Roasted Tomato, Mozzarella and Arugula (or Spinach) Sandwich

The recent burger/sandwich swap had so many wonderful sandwich recipes I felt I needed to try ASAP, like this Roasted Tomato, Mozzarella and Arugula Sandwich. I knew it would be a perfect light dinner and even though it isn't technically a caprese sandwich, all the flavors were there with the addition of the peppery arugula. Except SP came home with baby spinach instead of arugula, so I had to make the substitution. I still want to try this with arugula but the spinach also worked well.

I absolutely loved this sandwich. I roasted the tomatoes during the day so all I had to do was reheat them and assemble the sandwiches. I thought the tomatoes still looked a little undercooked at 30 minutes, so I ended up cooking them for an hour. As you can probably tell from the photo, the tomatoes became almost like a tomato jam, falling apart completely after I smashed them with the potato masher, making this a messy but delicious sandwich. I removed the skin because I can't stand loose tomato skin, which was very easy to do after smashing the tomatoes.

This is a fantastic sandwich that we both loved. I'll definitely be making it again.

Roasted Tomato, Mozzarella and Arugula (or Spinach) Sandwich
As Seen on Kate’s Recipe Box

12 ounces plum tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Thyme sprigs, chopped
Salt and pepper
4 thick slices crusty bread
5 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
Basil leaves
1 cup arugula (or spinach)

Heat oven to 400F degrees. Lay tomatoes, cut side up, in a roasting pan and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, the balsamic vinegar and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and roast for 30-45 minutes. Allow the tomatoes to cool and then smash with a potato masher. If you don't like tomato skins, remove the skin after smashing.

To assemble the sandwiches, toast the bread until golden. Smash the tomatoes with a potato masher to flatten. Divide bread between two plates and top with the tomatoes. Scatter on mozzarella, basil leaves and arugula. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.