Dreaming of taking in the summer warmth on an Italian holiday while indulging on delicious foods? Make the delicious foods part come true with this caprese focaccia sandwich! Caprese salad tomato and mozzarella becomes the filling to focaccia bread together with rocket leaves to create the most amazing vegetarian sandwich you’ve eaten in a while.
A summer sandwich inspired by Italy
If you love sandwiches and you’re looking for a way to make your summer lunches more interesting, you have come to the right place. Nothing says summer like tomato and mozzarella! Alternating slices of tomato and mozzarella, just like caprese salad, are used to fill focaccia bread. Caprese salad has basil leaves that add the green to the red and white to recreate the Italian flag. In this sandwich we are using rocket leaves, instead.
Rich focaccia bread drenched in olive oil, flavourful ripe tomatoes, creamy mozzarella and the spicy bite of fresh rocket. This caprese sandwich is indeed a flavour trip to Italy. And that’s how your next lunch break can taste.
Caprese focaccia sandwich ingredients
This sandwich is pretty easy to make, and just like most Italian recipes only requires a handful of ingredients. Since we’re keeping it simple, choose the best quality ingredients you can get. Good tomatoes and good focaccia can truly make a difference here.
Here’s what you need to mak these caprese focaccia sandwiches:
- Focaccia bread
- Fresh tomatoes
- Mozzarella
- Rocket salad
- Black pepper
- Salt
How to make caprese focaccia sandwich
If you have a large piece of focaccia, first divide it into smaller squares/rectangles, as you wish the size of your sandwiches to be.
Then proceed to cut each focaccia slice in half lengthwise. You want to keep the bottom part with the cut facing up to be able to add the filling.
Add a handful of rocket to each slice. Make sure to divide it evenly between slices, and placing half of it on the bottom part of the focaccia.
On a cutting board, thinly slice the tomato and the mozzarella. Place them over the rocket, alternating the slices of tomato and mozzarella. Sprinkle some salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
Add another handful of rocket over the tomato and mozzarella slices, then close the focaccia lid.
How to serve caprese focaccia sandwich
Wrap your sandwich in paper and keep it refrigerated until your next lunch break. Your work colleagues will definitely be impressed by it! This sandwich tastes best within the first day, but it can be stored airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days. Please be aware that the tomato and mozzarella may soak the bread.
If you want to warm it up, this sandwich is excellent panini material. Pop it in a grill toaster/panini press, or cook it on the griddle for a few minutes. The focaccia will resume its crispiness and the mozzarella will just lightly melt… heaven!
You can also choose to fill the focaccia whole and portion it later, to make even smaller portions. Large, it is easier to fill. Gently press the bread top (the sandwich lid) and press it as you cut through the filling. You can even make these focaccia sandwiches very small and triangular in shape to use for afternoon tea! If they’re too small and the lid won’t stay in place, just pierce through them with a toothpick.
More fun appetizers!
I love serving smaller bits of caprese focaccia sandwich as starters! Here are some more ideas for fun appetizers that make for perfect tapas or finger food options:
- Grilled eggplant bruschetta flavoured with mint
- Toast Skagen tapas with Swedish shrimp salad
- Mini tomato mustard tarts on puff pastry
- Farinata chickpea pancake easily made on the stovetop
- Black olive paté to use as spread
What is your favourite finger food?
Caprese focaccia sandwich
Ingredients
- 200 g focaccia bread
- 1 tomato
- 125 g mozzarella
- 40 g rocket
- black pepper
- salt
Instructions
- Slice the focaccia bread lengthwise and keep the bottom part with the cut facing up.
- Add a handful of rocket on the open focaccia.
- Slice the tomato and the mozzarella and place them alternating over the rocket.
- Top the tomato and mozzarella slices with a sprinkle of salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
- Add some more rocket leaves, then place back the top half of the focaccia bread as lid.
OMG…now this is a sandwich. What a great lunch or dinner. Sometimes all you want is a great sandwich, and this certainly meets the need.
Thank you, Gloria! I figured that if there was a perfect summer sandwich, it had to be a caprese sandwich!
You have no idea how I super love a good sandwich and this Caprese focaccia sandwich is not just good..but perfectly delicious!
Aww thank you Chef!
I’ve recently been making homemade foccacia but somehow haven’t served it like this. I can’t wait to do this because I’ve got just a slight (okay more than slight) obsession with caprese served in any fashion.
Awesome, Christine! I hope you will enjoy your homemade focaccia with the filling I suggest here. I bet it will be delicious!
I love using focaccia as sandwich bread, so this is my kind of recipe. I know what I’ll be having for lunch tomorrow!
Wonderful, Marta! Enjoy your lunch!
This is the ultimate summer time sandwich, anything caprese just taste of summer . I adored focaccia, we have a local bakery that makes it. This is such a fabulous combination that I can’t wait to try.
HiDebbie! I hope you’ll love it as much as I do!
This looks like the best thing in the world right now! Delicious!
Thank you so much, Paige!
Perfect summertime lunch! So delicious and easy, especially if you grow tomatoes. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Denise! There’s nothing like home-grown tomatoes!
Focaccia is one of my favorite types of bread and you use it so well here for this tasty looking sandwich!
Thank you Moop! Focaccia is indeed one of the greatest kinds of bread especially if you love olive oil!
This is the best sandwich i’ve seen in a long time. I love focaccia and that caprese stuffing makes it simply the best. It makes me want to eat that sandwich right away. So good!
Thank you, Jo! Really appreciated 🙂
I love caprese salads so this sandwich was so intriguing. I love how you combined the deliciousness of caprese with focaccia – this is truly an unforgettable sandwich!
Thank you Alena!