Our weather forecast has been rain, rain and more rain the past two weeks, so I put these Zucchini Caprese Sandwiches on the menu because they taste like sunshine. This is a recipe that requires very little effort for a whole lot of flavor, which I think makes it a perfect Mangia Monday option. I have to admit that I am always a bit sad when I am down to the last bite!
I love anything Caprese (tomato/mozzarella/basil) in general, but the addition of zucchini in this version makes these sandwiches feel a lot more substantial. I adapted this from a Cooking Light recipe called Grilled Zucchini Caprese Sandwiches. We generally make our own pesto since Keelin is allergic to nuts, but you can use any pesto that you like. This is the Pesto Without Nuts recipe we use. I absolutely love the fresh lemon flavor and we actually add 1/2 tsp of lemon zest as well. The 1/2 cup of pesto you need for the sandwiches leaves you with plenty leftover for a meal later in the week or to freeze for next time.
Our favorite bread for this is Marks & Spencer Ciabatta rolls or the larger Ciabatta cut into three pieces.(Focaccia also works very well, and I highly recommend this Bon Appetit recipe for Shockingly Easy No Knead Focaccia if you can plan ahead and throw a few ingredients together the night before.) Feel free to substitute other grilled vegetables like peppers, mushrooms or eggplant for the zucchini. I have even added sun-dried tomatoes on occasion if I have them. It all works wonderfully with the tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and pesto! I would think these would be amazing on a panini press if you have one. (Note to self to get one of those when we move back to the US!)
We don’t have a grill, so I always cook the zucchini for these on the stove in a grill pan. You can even just use a non-stick skillet and the zucchini is still excellent. With the delicious tomatoes, pesto and mozzarella cheese, you won’t miss those grill marks at all! You can eat these sandwiches cold or warm them up in the pan once they are prepared, heating them on both sides and pressing down on them to compress. I have shown them both ways in the images below.
We often eat these with a green salad, but tonight we had them with cut up raw vegetables and hummus. Some extra vegetables after a weekend of decadent eating seemed like a good idea to me.
Have a great week!
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Zucchini Caprese Sandwiches with Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 small zucchini ends trimmed and sliced the long way into ⅛ inch slices
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves mincd or pressed
- 1 ½ tsp balsamic vinegar
- ⅛ tsp salt or to taste
- ⅛ tsp pepper or to taste
- 4 ciabatta rolls split and then toasted
- ½ cup pesto*
- 6-8 oz (170-227 g) fresh mozzarella cheese sliced into ⅛ inch thick slices, dried with a paper towel
- 3 small tomatoes sliced into ⅛ inch thick slices
Instructions
- Place zucchini slices, 2 teaspoons olive oil and 2 garlic cloves in a shallow dish and gently toss them to coat. Heat a grill pan or large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Arrange zucchini slices in a single layer and cook approximately 3 minutes until grill marks (or brown patches) appear. Flip and repeat on the other side and cook until tender but not super soft. Repeat with remaining zucchini slices if needed. Return the zucchini to the dish. Add 1 ½ tsp vinegar, salt and pepper and flip the slices over to coat.
- Spread 1 T pesto on each side of the rolls. Arrange the zucchini slices (you may need to cut them to fit), tomato slices and mozzarella on the rolls, dividing evenly between the four rolls.
- The sandwiches are ready to eat, or you can place them back in the pan (wipe it out first) or in a panini press to warm them up. For the photo, I grilled them for a bit in the pan, pressing down to flatten a little.
Notes