Layers of summer produce, fresh mozzarella, and savory olive pesto fill this fresh, satisfying loaded caprese sandwich. A must-try cookout meal!
I’m in the process of learning to like olives… little by little I’m getting closer. I figure there are so many tangy, briny foods that I love – capers, pickles, sun-dried tomatoes – it’s time for this olive hangup to end. So when the folks from Mezzetta contacted me to make a sandwich using any of their products, I went straight for the olives.
Caprese Sandwich Recipe Ingredients
I set out to make a tasty tapenade – similar to one Jack and I shared (and loved) at a bar in Rome. What I ended up with was a pesto. I use a handful of basil, toasted almonds, lemon juice, balsamic, and green olives to make a rich, briny spread to play off the other ingredients in this caprese sandwich.Â
I finish the sandwiches with piles of grilled veggies, fresh mozzarella, arugula, and roasted red peppers.
A few tips: the better your bread is, the better your sandwich will be. I recommend thick slices of fresh sourdough or ciabatta rolls. Also, make sure you cut your mozzarella to a decent thickness. I find that 1/4 inch thick slices yield the perfect amount of creamy texture without being too overwhelming.
Caprese Sandwich Serving Suggestions
These sandwiches would be great for a cookout! Since you’ll already be grilling, try making grilled corn on the cob, grilled asparagus, or grilled avocado to serve on the side. A picnic salad – like this broccoli salad, this couscous salad, or this watermelon salad – would be delicious, too. And of course, you can’t go wrong with sweet potato fries.
You can make the pesto up to 2 days in advance and store it in the fridge. If you have some left over, slather it onto toast or dollop it over eggs. Toss leftover grilled veggies into veggie pasta or orzo, or make a caprese sandwich again the next day!
If you love this pesto caprese sandwich recipe…
Try this avocado sandwich, this tempeh club sandwich, or this vegan banh mi next!
Veggie Caprese Sandwich with Olive Pesto
- Zucchini, sliced ¼ inch thick
- Red onion, sliced about ¼ inch thick
- Portobello mushrooms, sliced about ½ inch thick
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- Balsamic vinegar, for drizzling
- Sea salt & fresh black pepper
- ¼ cup green olives
- ½ cup slivered or chopped almonds, toasted
- 2 big handfuls of basil (about 1 packed cup)
- Juice of ½ a lemon, plus some zest
- Splash of balsamic vinegar
- Sea salt and fresh black pepper
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Grainy bread, sourdough, or ciabatta, toasted or grilled
- Olive & almond pesto
- Arugula
- Basil leaves
- Grilled veggies (your favorites, or see below)
- Fresh mozzarella (vegan sub: sliced avocado)
- Roasted red peppers
- Grill the veggies: Slice veggies and toss them with a bit of olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper.
- Heat your grill or grill pan to medium high.
- I like to grill my veggies in order of most to least delicate because the pan holds more and more heat as I go. Here, I started with the zucchini (a few minutes per side, just until grill marks form), then the onions (grill a little longer than the zucchini), and lastly the mushrooms (I grill these until they're tender and nearly falling apart - 8-12 minutes total depending on the heat).
- Make the pesto: Blend the olives, almonds, basil, lemon juice & zest, balsamic all in a food processor. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to your liking.
- Assemble sandwiches with bread, a spread of pesto, arugula, basil leaves, grilled veggies, slices of mozzarella, and roasted red peppers. Top with a pinch of salt and red pepper flakes.
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This post is sponsored by Mezzetta, thanks for supporting the sponsors that support Love & Lemons.
my favorite is ether a veggie burger or a grilled herb and veggie sandwich between 2 crisp grilled sourdough bread slices!!!
I love a good veggie sandwich that includes avocado and hummus. Or lots of cheese.
I love all sandwiches. A simple, quick sandwich I enjoy is a grilled cheese on a hearty, locally baked bread with a mixture of cheeses, including a bit of Cabot Vintage Choice Extra Sharp Cheddar (aged 2 years…a little goes a long way), thinly sliced apple like Fuji and a bit of Dijon mustard. If I had some arugula handy, I would add a few pieces to add a bit of spice.
my love for sandwiches started with joey from friends. I now crave sandwiches at least once a day…therefore all time favorite is difficult.
Im gonna go with a simple something I learned in france. The best dang french baguette ( which I still haven’t quite mastered), brushed with olive oil. Double creme Brie with fresh sun gold cherry tomatoes straight from the garden…slightly toast this all together and prepare to be hooked. Add some arugula for a fresh spice.
French baguette w/a very good brie and chutney and slivered almonds – if not chutney – then a fig jam or preserves – maybe a little cornichon pickle on the side – yummmmm
i have always loved anything briny flavor and this will def. will delicious one to try. Esp the grilled bread and cheese- yum!
My favorite sandwich is anything with potato chips in it!
My favorite sandwich would have to be a BLT or the Italian sandwich from Bunk Sandwiches in Portland!
My absolute all-time favorite sandwich is a grilled salami, mozzarella, and arugala on peasant bread. I haven’t had it with olive tapenade in the mix, but I bet it would be delicious with the addition of some tapenade and slices of perfectly ripe tomato.
I could eat BLT with avocado every day for the rest of my life.
whole wheat sourdough, toasted; dijon mustard on one slice a bit of blueberry jam on the other; arugula and roasted red pepper on the mustard side, roasted peaches on the jam side; two slices set side by side (touching) with a six minute egg set right in the middle. Perfect indecisive sweet and savory brunch.
I love olives!
My favorite sandwich is probably what I call the Vermonter, A sandwhich I have seen in several resturants, roasted turkey, smoked bacon, a crisp green apple, covered in cheddar cheese. It’s a-mazing!
I would love to win this contest, and sandwiches are one of my favorite things. I love mixing different meals (breakfast for dinner, yes please!) so it’s no surprise my favorite sandwich, Croque-Madame, includes an egg!
Well this looks lovely. I too am struggling with learning to like olives- I’ll have to see if this olive spread does the trick 🙂
The olive pesto is especially lovely in this! What a fabulous sandwich!
My favorite sandwich is (was) The Chicago at a now-defunct soda fountain in Fargo, ND. It was essentially a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with caramelized onions on a bagel. Yum!
I make my favorite sandwich for lunch right after the farmer’s market! I just slice up whatever raw veggies I just bought, slather hummus on both sides of hearty toasted bread, and smash together. Super juicy tomatoes, crisp radishes, cool cucumbers and zukes, fresh lettuces, tender asparagus… Tastes like summer to me!
I’ve definitely been making my sandwiches all wrong, because none of them are as beautiful as this!!
Do you have any tips for grilling vegetables? I always end up with peppers closer to the burnt end of that scale…
My favorite sandwich, hands down, is the mediterranean panini with muffuletta at Rossi’s Deli in Poughkeepsie, NY. Eggplant, artichokes, fresh mozzarella, sundried tomatoes and peppers…. Perfect bread, perfect cheese, perfect sandwich.
Hi Alex, I just added some info about grilled veggies underneath the recipe. This time I used roasted peppers from the jar, but my best tip to avoid burning veggies is to cook each type separately since most require different amounts of cooking time.
Thank you!
I used to have an affliction to olives. I think the local tapas joint used to know me so well that they purposely knew and left out the olives of some Spanish dishes. One day I was served a delicious veggie cob sandwich which had a base of confit black olives. OMG love at first sight!.
Your sandwich looks divine, I can not wait for Sunday to roll around when I take out my grill.