Grilled Zucchini Caprese Sandwich
I live within 5 minutes of my parents, my sister and her husband. To say it is awesome would be a major understatement. We get together at least once a week for a family dinner. Usually Friday’s for what we lovingly call “Friday Parties”. We’ll play cornhole, listen to music, have a cocktail, talk and talk and talk, and of course, eat.
But finding a meal that everyone can eat can be a tad tricky. I, of course, eat just about everything. But my mom is vegan and my sister doesn’t eat meat. Our guys love meat, but they’re fine having meatless dinners. We do a lot of burgers (sub in veggie for mom and sis), pizzas (veggie for sis, veggie and no cheese for mom) or tacos (lots of grilled veggies for mom and sis), etc. So anytime I find a meal that everyone in my family loves, I feel like I just won the lottery.
This grilled zucchini caprese sandwich has something for everyone. The grilled zucchini gives the sandwich a great meaty feeling, you won’t even miss the meat. It’s then layered with thick slices of tomato and mozzarella cheese. My mom will leave the cheese off, and adds in mashed avocado instead. More cheese for the rest of us!
Use your favorite sandwich roll bread to make this grilled zucchini caprese sandwich. I love the rustica one from Trader Joe’s. It is just like foccacia bread, but without herbs. (It’s always right next to the foccacia bread if you want to use the same). Give the sliced bread a quick drizzle of olive oil and grill it. The charred marks are beautiful, and it gives the bread great flavor.
The best part of this grilled zucchini caprese sandwich is hands down the pesto mayo. Oh my, it is de-lic-ious. Go ahead and slather it on your sandwich, the more the better. I always double or triple the recipe when I’m making it, and leave the extra in the fridge to top on other sandwiches, burgers, or even as a dip.
The best side to this grilled zucchini caprese sandwich is my potato wedges, which are honestly the best wedges I’ve ever had. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and baked instead of fried. Everyone I make them for loves them. Dip the wedges in the pesto mayo and your meal is complete.
Grilled Zucchini Caprese Sandwich
Ingredients
- 4 zucchinis sliced lengthwise 1/4" thick
- 4 to matoes slices 1/4" thick
- 2 pounds mozzarella cheese my trader joe's have 1 pound cheese logs that are pre sliced!
- 6 sandwich rolls cut in half
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup pesto
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, make the pesto mayonnaise by combining the mayonnaise and pesto. Stir to combine, cover with saran wrap, and keep in the fridge until ready to use. Will keep for 1 week.
- Preheat your grill (or indoor grill pan) over medium heat. Drizzle the cut side of the sliced bread with olive oil, and grill cut side down for about 2 minutes, until they are lightly toasted with grill marks. Remove from heat and set on a plate.
- In a medium size mixing bowl, toss the sliced zucchini with 2 tablespoons olive oil until they are evenly coated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook the zucchini 1-2 minutes per side, until just crisp tender. Remove from heat and set on a plate.
- Assemble the sandwiches by spreading the pesto mayo on both sides of the bread, then topping with 3-4 slices of zucchini, 3-4 tomatoes and 3-4 slices of mozzarella.
Recipe Notes
If I'm serving these with fries, I'll double the pesto mayo and serve extra on the side as a dipping sauce for the potato wedges
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are calculated as a courtesy and not guaranteed.
41 Comments on “Grilled Zucchini Caprese Sandwich”
I totally dig zucchini…I’m kind of obsessed with it actually…and I feel like I’m in the minority here. I think most people just don’t realize how fabulous it can be if prepared well!! Am I wrong? This sandwich looks really delicious.
I love how fresh and simple this recipe is, and who would have thunk to add zucchini into the mix! So many fun things going on here! Pinned!
Wow this looks amazing! Great blog!
It can be so hard to please everyone!! These sandwiches look like they would definitely be a crowd pleaser though – they look so fresh and delicious!! Love that sauce, yum!
I love the idea of those Friday Parties! It’s so great that you can see your family, chat, drink, and eat at the end of a week. These sandwiches look incredible! I love the idea of subbing the cheese for avocado for a vegan version and that pesto mayo looks incredible! Two of my favourite condiments combined! Yum!
Whenever my work has catered lunches they serve a sandwich so very similar to this and I LOVE it, I can never get enough. I HAVE to try this soon (especially with zucchini season being right around the corner here!) :)
This sandwich looks and sounds amazing! I love vegetables and my daughter is vegetarian so we eat a lot of vegetarian meals. Pinning!
Another great use of zucchini! I can’t get enough of it…thanks for sharing!
Totally love Caprese sandwiches, I just made one over on my blog! I love the zucchini addition and the summery thing of grilling it! That pesto mayo looks heavenly – I would slather it on anything!
This looks delicious! I love the idea of using pesto mayo.
There are a lot of different types of eaters in my family too. It is always hard to find something that everyone likes. But who doesn’t love cheese and veggies, right? I would love one of these grilled sandwiches for dinner!
You totally are putting me in the mood for a sandwich tonight! This looks incredible!