Caprese sandwiches
Fresh mozzarella, juicy tomato and basil on a crusty baguette with pesto and a drizzle of balsamic, a no-cook lunch that tastes like summer in Italy.
- 20 min total
- 10 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 2
- About $4.70 a serving
- 750 calories
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 20 minutes.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 2 tomatoes, sliced
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced
- ½ French bread, cut into 2 pieces and split
- 3 tbsp basil pesto
- ¼ cup fresh basil, leaves
From your pantry
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 pinch black pepper
Each serving has about 750 calories, 34 g protein, 62 g carbs and 40 g fat, and costs about $4.70 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No tomatoes? Roma tomatoes work.
- No French bread? Sourdough bread works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the tomatoes, lay them on a paper towel and sprinkle with the salt. Let them sit 10 minutes.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
Timer: 10 min
Dolly’s tip: Salt pulls out the extra tomato juice, which is what makes a sandwich soggy.Slice the mozzarella and the dry with a paper towel.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
Cut the baguette half into 2 pieces and split each one open. Spread pesto over both cut sides.
Dolly’s tip: The pesto works like a raincoat for the bread, keeping the tomato juice out.Layer the mozzarella, tomato slices and basil leaves on the bottom halves.
with the olive oil and balsamic, add of pepper and close the sandwiches.
Drizzle. Drizzling means pouring a thin, slow stream over the top of something. A thin stream spreads a little flavor a long way.
How you’ll know: You see thin lines across the food, not a puddle collecting underneath.
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
Press down gently with your palm and cut each sandwich in half.
Dolly’s tip: To pack it, wrap it tightly in parchment or foil and keep it cold with an ice pack. It is even better after an hour, once the bread soaks up a little of the pesto.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
