Bruschetta Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Bruschetta Grilled Cheese Sandwiches are a new take on Caprese Grilled Cheese with homemade bruschetta mixture and fresh mozzarella. This is my copycat version of Panera’s Tomato and Mozzarella Panini.
There are many versions of Caprese Grilled Cheese out there, where you sandwich fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil between 2 slices of bread, but I decided to use my favorite bruschetta mixture from the Double Tomato Bruschetta instead.
This sandwich reminded me of the Tomato & Mozzarella Panini that Panera used to serve (although it is no longer on the menu!!) I loved that sandwich and was thrilled to make a version at home.
Recipe Details
Initially I used butter for the bread like a typical grilled cheese, but Bob and I agreed that olive oil works better in fitting with the bruschetta aspect.
This sandwich was a little tricky to flip, so I troubleshooted it and came up with a way to avoid flipping the sandwich. Each slice of bread is grilling separately, and the cheese side of the sandwich is only flipped when the cheese has started to melt and adhere to the bread. The result is one of our new favorite dinners!
Gluten Free Bruschetta Grilled Cheese
Use gluten free bread in place of the traditional bakery bread for an entirely gluten free sandwich. Although I do not generally like gluten free bread, it tastes much better grilled like in this recipe.
Looking for More Tomato Basil Recipes?
Check out my favorite recipes featuring tomatoes and basil:
Caprese Salad Skewers
Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes
Caprese Stuffed Chicken
Panzanella {Tomato Bread Salad}
Double Tomato Bruschetta
Oven Dried Tomato Bruschetta
Roasted Tomato Soup – Panera Copycat
Bruschetta Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 6 Roma / plum tomatoes, chopped (or 2 large tomatoes)
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes (packed in oil)
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup fresh basil (stems removed)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 loaf good quality bakery bread (sliced)
- olive oil (for spreading on bread)
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella (cut into slices)
Instructions
- Combine fresh and sun dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and set aside for 10 minutes.
- Drizzle slices of bread with olive oil on one side and use a pastry brush to distribute evenly.
- Place one slide of bread, oil side down, in a sauté or pancake pan that has been heated to medium. Add slices of mozzarella to the top of this slice.
- After the cheese slice has cooked for about a minute, add the second slice of bread to the pan, oil side down. Top with bruschetta mixture (use slotted spoon to avoid transferring too much liquid).
- Once the cheese has started to melt and that slice of bread is golden, flip this slice over on top of the bread with the bruschetta on it to make a sandwich. Continue to grill until cheese is melty bread is golden and toasty.
- Serve warm.
These look really good. Serve them to AS the next time I come for a play date.