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.