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Home » Recipes » Lunch

Caprese Grilled Cheese

By Erin · May 3, 2021 · Updated September 26, 2021 · 12 Comments

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Vegetarian
sandwich on parchment paper and in a skillet with text overlay

Up your sandwich game with this delicious Caprese Grilled Cheese sandwich. It's made with fresh mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and a simple basil mayonnaise that's out of this world! 

stacked grilled cheese with tomato and mayo

I love a good grilled cheese sandwich, and this caprese grilled cheese is no exception! If and when I'm feeling "fancy" I tend to opt for my avocado grilled cheese, but this recipe might be even better.

The best part is definitely the basil mayonnaise! Just so you know, you'll definitely have some leftover, which you can (and should!) use with my kale pesto pizza, stone fruit panzanella salad and/or these mediterranean stuffed zucchini boats.

Recipe features

  • Made with fresh mozzarella and sliced tomatoes, making this sandwich taste like summer
  • The basil mayonnaise is SO good, and it's ready in under 5 minutes
  • A great way to switch up your normal sandwich routine

ingredients to make a sandwich

Ingredient notes:

Bread: Use your favorite kind! I opted for sourdough and it was perfect.

Cheese: Fresh mozzarella; can substitute burrata if needed, though it'll be a bit messier.

Tomato: Heirloom, vine ripe or roma will all work.

Mayo: Store-bought or my favorite homemade avocado oil mayonnaise

Spinach: Optional; spinach will make the basil mayonnaise a little more green in color

Method

First: Make the basil mayo. First, add all of the mayo ingredients -- mayo, basil, lemon juice, and garlic -- to a small blender and pulse until smooth.

homemade mayo in a small blender

Second: Assemble the sandwich. Butter one side of each slice of bread, and add the basil mayo on the second side. Place the sliced tomato and mozzarella on one slice of bread, then cook the sandwich for 3-5 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and the cheese has melted.

two slices of bread topped with tomatoes and mozzarella in a skillet

Tips and tricks

-It's easiest to make the mayo in a small blender. If you don't have one, a food processor will work.

-I like to place a lid on the skillet, which helps the cheese melt a little more quickly.

Is there anything else that I could add to this sandwich?

If you want to take this sandwich to the next level, you could always add some prosciutto and/or

Can this caprese grilled cheese be made dairy-free?

Surprisingly yes, but with a few modifications. You'll want to use vegan butter, vegan mozzarella cheese and vegan mayo, which will make the sandwich completely dairy-free!

close up of a grilled cheese with sliced tomato

More tasty sandwich recipes:

  • Mediterranean Grilled Cheese
  • Tofu Banh Mi Sandwich
  • Cottage Cheese Chicken Salad Sandwich

If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!

stacked grilled cheese with tomato and mayo

Caprese Grilled Cheese

Switch up your sandwich game with this easy Caprese Grilled Cheese Sandwich. It's made with tomato, fresh mozzarella and a delicious basil mayonnaise, and ready in 5 minutes!
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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 1
Author: Erin

Ingredients

  • 2 slices bread
  • 2 tablespoon butter softened
  • 1 vine ripe tomato sliced
  • 3 slices fresh mozzarella cheese

for the mayo:

  • 1 cup fresh basil
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ¾ cup mayonnaise
  • juice from 1 lemon
  • handful of spinach optional

Instructions

  • Before you can make the sandwich, you'll need to make the mayonnaise. Add all mayo ingredients to a small blender or food processor and pulse until smooth; set aside.
  • For the sandwich: butter 1 side of each piece of bread. Place one piece of bread, butter side down, in a nonstick skillet.
  • Put sliced tomato and mozzarella overtop of that piece of bread.
  • Spread basil mayo on the other side of the second piece of bread before placing it, mayo side down and butter side up, overtop of the tomato and cheese.
  • Cook the sandwich for 3-4 minutes on the first side over medium heat, then carefully flip it over and cook it for 1-2 more minutes until the bread is golden brown. Enjoy!

Notes

*Calories are an estimation 
*To make this vegan, simply use vegan butter, mayo and mozzarella cheese; can be gluten free if you use gluten free bread 

Nutrition

Calories: 644kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 127mg | Sodium: 1032mg | Potassium: 560mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 3567IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 579mg | Iron: 4mg
Did you Make this Recipe? Tag me Today!Leave a comment below and tag @thealmondeater on Instagram!

UPDATE NOTE: This post was originally published in March 2016. It was updated with new text and photos in May 2021.

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About Erin

Erin is the recipe developer, writer and photographer behind the healthy food blog, The Almond Eater. She's been blogging since 2014 and loves to create food for many different diets, including vegan, gluten free and/or Whole30 recipes.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jess @hellotofit says

    March 21, 2016 at 5:43 pm

    LOVED seeing your adventures via Snapchat!! So cool. Umm love me some mayo, especially if it's flavored!!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      March 22, 2016 at 10:05 pm

      Thank you Jess!! Glad you liked my mass amount of snaps 😀

      Reply
  2. Alysia at Slim Sanity says

    March 20, 2016 at 4:33 pm

    Grilled cheese is the beeeest! And so is pesto 🙂 what kinda mayo do you use?

    Reply
    • Erin says

      March 22, 2016 at 10:04 pm

      Hampton Creek!

      Reply
  3. Donna Lotz (your favorite aunt) haha says

    March 19, 2016 at 3:05 pm

    Hey Erin, Congratulations on being asked to attend Michelle Obama's Let's Move event. That was certainly a nice honor. As far as your grilled cheese, I've always added tomatoes and romaine lettuce to my grilled cheese, but I've never tried it with basil mayo. I love basil pesto, so this will be scrumptious.

    Reply
    • Erin says

      March 22, 2016 at 10:04 pm

      Haha!! Favorite aunt--I like it. Thanks for the kind words, and you gotta try the basil mayo 🙂

      Reply
  4. Catherine @ foodiecology says

    March 18, 2016 at 10:11 am

    I am still mega jealous of you bloggers who got to go to the White House. I love the FLOTUS and think the Let's Move program is so important.
    And...this sandwich!!!! I love caprese salad and while I'm squeamish towards mayo, I can totally do flavored ones. Grilled cheese is the best!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      March 22, 2016 at 10:03 pm

      Thanks Catherine--it really is important and I hope everyone else thinks so too 🙂

      Reply
  5. Ellen @ My Uncommon Everyday says

    March 18, 2016 at 9:02 am

    It's so cool you got to go to that event! And um, grilled cheese is always (ALWAYS) a good idea. I love tomatoes in grilled cheese, and the addition of the basil mayo sounds incredible!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      March 22, 2016 at 10:02 pm

      You really can't go wrong with grilled cheese!

      Reply
  6. Kelly @ Kelly Runs For Food says

    March 18, 2016 at 8:01 am

    This sandwich looks amazing. I love caprese anything, but this just takes it to a whole different level. Plus, I'm SO jealous about all the bloggers who got to go to the white house. I think Michelle Obama is awesome and love the cause too.

    Reply
    • Erin says

      March 22, 2016 at 9:53 pm

      She really is--thanks Kelly!

      Reply

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