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Grilled Cheese · Tomato Basil Mozzarella

Tomato Basil Mozzarella Grilled Cheese

Melty mozzarella and provolone, juicy tomato and fresh basil on crisp sourdough, like a caprese salad turned into a warm sandwich. Perfect with tomato soup.

New, no ratings yet0 reviewsby Simmerbee Kitchen

Prep
8 min
Cook
10 min
Total
18 min
Serves
2 sandwiches
Level
Easy
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Ingredients

  • 4 slices sourdough bread
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
    Swaps for unsalted butter

    Instead of butter

    • Salted butter: The same amount, with about ¼ tsp less salt per stick (½ cup) elsewhere in the recipe. Nothing noticeable once you cut the salt.
    • Plant-based butter sticks: The same amount. The closest swap.
    • Refined coconut oil: The same amount: solid when the butter is soft or cold, melted when it is melted. It is all fat, so bakes are a bit more tender and rich, with no butter flavor.

    All 4 swaps for butter

    Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

  • 4 oz fresh or low-moisture mozzarella, sliced
  • 2 slices provolone cheese
  • 1 medium ripe tomato, thinly sliced
  • 6 fresh basil leaves
    Swaps for fresh basil leaves

    Instead of basil

    • Dried basil: 1 tsp dried for each 1 tbsp chopped fresh (a third as much). Flatter and more savory: dried basil loses its sweet, clove-like smell.
    • Spinach or arugula + parsley (for pesto): The same amount of greens. Greener and milder (arugula is peppery); still a good pesto.
    • Fresh mint or oregano: Half as much. Different but fresh; mint suits Thai dishes, oregano suits Italian.

    More for basil

  • 1 pinch kosher salt
    Swaps for kosher salt

    Instead of salt

    • Table salt or fine sea salt: About half as much as Diamond Crystal kosher, about ¾ as much as Morton kosher. The same saltiness when measured this way.
    • Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.

    More for salt

  • 1 pinch black pepper
  • 2 tsp basil pesto (optional)

Missing something? Tap Swaps next to an ingredient, or see all substitutions.

Steps

Kid helper. A child can do steps 1 and 2: no knife, no heat. Steps marked “Grown-up” use heat. Cooking with kids

  1. Lay the tomato slices on a paper towel, sprinkle with salt and pepper and let them sit a few minutes. Pat dry so the sandwich doesn't get soggy.
    ⏱ Drain tomatoes: 5 minKid step
  2. Butter one side of each bread slice. Flip two slices over, spread with pesto if using, and layer provolone, tomato, basil and mozzarella. Top with the other slices, butter side out.
    Kid step
  3. Cook in a covered nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until the bottoms are golden.
    ⏱ Side 1: 5 minGrown-up: heat
  4. Flip and cook uncovered until golden and the cheese is melted.
    ⏱ Side 2: 4 minGrown-up: heat
  5. Rest (how to rest) Rest Leave cooked meat, baked goods or dough alone for a while before you cut, slice or shape it. 1. Move meat to a board or plate as soon as it is done (a few degrees shy of target for big roasts; it keeps rising).2. Tent it loosely with foil if the kitchen is cool.3. Rest steaks and chops 5 minutes, roasts 15 to 20, a turkey 30.4. For dough, cover it so it doesn't dry out while it relaxes. Done when: Meat juices stay in when you slice; dough rolls out without springing back. Safety: Rest at room temperature for under an hour, then refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking.How to rest meat and dough: mistakes to avoid
    1 minute, then slice and serve.
    ⏱ Rest: 1 minGrown-up: heat

Tap an underlined word for how to do it, or see all techniques.

Tips

  • Fresh mozzarella is very wet. Pat it dry with a paper towel before layering, or use low-moisture mozzarella.

Storage

Best eaten right away.

How long leftovers keep, and freezing and reheating: leftovers and storage. In season: tomatoes (July to September), basil (June to September).

Quick answers

What can I swap?
  • Instead of butter: Salted butter.
  • Instead of basil: Dried basil.

Answered from this recipe's own storage, make-ahead and swap notes.

Estimated nutrition per serving

Calories
650
Protein
31 g
Carbohydrates
56 g
Fiber
3 g
Sugars
6 g
Fat
34 g
Saturated fat
20 g
Sodium
1,140 mg

Whole recipe, 2 servings: about 1,310 calories.

Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 8 of 8 ingredients.

How we estimate

We add up USDA FoodData Central values for each measured ingredient as written and divide by the recipe's 2 servings, so changing the servings or units here doesn't change a serving. Brands, swaps, trimming and cooking all change the real numbers.

Not counted: basil pesto (optional).

Estimated cost

About $2.50 a serving

About $5.05 for the recipe as written (2 servings).

Estimate; prices vary by store and region. U.S. average prices for September 2026 from BLS Average Price Data and USDA ERS Purchase to Plate prices updated with the BLS Consumer Price Index. Priced: 6 of 8 ingredients, 100% by weight.

How we estimate

Each measured ingredient is weighed as in the nutrition estimate and priced at the U.S. average: BLS's average price where BLS publishes one, else USDA ERS's Purchase to Plate price for 2017-18 raised to September 2026 with the CPI for that food group. Whole packages, store brands, sales and regions all change the real cost: treat it as a ballpark.

  • fresh or low-moisture mozzarella $1.50 ERS
  • sourdough bread $1.50 ERS
  • provolone cheese $1.00 ERS
  • ripe tomato $0.55 BLS
  • fresh basil leaves $0.25 ERS
  • unsalted butter $0.25 BLS

Not priced (no official average price we can match, so not in the total): kosher salt, black pepper.

Not counted: basil pesto (optional, or to taste).

More dishes for less: cheap eats.

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Cleanup score 5/5 (very easy cleanup): 1 thing to wash, nonstick skillet. More skillet recipes.

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