This Caprese Grilled Cheese Sandwich recipe makes a simple and delicious gourmet grilled cheese sandwich with sourdough, pesto, ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, and melty mozzarella! It’s so good and it’s ready in minutes!
Caprese salads and recipes are always some of my favorites! I serve them often, especially when I have a bounty of garden ripe tomatoes and lots of fresh basil. And I think most people enjoy a hot, melty grilled cheese sandwich. Caprese freshness has met the grilled cheese and it’s absolutely a delectable flavor match! The crispy crunch of buttery sourdough bread filled with creamy, melted mozzarella, tangy pesto, and a fresh tomatoes is something incredible. This is Caprese Grilled Cheese Sandwich is one that everyone raves over and one you’ll want to make over and over!
Table of Contents
How to Make a Caprese Grilled Cheese Sandwich
To make this gourmet grilled cheese sandwich, you’ll want the standard ingredients for a caprese salad, pesto, and sourdough bread.
Ingredients
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.
- Sourdough bread – It’s one of my favorite breads for a sandwich, especially grilled cheese sandwiches and it’s flavor goes perfectly with the other ingredients in this sandwich.
- Homemade Pesto – The pesto sauce is spread onto the bread as the base layer of the sandwich.
- Mozzarella cheese – Thickly sliced mozzarella cheese is layered on top of the pesto. Once grilled, it melts and combines with the pesto for incredible flavors.
- Tomato – Sliced ripe tomatoes top the mozzarella cheese slices on the sandwich.
- Fresh basil – Large, fresh basil leaves top the tomatoes for delicious flavor throughout the sandwich.
- Balsamic Glaze – A light drizzle of this on top of the other ingredients of the sandwich before topping adding the second slice of sourdough completes the caprese salad flavor.
- Butter – A bit of room temperature butter to spread on the outside of the sourdough gives a buttery, crisp taste to the bread.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat. Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium heat.
- Assemble. Spread the pesto onto one slice of sourdough, then layer next with mozzarella cheese. (The mozzarella and pesto combine into deliciousness as the cheese melts.) Next layer with tomato slices, then basil leaves. Drizzle a small amount of balsamic glaze over the layered ingredients. Top with other slice of sourdough bread.
- Butter the bread. Spread butter onto the outside of bottom slice.
- Grill. Place buttered side down into the heated skillet or grill pan. Grill on this side for 3-5 minutes at medium heat until golden. Spread the top slice of bread with softened butter, then flip once the first side has reached golden brown. Cook until this side reaches a golden brown too, another 3-5 minutes.
- Serve. Remove the golden grilled cheese from the skillet or griddle once done. Cut it in half and serve.
This recipe gives the ingredients needed for one sandwich so it is easy to multiply the ingredients to make the amount of grilled cheese sandwiches you need.
Recipe Tips
- Prep all of your sandwich ingredients ahead of time. This makes it easy to assemble your sandwiches fairly quickly.
- Eat your grilled cheese sandwiches while they are still very warm! Of course, make sure you don’t burn your tongue, but don’t let it wait for long!
Frequently Asked Questions
Caprese is an Italian word meaning “Salad of Capri” as it’s thought to have originated on the island of Capri. It’s traditionally a simple salad comprised of tomato, basil, mozzarella and balsamic.
Yes! Butter the outsides of both slices of bread before grilling on that side. It gives so much flavor and helps to give the bread a crispy texture!
More Easy Sandwich Recipes
Here’s my Caprese Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe. I hope you love it!
Caprese Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe
Equipment
- Grill Pan or skillet
Ingredients
- 2 slices sourdough bread
- 3 tablespoons pesto
- 3 slices mozzarella cheese
- 2 slices tomato
- 2-3 medium fresh basil
- balsamic glaze
- butter, room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat skillet or grill pan to medium heat.
- Spread pesto onto one slice of sourdough bread. Layer with mozzarella cheese, tomato, basil leaves and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Top with second slice of sourdough bread.
- Butter the bottom outside slice of the sourdough bread. Place into heated skillet or griddle. Cook until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Butter top outside piece of sourdough bread. Flip and cook until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes.
- Remove the golden brown grilled cheese sandwich from the skillet or griddle. Cut in half and serve warm.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Can I make this in the air fryer with less butter. Thank you
Diane, you can make this in an air fryer. Hope you enjoy!
In my experience, these instructions are a bit out of order. It’s much easier to butter the bottom slice of the bread BEFORE you layer all the ingredients on top of it. Sounds like a great sandwich otherwise.
Saw in the morning, the image stayed with me all day today, stopped and got similiar ingredients, including two hydroponic basil plants to have this often
Thank you!
Hi Janet,
Hope you enjoy! xo
WHERE IS THE “TWITTER OR FB
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You are too sweet! Social sharing icons are still at the top of the posts. xo