This is the kind of lunch we love outside: familiar ingredients, plenty of texture and no complicated cooking. We photographed the meal when we made it, but did not write down every measurement that day. This version reconstructs the recipe from our photographs and dependable Caprese and white-bean-salad ratios so it can be repeated at home.
Ingredients for the cold white-bean salad
- 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- ½ cucumber, diced
- ¼ cup red onion, finely diced
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon red-wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Ingredients for the Caprese sandwiches
- 8 slices sturdy white or Italian bread
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced and patted dry
- 2 medium ripe tomatoes, sliced and patted dry
- 16 fresh basil leaves
- 1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons softened butter, or additional olive oil for grilling
How to make the salad and sandwiches
- Mix the salad. Combine the drained cannellini beans, 1 cup tomatoes, ½ diced cucumber, ¼ cup red onion and ¼ cup parsley in a medium bowl.
- Dress and chill it. Whisk 2 tablespoons olive oil with 1½ tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon red-wine vinegar, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Toss gently with the salad and refrigerate while the sandwiches cook.
- Build the sandwiches. Divide 8 ounces mozzarella, two sliced tomatoes and 16 basil leaves among four bread slices. Drizzle with 1½ tablespoons olive oil, season lightly and top with the remaining bread.
- Toast slowly. Spread the bread exteriors with softened butter or brush with olive oil. Cook in a skillet over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side, pressing gently, until deeply golden and the mozzarella is warm and softened.
- Serve. Cut each sandwich in half and serve immediately with the chilled salad.
What makes it work
- Pat the mozzarella and sliced tomatoes dry so their moisture does not soak the bread.
- Use medium-low heat. The bread has time to crisp while the thick fresh mozzarella warms through.
- Chill the salad only briefly. It tastes freshest when the tomatoes and cucumber still have texture.
- The salad keeps refrigerated for up to three days, but the sandwiches are best eaten immediately.
Substitutions: Use gluten-free bread if needed. Great Northern beans can replace cannellini beans, and another soft fresh herb can supplement the parsley. The recipe contains milk and wheat as written.
For more technique background, see this overview of a crisp Caprese-style grilled sandwich from GQ and Yotam Ottolenghi's approach to a lemony cannellini-bean salad.
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