This sandwich is sort of a super dressed up BLT, with bacon, roasted tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, pesto and arugula dressed in a little good balsamic vinegar. I absolutely love a standard BLT and it is one of my favorite sandwiches, but it is so key to have good summer tomatoes to make a BLT shine and lets face it, there is a small window of the year for that. I cook my bacon in the oven at 325 on a foil lined baking sheet. It takes longer to cook this way but it is so easy and cleanup is a piece of cake.
This sandwich is a great way to get the essence of a BLT but with a ton of flavor even from less than stellar tomatoes. Roasting tomatoes concentrates their sugars and their flavor and you can add some salt, garlic, balsamic etc to increase the flavor even more. I like the addition of fresh mozzarella and pesto here as well because it adds another level of texture and interest. I served these on warm sourdough (see my recipe here for making at home), but you could also use ciabatta bread, focaccia or sandwich rolls.
Bacon and Roasted Tomato Sandwich with Fresh Mozzarella and Pesto
Ingredients
- 8 slices sourdough bread or other bread warmed
- 1 package of bacon cooked – I use the oven for this
- 1 package fresh mozzarella I used the log form so I could slice into thin slices
- 1 container roasted tomatoes or make your own, instructions below
- 1 container pesto or make your own, see my recipe on the site
- arugula
- good balsamic
- salt and pepper
For the roasted tomatoes:
- 24 oz ripe cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
- chopped garlic or balsamic to add if you like
Instructions
- For the tomatoes: preheat oven to 400 and add the ingredients in a baking dish, tossing with salt and pepper and thyme. Roast for 45-60 minutes until they are roasted and delicious. Cool and store in the fridge if you have extra. If adding garlic, do not leave out at room temp, as garlic in oil needs to be refrigerated.
- Warm the bread and on one side stack the arugula tossed in a little balsamic, layer on the mozzarella and sprinkle with some salt. Add a layer of pesto over this, and then your roasted tomatoes. Place your bacon on top and add the top piece of bread. Slice in half and serve.