The Perfect Caprese Sandwich
My perfect sandwich. There’s very little to say about something that’s so incredibly delicious that words just don’t do it justice.
I’ve always been crazy about the caprese flavor combination. The peppery, sweet and aromatic basil is so delicious with the juicy, sweetness from the tomatoes. To top it off, creamy, rich mozzarella with a healthy slathering of a balsamic glaze complete this dish for me.
Over the years, i’ve done my share of variations on this incredible flavor combination. I mean, you name it- pasta salad, spaghetti, kabobs and even soup but my favorite, by far has always been this sandwich. Eating this feels sinful and naughty! This sandwich is extremely simple to put together. It’s one of the reasons why i love it so much. As long as you always keep the few ingredients on hand, you can always whip one up for lunch or pull them together for a lazy dinner with minimal effort!
For the sandwich bun on this particular sandwhich, i go for a brioche bun. The egg-wash outer crust and the sweetness from the bread are divine for this particular sandwich. However, you can really use any type of bun/bread that you like. If you have something crusty like a sourdough, you can slice it up and use it! You can even use toast for this, too! Additionally, this recipe calls for cherry tomatoes, but if you dont have any on hand, large ripe tomatoes work perfectly fine, too! ONE MORE THING! I use a balsamic glaze from Trader Joes for this recipe. It’s essentially a reduction of balsamic vinegar turned into a glaze! Most large grocery stores will sell some version of this. If you want the exact one i’ve used but dont have a Trader Joes near you, here’s the link where you can get it from Amazon.. PRIME! Click here!
Okay… are you guys ready for this super difficult, extremely technique heavy recipe…?! Hah! Just kidding! Are you ready for the easiest recipe of your life? K, check it out!
Give this recipe a try! Share your comments and some love. If you make this recipe and share it on social media, tag it with the hashtag #hungrilyhomemaderecipe
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 sandwiches
Ingredients:
1. 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half or 2 large tomatoes diced
2. 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
3. 1 tbsp olive oil
4. 1/2 cup water
5. 1/2 tsp salt
6. 4 brioche buns
7. 5 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced 1/2 thick
8. 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
9. 2 tbsp balsamic glaze
Method:
1. In a large skillet, heat up your olive oil and add your tomatoes. Sauté on high heat for 1 minute and then reduce the heat.
2. Add your crushed garlic to the tomatoes and sauté for 5 minutes. Allow the tomatoes to begin to wilt and become tender. You want your tomatoes to end up looking like tomato jam so give this process some time!
3. To your tomatoes, add your 1/2 cup of water and your salt. Stir to combine and allow the tomatoes to simmer and the water to evaporate. The entire process of cooking down the tomatoes should take about 20 minutes. Once your tomatoes resemble a jam like consistency and are tender and cooked down, remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
4. Heat up a panini press to 300 degrees.
5. Open your brioche buns and evenly ration the tomatoes between the 4 buns.
6. Over the tomatoes, ration your fresh basil between the sandwiches.
7. Add your fresh mozzarella to the top of your sandwiches, over the basil, evenly between the four sandwiches.
7. Drizzle each sandwich with your balsamic glaze and add the top bun over your sandwich.
8. Place each sandwich in the panini press and allow to sizzle and melt the cheese. This will take approximately 2-3 minutes. Remove your sandwiches, allow to cool for a minute before eating and enjoy!
