Pressed Caprese Sandwich

Pressed caprese Sandwich is everything caprese pressed into a crispy panini. Fresh basil, tomatoes and mozzarella sandwiched and panini’d.

The other weekend I did some gardening.

We stopped at this beautiful herb farm just down the road from us and picked up herbs, a tomato plant and upon Pats request… a habanero plant to start. We spent an entire Saturday afternoon, Pat doing the yard work and me pulling weeds and planting herbs like basil, sage, rosemary and cilantro. It was then when I realized I’m completely addicted to gardening.

*side note* who knew pulling weeds works your hammies? Yowza!

My family is probably freaking out right now because as a kid, I would pretend to “pull weeds” and really I was just pushing dirt around with my weed puller thingy. It was my least favorite chore… all chores really were/are. But now that I’m {somewhat} an adult… I can’t wait to get out and plant more.

All this fresh herb talk got me hungry, and it’s this time of year that I love making Caprese anything. You can’t beat fresh tomato, fresh basil and mozz together with a little balsamicness. So I had these hoagie-esque buns that needed to be used up before they molded over. So I thought why not make a Caprese panini… with a little balsamic drizzle of course. I’m not wishing for summer to be over or anything… but I can’t wait for tomato season. Garden tomatoes are simply THE BEST!

Make The Balsamic Glaze:

Pour a half cup of balsamic vinegar into a small sauce pan and bring to a small boil.

Reduce to a simmer until the balsamic vinegar has thickened and reduced to about 4 tablespoons. Be careful not to let it go too far or it will burn.

Build The Sandwich:

Drizzle the inner side of the top bun with a little olive oil.

Next, drizzle the inner side of the bottom half with the reduced balsamic.

Then layer the bottom half with a few sliced tomatoes and season with kosher salt and black pepper.

Next, top with a few fresh basil leaves.

Fresh Mozz is the only way to do this right. Go grab a ball of it… it will change your life, or at least your panini.

Now all you have to do is put the squeeze on it by placing it in your panini press.

Can you even believe all of that is in this almost paper thin sandwich?

But it is.

Best pressed caprese sandwich ever.

The End.

Enjoy! And if you give this Pressed Caprese Sandwich recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

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Yield: 2 sandwiches

Pressed Caprese Sandwich

Fresh tomatoes, basil, mozzarella and reduced balsamic pressed into a crispy panini.

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 5 minutes mins

Total Time: 10 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, see notes
• 2 crusty hoagie rolls, sliced horizontally
• 1 large tomato, sliced thin
• 6-8 large basil leaves
• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella slices
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Equipment

• Hamilton Beach 25460A Panini Press Sandwich Maker, Medium, Stainless Steel

Instructions 

• In a small sauce pan, pour in the half cup of balsamic vinegar. Bring to a small boil and reduce to a simmer until the vinegar has reduced to about 4 tablespoons. Be careful not to let it burn!
• To assemble sandwiches; drizzle the inside of the top hoagie half with a little bit of olive oil, and drizzle the bottom half with the reduced vinegar.
• Top the bottom half with slices of fresh tomato and sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper. Top the tomatoes with fresh basil and slices of fresh mozzarella. If there's any mozzarella slices leftover you can save them or snack on them. I opt for the latter ;).
• Replace the top bun and place it in your panini press. Panini the sandwich for about 4-5 minutes until the sandwich is completely pressed and cheese is oozing out the sides {holla!}.
• Let cool slightly before slicing in half with a sharp knife.

Notes

*Instead of making your own balsamic reduction/glaze, use store bought judgement free ;).

Serving: 1g, Calories: 416kcal, Carbohydrates: 48g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 45mg, Sodium: 667mg, Potassium: 334mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 17g, Vitamin A: 1205IU, Vitamin C: 13mg, Calcium: 321mg, Iron: 12mg

Author: Laurie McNamara

Course: Mains & Entrees

Cuisine: Italian