This Caprese Sandwich highlights fresh, simple ingredients that create bold flavor with minimal effort. Ready in less than 10 minutes, it works perfectly for lunches or light dinners.
This sandwich focuses on combining high-quality ingredients to create a simple and delicious recipe. Through the years of recipe testing and meal planning, I’ve found that simple recipes that rely heavily on ingredient selection and proper layering create the best balance of flavor and texture.
This recipe is especially helpful for those busy days when you need something quick and easy but still want a fresh, satisfying meal. It only takes 5 minutes to prepare yet tastes restaurant-quality.
What is a Caprese Sandwich?
This sandwich is inspired by the classic Italian Caprese flavor, originating on the island of Capri, and is created with fresh, simple ingredients. Fresh mozzarella, basil, and tomatoes are the foundation of the classic flavor.
Why You’ll Love This Caprese Sandwich
- Incredibly Simple. This recipe comes together in about 5 minutes using only a handful of ingredients.
- Delicious Flavor. Full of fresh, vibrant flavor and a perfect blend of textures.
- Versatile. This sandwich is perfect for swapping out ingredients based on personal preferences.
Recipe Ingredients
- Bread: a baguette is ideal but you could use another type of bread if you prefer.
- Dairy: a mozzarella ball for the best flavor or packaged mozzarella slices for convenience
- Flavor Makers: pesto, basil, and ripe tomatoes
- Spices: salt and pepper to taste
How to Make a Caprese Sandwich
- Slice the bread lengthwise, toast if desired.
- Then spread the pesto on one side of the bread, top with tomato slices, salt and pepper as needed, top with mozzarella and basil. Yes, it’s really that simple!
What to serve with a Caprese Sandwich
This Caprese sandwich recipe is great as a stand alone lunch, but if you’re looking for a more hearty meal, pair it with one of these salads.
- Cobb Salad
- Dense Bean Salad
- Easy Summer Salad
Storage and Meal Prep Instructions
This sandwich is best served fresh or prepped the morning you plan to serve. You could toast your bread and slice the tomato and mozzarella ahead if necessary to save a little extra time.
Caprese Sandwich FAQs
Each Caprese sandwich has about 315 calories. All the nutritional info is shared below in the recipe card including carbs, fat, protein, sodium, etc.
Yes, this is a great vegetarian lunch option.
It has about 14g protein per sandwich as written. For a protein boost, add some slices of chicken for a high protein meal.
Tips and Tricks
- Customize the ingredients based on your personal preferences. Add a protein source like chicken or swap/add some vegetables.
- Toast your bread. It really is worth the extra couple of minutes for flavor and texture.
- Significantly boost the flavor by slicing a mozzarella ball rather than packaged slices.
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Caprese Sandwich Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 baguette (12 inch)
- 2-3 ripe tomatoes
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella slices
- 2-3 tablespoons pesto
- fresh basil leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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Slice the bread lengthwise, toast if desired.
-
Spread the pesto on one side of the bread, top with tomato slices, salt and pepper as needed, top with mozzarella and basil.