always recommend salting tomatoes or marinating them before adding them to sandwiches.
• Mozzarella – Use fresh mozzarella in this recipe. Cut the mozzarella in to slices to pile onto the sandwich. For a creamier twist, swap burrata for the mozzarella.
• Sun-dried Tomatoes – I like using the combination of fresh and sun-dried tomatoes for a contrast of texture and flavor in this recipe. I prefer oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes to just packaged.
• Balsamic – Rather than just using balsamic vinegar I use balsamic glaze in this recipe. It’s more highly concentrated and syrupy that standard balsamic. I like using it in this recipe because it doesn’t make the bread soggy even after it sits for a bit.
• Pesto – While most caprese recipes use fresh basil leaves I use peso as a spread over the ciabatta bread. Store-bought pesto is fine in a pinch, however, I always prefer homemade. Try my recipe for pesto recipe here.
• Ciabatta – Ciabatta is an Italian bread with a chewy exterior. I love ciabatta for it’s light and airy crumb – when you cut it open you notice lot’s of air holes. In this recipe the juice from the tomato and the balsamic soak into the bread without getting soggy.

How to Make this Caprese Sandwich

1. Toast the ciabatta. Slice the bread in half and toast the ciabatta rolls until they are golden brown and crisp.
2. Assemble the sandwiches. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the pesto on the bottom half of each roll. Top with the the sun dried tomatoes and slices of mozzarella. Season the tomatoes with salt then layer them on the sandwiches.
3. Add the balsamic. Spread the balsamic glaze on the top half of each of the sandwich rolls.
4. Serve. Close the sandwiches and cut in half. Serve immediately.

Other Recipes to Try

If you enjoy this recipe, give these other tomato recipes a try:

• Heirloom Tomato Caprese Salad with Grilled Bread
• Peach and Tomato Mozzarella Salad with Crispy Prosciutto
• Heirloom Tomato Galette with Caramelized Onions and Ricotta Cheese
• Caprese Eggs Benedict with Basil Hollandaise
• Heirloom Tomato, Prosciutto & Burrata with Garlic-Basil Oil Grilled Bread
• BLT with Spicy Mayo and Avocado
• Heirloom Tomato, Avocado & Burrata Tartines

Heirloom Tomato & Mozzarella Sandwich

Print Pin

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 0 minutes mins

Serves 2 sandwiches

US Customary – Metric

Ingredients:

• 2 ciabatta rolls, sliced in half lengthwise
• ¼ cup pesto
• ¼ cup chopped olive oil-packed sun dried tomatoes
• 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
• 1 large heirloom tomato, sliced
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 2 tablespoons balsamic glaze

Instructions:

• Toast the ciabatta rolls until they are golden brown and crisp.
• Spread about 2 tablespoons of the pesto on the bottom half of each roll. Top with the the sun dried tomatoes and slices of mozzarella. Season the tomatoes with salt then layer them on the sandwiches.
• Spread 1 tablespoon of the balsamic glaze on the top half of each of the sandwich rolls.
• Close the sandwiches and cut in half. Serve immediately.

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