Basil in the traditional “green” ingredient in pesto. Basil is also one of the three ingredients in a traditional caprese salad. So, if you want to lean traditional, use basil pesto in this sandwich.

But here’s a secret.

Kale pesto is amazing.

We make kale pesto all the time and use it with ravioli, as a spread for toast, in sandwiches like this one.

We make it all the time because it’s delicious, but also because it’s a lot cheaper to make kale pesto than basil pesto. I grow both basil and kale in our garden, so it’s not like we’re running out to the store to buy either one, but it takes a lot more time and effort to grow basil than kale. So I like to keep the basil for recipes that need less and use kale in its place for pesto.

Sourdough bread works best in this recipe. It works really well with the pesto and mozzarella, especially 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.

I would suggest against a whole grain bread because it will compete with your pesto. But if that’s all you have at home, it will work just fine.

If you’re making this Caprese Grilled Cheese sandwich, a fresh Roma tomato works great in this. If you use one that’s not fresh, there’s a good chance that they will get soggy and leak all over your sandwich and pan.

Instead of a Roma tomato, you could use an heirloom or a beefsteak tomato. That type of tomato won’t fall apart when you’re heating it, even if it’s a couple days old.

Shredded mozzarella cheese, the kind of that comes in the bag, is so super convenient. I mean, who wants to shred cheese?

Me.

Every time.

There are preservatives added to bagged shredded cheese so the cheese able to stay that way. You don’t want it to clump together in the bag, and these preservatives prevent that.

The trouble with that is the preservatives also prevent the cheese from really melting right. That cheese is fine in recipes where you’re using the cheese as a garnish and don’t want it to melt (like in our 7 Layer Salad).

But, in a recipe where you want the cheese to melt, shredded cheese doesn’t work unless you shred it yourself.

If you really don’t want to shred the cheese (like maybe you’re worried it will get all over the pan), you can slice thin pieces of cheese from the block of mozzarella cheese and use those instead of shredded cheese. As long as it’s coming from the block, and not from a bag, it will melt.

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.