Tomato Mozzarella Sandwich

I stole this recipe for Tomato Mozzarella Sandwich from All New! Secret Restaurant Recipes who stole it from Corner Bakery Café. This tasty Italian sandwich can be served by itself or is great with a soup or salad. Try it with Italian Wedding Soup, Crockpot Chicken Gnocchi Soup or for Meatless Mondays serve with Caprese Pasta Salad. Marinated and roasted tomatoes are the star! A baguette is split open and homemade balsamic vinaigrette is spread on the bread. The roasted tomatoes go on next, followed by cheese and fresh spinach. The sandwich can be served then or toasted to melt the cheese. Either way you better make sure no one steals your sandwich!

Marinate 1 lb sliced tomatoes with ¼ cup olive oil, 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp Italian seasoning and 2 tsp Montreal Steak seasoning.

Place marinated tomatoes in a casserole dish lined with parchment. (I like using a dish instead of a cookie sheet, because the higher sides help prevent splattering in the oven.)

Bake tomatoes are 475 F for 25 minutes.

For the vinaigrette, whisk 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, ½ tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp salt and ⅛ tsp black pepper in a small bowl until well blended.

Cut 1 baguette into 4 pieces for sandwiches and then split in half lengthwise. Brush 1 tbsp vinaigrette on top and bottom pieces of each sandwich.

Layer each sandwich half with sliced provolone or mozzarella cheese, fresh spinach and roasted tomatoes.

You can close the sandwiches and serve or toast them in the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese.

These sandwiches can be sliced smaller to serve as a snack or appetizer.

Tomato Mozzarella Sandwich

This tasty Italian sandwich can be served by itself or is great with soup. Marinated and roasted tomatoes are the star! A baguette is split open and homemade balsamic vinaigrette is spread on the bread. The roasted tomatoes go on next, followed by cheese and fresh spinach. The sandwich can be served then or toasted to melt the cheese.
Course Sandwich
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

Balsamic Vinaigrette

  • 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • ½ tsp salt
  • tsp black pepper

Sandwiches

  • 1 baguette ends trimmed cut into 4 equal pieces (4 oz each) and split
  • 1 cup loosely packed baby arugula
  • 3 medium tomatoes sliced ¼ inch thick
  • 1 cup roasted red peppers patted dry and thinly sliced
  • 12 slices fresh mozzarella 8 oz package
  • 12 fresh basil leaves

Instructions

  1. For the vinaigrette, whisk oil, vinegar, garlic, honey, mustard, oregano, salt and pepper in a small bowl until well blended.
  2. For each sandwich, drizzle 1 tbsp vinaigrette over bottom half of bread. Layer with arugula, tomato slices, roasted peppers, cheese slices, additional arugula and basil. Drizzle with 1 tbsp dressing; replace top half of bread.

Recipe Notes

I use roasted tomatoes instead of using the red peppers. Marinate 1 lb sliced tomatoes with ¼ cup olive oil, 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp Italian seasoning and 2 tsp Montreal Steak seasoning. Bake tomatoes are 475 F for 25 minutes. I also substitute fresh spinach for the arugula and toast the sandwiches to melt the cheese.