Grilled Mozzarella Sandwich

5 from 929 votes

This Grilled Mozzarella Sandwich is made with fresh tomatoes and walnut pesto grilled with sourdough bread. It's easy to assemble and bursting with flavor!

Course Sandwich

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 5

Total Time 15

Servings servings

Calories 449kcal

Author Yumna Jawad

Equipment

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

Video

Notes

Storage: Leftover pesto should be covered and stored in the refrigerator, it will keep fresh for one week. I would not recommend storing the sandwich though for more than a couple hours. If you have sandwich leftovers, it's best to reheat using a toaster oven or panini maker.

Make Ahead Tips: You can make the pesto up to one week in advance and then use in the the grilled sandwich when you're ready.

Substitutes: For best results, follow the recipe as is. However here are some common substitutes that would work well in this recipe.

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

Equipment: I use the Kitchen Aid 7-Cup Food processor Kitchen Aid 11-Cup Food Processor to to make the pesto. It has a high and low pulse speed so you can make the pesto as smooth or chunky as you’d like. And it has a 3-in-1 wide mouth feed tube to make it easier to slowly add olive oil while the machine is running.

It’s so fun to make sandwiches in my panini maker. I have the Cuisinart 5-in-1 Griddler – pretty much a magic appliance in my kitchen that does so much! If you don't have a panini grill, you can use a skillet and cook the sandwich for 2 minutes per side, pressing down with a spatula as you cook.

Nutrition