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This easy Caprese Grilled Cheese sandwich has all elements of a caprese salad — mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and pesto — between sourdough bread.

For more ideas of what to make, check out all of our recipes.

A Caprese Grilled Cheese sandwich on a plate with chips and the words "Caprese Grilled Cheese" digitally written on top.

There’s something so comforting and so nostalgic about a grilled cheese. I love them so much. But, for dinner, you have to step it up. A regular grilled cheese is fine; this easy Caprese Grilled Cheese recipe is amazing.

It has all the elements of a caprese salad — mozzarella, tomato, and basil — but in sandwich form.

Instead of using fresh basil, we use pesto in this recipe. It gives it a really great flavor, more than adding a couple of basil leaves would add to this sandwich.

Homemade pesto works great in this, but so does jarred pesto. So if you have some of that lying around and you have no idea what to do with it, now you do.

Two halves of a corned beef and cheese sandwich on top of each other with the words "Corned Beef Grilled Cheese" digitally written on top.

This isn’t the only fancy grilled cheese recipe we have on Drugstore Divas. If you want another couple ideas, check out our Corned Beef Grilled Cheese and our Bacon & Jalapeño Pimento Grilled Cheese.

If you’re just hungry for a sandwich, check out all of our sandwich recipes.

Easy Caprese Grilled Cheese Recipe

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Caprese Grilled Cheese Ingredients:

You can get the full list of ingredients with measurements in the recipe card below.

Sourdough bread – Sourdough bread works really well with the pesto and mozzarella because mozzarella is a mild cheese, so you want a bread that will complement and not overpower that flavor. If you don’t have sourdough, you can use a regular white bread to make this sandwich.
Mozzarella cheese – A block of mozzarella cheese is better than bagged, pre-shredded cheese.
Roma tomato – A Roma tomato is best because its low water content won’t make your sandwich soggy. You could use an heirloom or a beefsteak tomato too.
Pesto – Basil pesto is traditional, but I really like kale pesto.
Butter – You want unsalted butter because the pesto has enough salt for this sandwich.

How To Make Caprese Grilled Cheese:

Cut two slices of sourdough bread from a boule.

Shred the mozzarella cheese.

Alternatively, you could cut it into slices, but I like how shredded mozzarella melts on a sandwich.

Slice the tomato into quarter-inch thick slices.

Heat half the butter in a pan over medium heat.

Piece of bread with pesto on it in a pan.

When the butter has melted, add one slice of the sourdough bread to the pan.

Spread half the pesto on the slice of bread.

Add the cheese.

Tomato slices and mozzarella cheese on a slice of bread in a pan.

Top with the tomato slices.

Pesto, tomato, and cheese on a piece of bread in a pan.

Scoop the rest of the pesto on top of the tomato slices.

Top with the second piece of bread.

Cover the sandwich with a lid and cook about four minutes until the cheese starts to melt.

A pat of butter on top of a sandwich in a pan.

Remove the lid.

Add the rest of the butter on top of the bread.

Flip the sandwich, put the lid back on, and cook for an additional four minutes.

Serve hot.

A Caprese Grilled Cheese Sandwich on a plate with potato chips.

Caprese Grilled Cheese: Frequently Asked Questions

Can you omit the butter?

If you don’t want to use butter in this grilled cheese recipe, you can skip it. You want something to act as a lubricant so that the sandwich slides and flips, though.

I know someone who swears by a drizzle of olive oil in the pan when he is making grilled cheese.

There are also a lot of people who say adding mayo to both sides of the bread works best when you’re making a grilled cheese.

Personally, I use butter and haven’t tried either of those methods. If you have, be sure to leave us a comment and let us know how your grilled cheese with oil or mayo tasted.

Yield: 1 Sandwich

Caprese Grilled Cheese

This Caprese Grilled Cheese sandwich has all elements of a caprese salad - mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and pesto - between sourdough bread.

Prep Time 2 minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

2 slices of sourdough bread
1 oz. mozzarella cheese
2 slices Roma tomato
2 tablespoons pesto
1 tablespoon butter

Instructions

Cut two slices of sourdough bread from a boule.
Shred the mozzarella cheese.
Slice the tomato.
1. Heat half the butter in a pan over medium heat.
2. When the butter has melted, add one slice of the sourdough bread to the pan.
3. Spread half the pesto on the slice of bread.
4. Add the cheese.
5. Top with the tomato slices.
6. Scoop the rest of the pesto on top of the tomato slices.
7. Top with the second piece of bread.
8. Cover the sandwich with a lid and cook about four minutes until the cheese starts to melt.
9. Remove the lid.
10. Add the rest of the butter on top of the bread.
11. Flip the sandwich, put the lid back on, and cook for an additional four minutes.

Notes

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 720Total Fat 37gSaturated Fat 15gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 19gCholesterol 60mgSodium 1205mgCarbohydrates 74gFiber 5gSugar 10gProtein 25g

Have you tried this tasty Caprese Grilled Cheese recipe? Let us know in the comments.

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