Taking my favorite salad ingredients and transforming them into a gooey, flavorful Caprese Grilled Cheese was a genius move! Melty mozzarella, garden tomatoes, and pesto make for a divine sandwich!

This Italian Grilled Cheese Sandwich is a perfect summer lunch when fresh garden tomatoes are plentiful.

Caprese Grilled Cheese | A genius grilled cheese based on the scrumptious Caprese salad

Caprese Grilled Cheese for National Grilled Cheese Month!

Did you all know that April is National Grilled Cheese month??? I would be happy to eat this combination of gooey cheese inside of buttery toasted bread every.single.day…what’s not to love?  When I saw these tempting sandwiches on my friend Alisha’s gorgeous blog, The Ardent Epicure, I knew I would make them.  These tasted marvelous with slices of hothouse tomatoes, so I can only imagine how fabulous they’d be with peak of season garden tomatoes. I used buffalo mozzarella as did Alisha, but any fresh mozz will do. I also added a layer of pesto for an extra oomph of basil.

Caprese Grilled Cheese | A genius grilled cheese based on the scrumptious Caprese salad

How to Make an Italian Grilled Cheese Recipe

There is no exact recipe for this Caprese grilled cheese. It’s very adaptable and pretty much foolproof.

You may choose to use garlic butter to amp up the flavor.

Add some prosciutto or any other Italian deli meat for another dimension.

How about subbing some fresh Georgia peaches for the tomatoes? The best peach I ever ate was from a fruit stand in Florence, Italy, many decades ago! What do you think???  Plus, check out this tasty Fresh Tomato Basil Pasta.

Caprese Grilled Cheese | A genius grilled cheese based on the scrumptious Caprese salad
Caprese Grilled Cheese | A genius grilled cheese based on the scrumptious Caprese salad

Caprese Grilled Cheese

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Yield varies

Inspired by The Ardent Epicure blog

May use regular mozzarella cheese if fresh is not available.

Ingredients

  • 2 slices Ciabatta or favorite bread
  • 1 tablespoon butter, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon Pesto
  • 2 fresh tomato slices
  • 2 slices buffalo mozzarella
  • Garlic salt
  • Basil leaves, about 2-3 per sandwich

Instructions

  1. Brush one side of bread per sandwich with butter and place buttered sides down in large sauté pan.
  2. Smear pesto on exposed side. Layer each with cheese, then sprinkle well with garlic salt followed by tomato slices and basil.
  3. Top each sandwich with a second slice of buttered bread, butter side up.
  4. Sauté till first side is golden brown, flip and cook till second side is brown and cheese is melted. Serve hot.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

1

Serving Size:

1 sandwich

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 836Total Fat: 38gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 79mgSodium: 1813mgCarbohydrates: 92gFiber: 7gSugar: 12gProtein: 32g

Thatskinnychickcanbake.com occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although thatskinnychickcanbake.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe. Also, many recipes on thatskinnychickcanbake.com recommend toppings, which may or may not be listed as optional and nutritional information for these added toppings is not listed. Other factors may change the nutritional information such as when the salt amount is listed “to taste,” it is not calculated into the recipe as the amount will vary. Also, different online calculators can provide different results. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information obtained is accurate.

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In Sienna, Italy, eating lunch
 
A real Italian Caprese salad
 
 
Katie and me feasting on our favorite Caprese salads
in Siena, Italy