Sometimes in the middle of the night I’ll sneak out of bed into the darkened kitchen, open up the fridge and stand in the light of the refrigerator while I contemplate snacks to sate my hunger. Cheese has always got my back –its versatility is second to none. For a treat, I’ll melt it between two golden brown buttered crispy pieces of bread. If I want to make it even more indulgent, I’ll add sweet juicy tomatoes and fresh basil to bring the whole thing over the top. A caprese grilled cheese is always a good thing in my books.
The simplicity of a good caprese salad is a thing of beauty on its own – who doesn’t love perfectly ruby red vine-ripened tomatoes, fresh creamy Canadian mozzarella, and fragrant basil? Taking the ingredients and tucking them into a grilled cheese is, dare I say, even better? The mozzarella melts into a creamy, gooey mess. A bit of heat causes the tomatoes release even more of their sweet juiciness and the basil flavor becomes even more prominent when next to crunchy, golden brown toast. I make these caprese grilled cheeses a lot – as midnight snacks, as a stand in for dinner, or as hors d’oeuvres at co*cktail parties.
This recipe is infinitely scalable –if you want to make one sandwich, you can definitely do so –but you may be wishing you went ahead and made the whole baguette.
Mini Caprese Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe
makes 12-14 mini sandwiches
- 1 fresh baguette
- 1 tub Tre StelleBocconcini
- 4-5 small tomatoes on the vine
- 24-28 fresh basil leaves
- salt and pepper
- butter, at room temperature
With a sharp knife, cut the baguette into thin slices, about 1/8″ thick. Cut the bocconcini into rounds and the tomatoes into thin slices. Wash and throughly dry the basil leaves. Assemble your sandwiches. Lay out the slices of bread and place a layer of bocconcini rounds on each slice. Season with salt and pepper and then top alternating slices with tomatoes and basil leaves. Close up the sandwiches and butter the outsides of the bread. Heat up a cast iron or non-stick pan over medium to medium-low heat. Toast the sandwiches, flipping once, until the cheese melts and the bread is golden brown and crispy, about 3-5 minutes per side. Enjoy immediately!
PS – Look for the 100% Canadian Milk symbol whenever you buy cheese, it confirms the Canadian origin of the milk, renowned for its high quality, purity and great taste!
26 Comments
September 15, 2014 at 3:41 pm
So good. Sometimes the most amazing things are the simplest!
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Alana | Fix Feast Flair says:
September 15, 2014 at 4:00 pm
Grilled caprese sandos? Genius! And gorgeous as always.
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Liz @ Floating Kitchen says:
September 15, 2014 at 4:17 pm
I’m making this tonight! I have one little pile of tomatoes left from my farmers market trip this weekend. These sandwiches will be perfect!!
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molly yeh says:
September 15, 2014 at 6:19 pm
yummmm. this is gorgeous, steph!!!
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jenna @ just j.faye says:
September 15, 2014 at 7:22 pm
Amazing. Grilled cheese never disappoints!
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Beeta @ Bee & Co. says:
September 15, 2014 at 7:29 pm
Wow, now this is the way to my heart. Simple enough, but flavorful ingredients to make a mouthwatering, easy meal. Perfection.
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todd wagner says:
September 15, 2014 at 10:08 pm
Oh, what I would do for that stack of sandwiches…
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September 16, 2014 at 8:34 am
This is such a pretty grilled cheese. I love the stackable nature the recipe has. Yum
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Dhrubaa says:
September 16, 2014 at 11:31 am
Oh, I love this! And this shall be my lunch today. :)
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Eileen says:
September 16, 2014 at 1:36 pm
Yay! Such a classic way to eat as many of the best fruits of summer as possible. :)
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Lindsey says:
September 17, 2014 at 3:12 pm
caprese sandwiches used to be like THE favorite sandwich of mine! and i think buttering up the outsides of the bread, and frying it up in a skillet is so baller; it also makes me wonder why i had never tried this before when i ate cheese! you’re awesome, lady!
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Rachel @ Bakerita says:
September 17, 2014 at 10:11 pm
Oh my goodness. I need this! They look so beyond delicious, and they are mini. Too cute. Too perfect. Pinned!
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Denise | TLT says:
September 18, 2014 at 2:38 am
Your description of highly trips to the fridge reminds me of 1. myself (guilty as charged) and 2. Nigella (I bet you have seen those episodes?). Also: your caprese grilled cheese looks simply brilliant.
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Denise | TLT says:
September 18, 2014 at 2:39 am
highly trips = nightly trips, of course. Highly delicious though ;)
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Kate @ Babaganosh.org says:
September 18, 2014 at 2:33 pm
Oh wow, those look awesome. And adorable. And full of flavor. I can see them being so addictive. I think I’ll make this next time I have some people over for dinner who deserve a special treat. :)
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Jamie Hunt says:
September 19, 2014 at 1:48 pm
Thank you for sharing an idea that actually manages to make grilled cheese classy! Grilled cheese is my little guilty pleasure. It’s so yummy but I always feel like a lazy chef when I make it. These look outstanding.
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Raksha Kamat says:
June 1, 2017 at 11:42 pm
Wow, this sandwich looks gorgeous. I am sure it tastes heavenly.
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Drooling Foodies says:
April 11, 2018 at 11:56 am
Yummy! Sharing this right away. Looks delicious.
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