Caprese Grilled Cheese

Anything that contains the word "Caprese" in the recipe title, I'm in. I love Caprese entrees and appetizers and I love a hot off the griddle grilled cheese. When the two are combined together you get an intensely delicious sandwich that you won't easily forget. Obviously you don't have to use fresh bread as I listed in the recipe, but I figure if you are going to fill a sandwich with fresh mozzarella, fresh tomatoes and fresh basil then you may as well keep a good thing going. Looking for a delightfully simple and quick lunch or dinner idea? Look no further because it doesn't get much easier than grilled cheese and this is grilled cheese done right. Enjoy!

 Caprese Grilled Cheese
Yields 1 serving

Ingredients:
2 slices fresh bread (I recommend sourdough or rustic white bread)
3 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced into rounds or grated*
4 - 6 Roma tomato slices
1 Tbsp chopped, fresh basil ribbons
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil or 1 Tbsp butter
1/2 clove of garlic, for rubbing bread 

Directions:
Layer Mozzarella rounds in an even layer over one slice of bread followed by an even layer of sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle basil ribbons over top and season with ground black pepper to taste, then cover with remaining slice of bread. Drizzle 1 tsp olive oil in a non-stick skillet, heat over medium-low heat and tilt back and forth to evenly coat (heat the oil long enough for it to glide easily across the pan but don't heat it to smoking point before adding sandwich or it the bread will toast before the cheese has a chance to melt. If using butter, spread 1/2 tbsp butter on both top and bottom of sandwich and heat skillet over medium heat), add sandwich, cover with lid and cook until sandwich is golden brown on bottom, about 2 minutes. Then lift sandwich out of skillet and drizzle remaining 1 tsp olive oil into skillet, tilt pan back and forth to evenly coat. Carefully flip sandwich to opposite side then return to skillet, cover with lid and continue to cook until bottom side is golden brown and cheese is melted through. Remove from skillet and lightly brush garlic clove along toasted sides of bread. Serve immediately.

*When I don't have fresh mozzarella on hand I will sometimes use low-moisture part-skim Mozzarella which is also delicious.

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Caprese Lasagna Roll Ups

Aww, just look at all the gooey, soon to be stretched and strung (upon my no longer empty fork) cheese and dream of what could be yours =)! Italian comfort food at its finest.
The saying third times a charm, it's true. Yes this is my third attempt at creating what I'd envisioned, and at last a beautifully delicious success. 
The first time I tried Chicken Caprese lasagna roll ups - strange texture and not my favorite flavor, the second time around I omitted the chicken and made them using fresh Mozzarella - far to soupy and (I was expecting some liquid but I'm telling you half the baking dish was filled with the liquid from the fresh Mozza). The texture of the fresh Mozzarella seemed a little gummy when it melted too. So, the third time I went with a more traditional cheese feeling with the average low-moisture part skim Mozzarella cheese and lots of it, a bit of Parmesan for flavor and a little Ricotta for texture and glueage (I know that's not a word, but I say it should be). The egg white also helps glue and bind the mixture together, I decided to omit the yolk because I wanted to keep my cheese filling nice and white so it has that Caprese-y look. Besides, omitting the egg yolk is my attempt at making them healthier. That's laughable I know. I say cheese = calcium, so this is somehow good for me =). 
This dish has everything you find in the traditional Caprese flavors and many of the traditional lasagna flavors. Really this is lasagna simplified both in flavor and preparation. With that I don't mean to say their flavor is bland and boring, they are just simple yet incredible flavors. To create the Caprese style filling, you begin with a cheese filling that's mostly Mozzarella, then it's layered with fresh Roma tomato slices and sprinkled with fresh basil. Then you roll it up and top it with a simple marinara sauce made from crushed Roma tomatoes, and you sprinkle over more Mozzarella cheese, bake it and then garnish it with fresh basil ribbons. So, they are Caprese inside and out. I love the fresh flavors of this entree and all that heavenly cheese of course! Who knew vegetarian could be so good? Enjoy!

This is how the layering should look, this was attempt 2 with fresh Mozzarella (which I highly don't recommend). I just didn't want to take a third round of pictures of the prep, so the only difference when you make them will be the use of shredded mozzarella rather than the fresh Mozzarella in the bottom layer. The top picture was end result of recipe listed.

Caprese Lasagna Roll Ups
Yields 8 servings

Ingredients:
8 lasagna noodles, uncooked
14 oz freshly shredded, low-moisture part skim Mozzarella cheese, divided
3/4 cup Ricotta cheese
1 large egg white
1/3 cup freshly, finely shredded Parmesan cheese (about 1 1/4 oz)
freshly ground black pepper
3 - 4 medium Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced (about 1/6 inch thick slices)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish
1 cup Simple Marinara Sauce, recipe follows 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to directions listed on package to al dente. Drain pasta (DO  NOT rinse with water) and align lasagna noodles in a single layer on a large sheet of parchment or wax paper.
For filling, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese and egg white until well blended. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Mix in 12 oz. of the Mozzarella cheese and season with black pepper to taste (I wouldn't recommend seasoning with salt just because the cheeses already have plenty of salt). 
Place 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture over each lasagna noodle and spread into an even layer, going from one end of the lasagna to the other. Align 4 thin tomato slices over cheese mixture then sprinkle fresh basil over top. Snugly roll lasagna noodles to opposite end. Spread about 1/4 cup pasta sauce in the bottom of an 11 x 7 inch baking dish. Align lasagna roll ups, seam side down in dish. Top each roll up with about 2 Tbsp of the pasta sauce (covering edges of pasta so they don't dry out while baking). Sprinkle top with remaining 2 oz. shredded Mozzarella. Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes. Remove from oven, plate pasta and garnish with plenty of basil ribbons. Serve warm.


Simple Marinara Sauce
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic finely minced
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Directions:
Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add onions to hot oil and saute about 3 minutes until soft, adding garlic during last minute of sauteing. Pour in crushed tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring mixture just to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and allow sauce to cook for about 25 - 30 minutes (which will allow some of the water in crushed tomatoes to evaporate) while you prepare pasta and lasagna filling (you can freeze or refrigerate left over sauce in a small airtight container for later use, adding fresh basil if desired).

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

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Grilled Chicken Caprese Pasta

If you love Italian food then this is a deluxe meal you will most definitely want to try! It is fancy, loaded with fresh goodness, creamy, hearty and beyond good! You get everything that's on your average Caprese Chicken and so much more, with the tender pasta, fire roasted tomato sauce, additional garlic (because I think they never put enough garlic in the store bought bottled spaghetti sauce, you could even add two cloves to the recipe), and yes of course the perfectly grilled chicken breast strips. This is a meal you are going to remember. If you wanted to really splurge you could even add in some cooked Pancetta or Bacon, yum! Sorry I didn't get many pictures (I wanted more pictures with the grilled chicken showing through it's kind of hidden in there), this was my families Sunday dinner and I couldn't resist that ooey gooey cheesy goodness long. It was calling my name. I looked over to my husband and the cheese was dripping clear from the fork near his mouth to the plate sitting in his lap (yeah we ate this fancy meal on the couch, not usual but once in a while its fun =). Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Caprese Pasta
Yields about 6 servings

Ingredients:
2 medium chicken breast halves, grilled and diced into strips*
9 oz Rigatoni or Penne pasta
2 cups fire roasted tomato pasta sauce (I used Classico)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup finely grated Romano Cheese
1 clove garlic, finely minced
red pepper flakes, to taste (optional, for added heat)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pint grape tomatoes, diced into halves
12 oz fresh mozzarella, grated**
16 fresh Basil leaves, chopped chiffonade style (mine were fairly small)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta to al dente according to directions listed on package. While pasta is boiling, in a separate medium saucepan over medium low heat, heat tomato pasta sauce, heavy cream, Romano cheese, garlic, optional red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until cheese melts. 
Drain cooked pasta well, return pasta to pot. Add in grilled diced chicken, grape tomatoes, half of the mozzarella and half of the basil ribbons, then pour warm sauce over mixture. Toss to evenly coat. Pour mixture into a greased casserole or baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and cook pasta uncovered for about 20 - 25 minutes until cheese is golden. Serve warm.

*This was about 1 lb chicken. I placed the chicken in a ziploc bag then pounded each breast to an even thickness, then removed and sprayed each chicken breast lightly with olive oil cooking spray. I seasoned each side with salt, pepper and a light sprinkle of garlic powder. Then grilled them until cooked through, cut them in half thick wise (like cutting a bun), and diced them into fairly thin strips.
**I've heard some people say they have trouble grating fresh mozzarella, I had no problem with this but if you do you can freeze it for 20 minutes prior to grating. They don't need to be perfect shreds its really just to break it up.

Recipe Source: adapted slightly from How Sweet It Is

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Browned Butter Almond Pesto

Is there anything like the delicious taste and incredible scent of fresh, homemade pesto? If you've got basil in the garden at its prime then I think you're going to want to try this recipe. This definitely isn't your ordinary pesto. The typical pesto uses all extra virgin olive oil (rather than half olive oil half butter), pine nuts, no lemon juice and one type of cheese, which is usually Parmesan. I wanted to change things up and make new and exciting pesto, so I chose to add none other than one of my favorite ingredients, browned butter. Then I wanted to switch out the typical nut and use my favorite nut which is almonds. I also decided rather than using whole almonds to use almond butter because of it's smooth texture and light sweetness. Then for a very slight fresh tang I added a little squeeze of lemon juice. 
Spread this pesto over some freshly boiled pasta along with a light sprinkling of cheese and you'll create a meal worth remembering. So simple yet so divine. It's amazing what fresh basil and browned butter can do especially when combine together. Enjoy!

Not your average deep, vibrant green but it's sooo good...

Browned Butter Almond Pesto
Yields about 1 cup

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup finely grated Romano cheese (1 oz)
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese 
2 Tbsp almond butter*
1/4 cup butter, browned and cooled until just warm to the touch**
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 light squeeze lemon juice
3 - 4 Tbsp warm water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
Add basil to a food processor and pulse a few times. Add garlic, Romano cheese, Parmesan cheese and almond butter, then with motor running, stream in butter and olive oil and pulse until well blended. Pulse in lemon juice and enough warm water to reach desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over your favorite pasta. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 3 days.

*I used Maranatha brand, it has a little bit of added cane sugar in it which I thought complimented the natural sweetness of the basil, but you can use unsweetened almond butter instead. Alternately you could use whole roasted almonds, about 1/4 cup, just pulse them in the food processor several times before adding in the basil and other ingredients.
**After browning the butter, I poured it into a bowl and set the bowl over an ice bath and swirled the bowl and it cooled much quicker then just letting it rest at room temperature.

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

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