Toasted Caprese Sandwich

This Toasted Caprese Sandwich is loaded with juicy tomato slices, melted mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. It tastes so good you’ll want to make it for lunch all summer!

Toasted Caprese Sandwich on a piece of parchment.

With a basic recipe for toaster oven grilled cheese and this gourmet-style apple and Havarti grilled cheese, do you really need more cheese sandwich recipes? The short answer: Yes!

This recipe is made a little differently from those other toaster oven grilled cheeses. It uses the TOAST setting so there’s no stopping to flip the sandwich.

Plus, toasting the bread and cheese first helps to keep the juicy tomato slices from making things soggy. This way you end up with a sandwich that’s the perfect combo of gooey, toasty, fresh, and tasty.

Ingredients arranged on a sheet pan with labels.

Ingredient Notes

Mayo: It’s fantastic at turning bread golden and toasted. Plus you don’t have to wait for it to soften like butter. But if you don’t like mayo, butter works too.

Small Tomato: Use the best, reddest, freshest tomato you can find.

Balsamic Glaze: It’s thick, tangy, sweet, and tastes delicious drizzled on any vegetable but especially on fresh tomatoes. Balsamic glaze can be found at most major grocery stores on the oil and vinegar aisle. If you want to try making your own, check out this easy Balsamic Glaze Recipe from Rachel Cooks.

Step-By-Step Instructions

1. Start by spreading two pieces of bread with a little mayo on one side. Flip the pieces over and top each of the dry sides with a slice of cheese.

Yummy Reader Recommendation: for an extra pop of flavor, spread the bread with pesto before adding the cheese.

Toasted bread slices with cheese inside a toaster oven.

2. Next, place the bread side-by-side on the rack in your toaster oven. Set the machine to TOAST and cook until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted about 4 to 5 minutes.

3. Let the cheesy toast cool for a few minutes while you slice the basil and tomatoes.

Cheesy toasted bread and tomato slices on a cutting board.

4. Layer one slice of bread with the basil and tomato slices. Season with salt and pepper, a generous drizzle of balsamic glaze, and more basil.

5. Top with the remaining cheesy toast and dig in!

Juicy tomato slices and fresh basil on a piece of cheesy toasted bread.

Can You Bake The Sandwich?

If your oven doesn’t have a TOAST setting or you’ve got one with “smart toasting technology” (like our Breville Smart Oven Pro BOV845BSS) you can use the BAKE setting instead. This method is very similar to our sheet pan grilled cheese recipe.

  1. Use the bottom rack placement and preheat to 400°F on the BAKE setting.
  2. Prep the bread and cheese as directed but place the slices on a baking sheet. 
  3. Cook until the bottom of the bread is golden and toasted, about 6 to 7 minutes. If the bread is toasted but the cheese is not melted enough, switch to the BROIL setting for 1 to 2 minutes. 
  4. Top your toasted cheesy bread with the basil, tomato, and balsamic glaze. Then, dig in!
Toasted Caprese Sandwich sliced in half on a piece of parchment.

More Easy Vegetarian Lunch Ideas

Stacked slices of tomato and cheese sandwich on a table.

Toasted Caprese Sandwich

Yield: 1 Sandwich
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

The classic flavors of Caprese salad in a quick and easy toaster oven sandwich.

Ingredients

  • 2 slices Multigrain Bread (or your favorite bread)
  • 2 teaspoons Mayonnaise (or softened butter)
  • 2 slices Mozzarella Cheese
  • 1 small Fresh Ripe Tomato, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
  • 3 large Fresh Basil Leaves, thinly sliced
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste
  • Balsamic Glaze

Instructions

  1. Spread mayonnaise on one side of each bread slice. Flip slices over and top each one with a slice of mozzarella.
  2. Place bread with cheese facing up directly on the toaster oven cooking rack. Set toaster oven to TOAST and cook until bread is toasted and cheese is melted about 4 to 5 minutes.
  3. Sprinkle half the basil on one slice of toasted cheese bread. Add tomato and season with salt and pepper drizzle with balsamic glaze.
  4. Top with remaining basil and place the other toast on top (cheese-side down) and dig in!

Notes

To prepare using the BAKE setting:

  1. Preheat the toaster oven to 400°F.
  2. Follow the instructions for preparing the bread and cheese and place the slices on a baking sheet. 
  3. Cook until the bottom of the bread is golden and toasted, about 6 to 7 minutes. If the cheese is not melted enough, broil for 1 to 2 minutes. 
  4. Top with the basil and tomato, and enjoy!

To make this sandwich in our Breville Smart Oven Pro Countertop Oven we used the TOAST function with a Darkness Level of 5 or 6 and a Slices Setting of 4.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: Sandwich
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 354Total Fat: 15.7gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 633mgCarbohydrates: 30.6gFiber: 5.1gSugar: 6.4gProtein: 22g

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3 Comments

  1. I spread pesto sauce lightly on bread, then add cheese and tomato slices. Then toast as you do!

    1. YUM Nikki!! The pesto sounds fantastic and is an especially good option if you don’t have fresh basil. Thanks for sharing!