Tomato Mozzarella Basil Sandwiches

Name: Tomato Mozzarella Basil Sandwiches Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: Italian cuisine
Ingredients: Baguette 1 baguette; Tomatoes 5-6; Mozzarella 150 g; Basil 1 bunch; Olive oil 2-3 tbsp; Garlic 4-5 cloves (1-2 for the paste, the rest for rubbing the bread); Parmesan or Grana Padano 50 g; Balsamic vinegar 1 tsp; Salt, black pepper, dried oregano to taste

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15 mins

Italian cuisine has plenty of light appetizers served in the style of the Italian flag. Green, white and red usually come from basil, white cheese and tomatoes. That is why tomatoes with mozzarella and basil is the most common combination of simple Italian ingredients, and it turns up in many dishes.

First, there is the light and tasty Caprese salad. Nothing extra, just tomatoes and mozzarella layered with fresh basil leaves and drizzled with olive oil. A few drops of balsamic vinegar and a pinch of oregano make the salad unbeatable, especially with fresh bread.

Second, all kinds of sandwiches with mozzarella, tomatoes and many other things on toasted bread. This is bruschetta, a very simple appetizer. Slices of bread are grilled without oil until the surface is lightly crisp, then brushed with olive oil and topped with vegetables and cheese, like an open sandwich.

All kinds of canapés with mozzarella and tomatoes garnished with basil, tomato sandwiches: there are countless variations. And last but not least, the most famous pizza in Italy and the world, pizza Margherita.

A simple sandwich on bread toasted without oil, with a simple sauce of Parmesan and basil, tomatoes and mozzarella, takes no more than 15 mins. You can make this easiest of appetizers while unexpected guests are still saying hello and putting on their slippers. These mozzarella and tomato sandwiches also make a simple, healthy breakfast.

Ingredients

20-25 pieces

Baguette 1 baguette
Tomatoes 5-6
Mozzarella 150 g
Basil 1 bunch
Olive oil 2-3 tbsp
Garlic 4-5 cloves (1-2 for the paste, the rest for rubbing the bread)
Parmesan or Grana Padano 50 g
Balsamic vinegar 1 tsp
Salt, black pepper, dried oregano to taste

Step-by-step recipe

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Preparing the ingredients

Make these sandwiches with the freshest vegetables, ideally straight from the garden. You need small mozzarella balls so you don’t have to cut them. Hard Italian Parmesan can be replaced with Grana Padano.

Prepare the vegetables and cheese. If the basil has wilted a little, soak it in cold water for a couple of hours, then pat it dry.

Toasting the bread

For the toast it is best to use a so-called French baguette. A fresh baguette slices well and doesn’t crumble, and it toasts perfectly even in an ordinary dry skillet or grill pan. An ordinary baguette from any shop makes more than 20 small sandwiches.

Cut the baguette into slices 15-20 mm thick. It is better to cut straight across, not on the diagonal.
Toast the bread in a dry skillet. Heat a skillet or grill pan well over medium heat, with no oil on the bottom. Put the baguette slices in a single layer and toast on both sides until lightly browned and the surface is dried out. This takes 4-5 mins at most. When the surface is crisp and the inside is still soft, transfer the bread to a plate. It will cool in a few minutes.

Preparing the cheese and basil

A full pesto recipe includes pine nuts and quite a lot of olive oil. Our goal is a little different: we need a thick paste that can be spread on the toasted bread.

Make a paste of cheese and basil. Grate 50 g of Parmesan or Grana Padano into a blender, add 1-2 cloves of garlic cut into pieces and all the large basil leaves. Keep the small leaves to garnish the sandwiches. Add a pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper.
Blend the Parmesan, basil and garlic into pieces the size of coarse sand. The mixture will be a pleasant emerald color. Add 2-3 tbsp of the best natural olive oil and stir. You will get a thick paste that doesn’t run at all.

Assembling the sandwiches

Rub the bread with garlic and spread with the paste. Rub the already cooled bread slices with the peeled garlic cloves you saved, very lightly. The crisp surface of the toasted bread grates garlic wonderfully, like a grater. Using a knife, spread the cheese and basil paste over the baguette slices in a thin layer. The topping will go on it.
Slice the tomatoes and put them on the bread. Wash the tomatoes and slice them across into rounds 10-12 mm thick. Don’t remove the seeds or skin. For purely aesthetic reasons you can use tomatoes of different colors. Put a tomato round on each slice of bread. Add just a little salt and pepper.
Put the mozzarella on top of the tomatoes. Small mozzarella balls don’t need to be cut. If the mozzarella is the size of a chicken egg, slice it into plates 3-4 mm thick.

Serving

Arrange the sandwiches on a tray and dress them. Small trays or plates are convenient for serving. Spread all the remaining basil leaves over the whole surface of a suitable dish and put the mozzarella sandwiches on top. Drip 2-3 drops of natural balsamic vinegar onto each piece of mozzarella so it runs over the cheese and tomato. Finally, sprinkle the mozzarella with a pinch of dried oregano.
The finished sandwiches don’t need chilling or time to soak. The flavor is most amazing when the bread is still slightly crunchy and the cheese and vegetables have just been laid on. Serve the mozzarella sandwiches as a light appetizer with an aperitif, or simply as a snack between lunch and dinner.

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Calories and macros

160 kcal

100 g

Protein7 g18% of kcal
Fat7 g41% of kcal
Carbs16 g41% of kcal

Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.