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This delicious grilled mozzarella sandwich is perfect to make when you want something fresh with a gourmet quality, but don’t want to go to a restaurant. Homemade walnut pesto, fresh tomatoes and melted mozzarella make every bite full of flavor. Be sure to make a double batch of the pesto so you can whip up a tasty sandwich later on in the week.
RECIPE VIDEO TUTORIAL
How to make grilled mozzarella sandwich – step by step
To make the pesto
Place the basil, garlic, walnuts and Parmesan cheese in the food processor; season with salt and pepper, to taste, and blend. While the food processor is on, pour the olive oil slowly into the mixture in order to allow the olive oil to emulsify.
To assemble the sandwiches
You will need some sourdough bread sliced about ½ inch thick, whole mozzarella cheese, the pesto you just successfully whipped up, along with large tomato slices and roasted red pepper.
Next, you’ll want to spread the pesto on four slices of the sourdough bread, and place two of the slices right on the panini maker with the pesto side up.
The assembly all happens in the panini maker, like this one (or toaster oven or grill pan). Add the mozzarella cheese on right away, and give it a minute to settle in and start melting. Start piling the tomatoes and roasted red peppers (carefully).
And then, close the sandwich with the remaining bread (pesto side down) and close the panini maker. This is seriously the hardest part of the recipe. The type of bread you use and how high you stack the sandwich can really make or break the sandwich. You want to lightly press on the sandwich so we don’t end up with a pressed pile of cheesy bread (although I have done it and it is delicious still haha!)
You’ll know it’s done when the bread is crispy and golden brown and the mozzarella cheese is melty. It’s a sandwich recipe that looks totally gourmet and tastes out of this world!
Tips for making grilled mozzarella sandwich
- Don’t have a panini maker? This panini maker is great, or you can use a toaster oven to achieve the same result (minus those pretty grill lines). You can also use a grill pan or regular pan to make this sandwich recipe.
- Don’t have a food processor? Just buy store-bought pesto! But really, if you can find a way to make your own pesto, it really takes this sandwich to another level.
- Make sure you use the freshest ingredients you can for maximum flavor. That is especially true for the basil and the mozzarella cheese.
- Use thick sturdy sourdough bread that is not airy on the inside to ensure the sandwich stays put when you press on it in the panini maker.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a grilled mozzarella sandwich healthy?
One sandwich comes in at under 450 calories, so even though it’s not low in calories, it’s certainly better for you than a lot of store bought sandwiches. Making your own pesto is certainly a healthier option than buying store bought because there aren’t preservatives or milk or other unnecessary ingredients added. To make the sandwich lighter, you can use whole wheat bread which contains more fiber, and you can use a low fat mozzarella if you so wish.
How do you make homemade walnut pesto?
Pesto is so easy to make at home. We are all so used to buying the jarred stuff, but fresh is always better! Use a good olive oil, super fresh basil leaves (or any greens really) and some nuts. Add the dry ingredients to a food processor, and while they are combining, slowly pour in the olive oil. Easy! Be sure to make an extra batch and stir it into fresh pasta!
For more delicious sandwich recipes:
- Turkey Panini
- Roasted Vegetable Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Pesto Chicken Avocado Panini
- Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Wraps
I really hope you enjoy this grilled mozzarella sandwich recipe as much as we did! It’s so easy to put together, full of vibrant green pesto, beautiful ripe tomatoes and melted mozzarella cheese – truly a fresh and fabulous sandwich recipe.
If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Grilled Mozzarella Sandwich recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
Grilled Mozzarella Sandwich
Video
Ingredients
For the Sandwich
- 4 slices sourdough bread
- 4 oz mozzarella cheese sliced
- 1 large tomato sliced
- 2 oz roasted red peppers jarred
For the Pesto
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- 2 cloves garlic clove peeled
- 2 tablespoons walnuts
- 2 tablespoons Grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- To make the pesto, place the basil, garlic, walnuts and Parmesan cheese in the food processor; season with salt and pepper, to taste, and blend. While the food processor is on, pour the olive oil slowly into the mixture in order to allow the olive oil to emulsify.
- Spread the pesto equally on the 4 slices of bread and place two slices of bread on the panini maker or in a toaster oven for 2 minutes.
- Then place the mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and roasted red peppers on top of two bread slices and allow the cheese to melt and the veggies to soften, keeping the panini maker open.
- Once the cheese starts to melt, add the second slices on top to close the sandwiches, then close the panini maker for 2-3 minutes. Remove, slice in half and serve immediately
Equipment
Notes
- Instead whole mozzarella, you can use shredded mozzarella. Although I think it creates a completely different flavor and texture to the sandwich.
- Instead of walnuts, you can use other nuts, like pine nuts, almonds or pecans, to make the pesto
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
And here’s the original photo I took back on February 27, 2017. I had major stacking skills!
A great sandwich, well-communicated instructions and suggestions. I thought “who needs tomato with the red peppers?” and the answer is: perfect! Follow the directions! THANK YOU.
Aww yay, I’m so happy to hear that!! Glad you liked the recipe, Chris!!
wow this looks amazing
Thank you so much!
Delicious ! Yum !
Thank you, Pat!
Made this for dinner tonight. My husband and I loved it! I will definitely keep it on our menu rotation. Thank you for sharing!
So glad you and your husband enjoyed the sandwich, KC!
I absolutely loved this sandwich and it was so easy to make. You could even eat it cold! Definitely going to follow your blog regularly from now on.
Thank you so mush, Aashvi, and welcome!!
is there anything I can sub for the walnuts?
Instead of walnuts, you can use other nuts, like pine nuts, almonds or pecans, to make the pesto.
Grilled Mozzarella Sandwich was excellent. Will definitely make it again.
Thank you so much! That’s great to hear!
We added pre cooked chicken , we cooked it open faced in toaster oven. Then added the top toast with some Chipotle mayo… so yummy 😋
I love that! Yum!!
Wow! This was so amazing! I love simple foods with big flavors!
Thank you so much!!
Excellent
Thank you!
This was delicious!!
Yay! Glad you made it and enjoyed it!! 🙂
I’m a little unsure about the instructions – do you close the penini maker at any point?
Never mind! i see you explained really well in the pictured steps!
Good question! You can actually lay all the bread slices flat on the panini maker with two of them having only pesto and the other two having the pesto, cheese and veggies. That would be less messy and then you can assemble. Or you can close the sandwich and close the panini maker which is what I show in the video. I updated the instructions to make this more clear. Thank you!
Wonderful recipe!
So happy to hear that! Thank you!
The best sandwich ever !!! Thanks so much for sharing !!!
Yay! So happy to hear that!! Thank you 🙂
Delicious sandwich!
All of the flavors melt together perfectly. I used an extra clove of garlic in the pesto, because I love garlic. I served the sandwich with coleslaw. The creaminess of the coleslaw helped balance out the tanginess of the sandwich. I’m definitely making this again! I may try making the pesto with pignoli nuts next time.
So glad you enjoyed it! Love that you served it with coleslaw…yum!
I want to make this for someone that is a vegetarian, but is allergic to all nuts. Is there something I could substitute the walnuts for to get a similar taste?
I just read the comment below mine about using pine nuts instead of walnuts! Thanks 🙂
Ohhh you had a typo so instead of walnuts, it showed up as all nuts LOL! Ok, yes, pine nuts would be perfect!!
If you’re looking to make it nut-free, there’s no good substitute but nut-free pesto is still very delicious especially if you can still use cheese. I recommend just skipping the nuts.
Love the pesto recipe! We used pine nuts instead of walnuts due to a food allergy. We’ve used it on a variety of sandwiches this week.
So glad to hear it! Thanks so much for sharing!
Delicious sandwich! I’ve never made pesto before. I love that it’s made with walnuts instead of pine nuts. My daughter is very picky and even she loved it! Thanks for a great recipe!
So glad to hear that you and your daughter enjoyed it. Thank you!!
The flavors in this sandwich are absolutely amazing!!!!! I will be making this for years to come!!!!
Yay!! That’s awesome!
These were SO yummy. We just used a frying pan and let the cheese melt for a minute or so before adding the tomatoes and peppers. SO DELICIOUS
Yummmm that sounds perfect!!
Super easy and tasty! We used jar pesto bc it’s what we had in the house and added some balsamic at the end ! Would def make again. Delicious
Awesome!! So glad to hear it. Thank you!!
Super tasty. I used jar pesto and put everything together and pressed the panini maker down on max. We also added a touch of balsamic after !
Love this! I used regular bread as well because I couldn’t get to the store, but it was still amazing. Super easy and quick to make. I’m currently on my second one lol. Thank you so much for the recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
This recipe rocks. It tasted even better than what i thought it would. We will do it again.
Yay! So glad to hear it! Thanks so much for the feedback! 🙂
looks delicious. when i got home i am gonna show this to my mom then we make it together. thanks for the recipe
Awesome! I hope you make it together and enjoy it!
This was really good, I don’t have a panini maker so I made it like a grilled cheese sandwich but pressed it down some. Definitely will make it again!
Awesome! So glad to hear that you enjoyed it…it’s great this time of the year when there’s so much basil and tomatoes in season!
This was really great! I love anything tomato, basil, and mozzarella. I used mozzarella slices and it was perfect! Can’t wait to make again!
Thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Easy to make and delicious
Thank you! So glad you like it!
I love the way this tasted! Perfect recipe
Loving the walnut pesto with the cheese, makes for a great twist on this classic sandwich. It’s hearty and filling.
This sandwich is so easy to make and delicious. The home made pesto give it a fresh taste.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing!
Great Recipe! Would love to see more vegetarian recipes on your page.
Thank you so much! I will add more vegetarian recipes for sure!