I’m all for a relatively effortless meal. Especially since I find myself dividing my time between the kitchen and the studio. It makes me long for the days when I just shot my meals at restaurants (I’ll be heading back into that next week, btw). This Caprese Burger, by Spike Mendelsohn, is pretty simple, save for the pesto sauce, but if you want it effortless you can just buy store bought. But store bought is rarely better thank making it yourself. As a forewarning, these things are messy. I would highly recommend reducing the cooking time on the tomatoes so they don’t get mushy. The recipe calls for 45min to 1hr. I would say maybe 35-38 minutes, at the most. Using a good room temperature mozzarella will ensure that you get some gooeyness out of your cheese, however if you want it real gooey, put it on in the last few minutes of your bake cycle. Recipe after the pictures.

Tomatos roasted with olive oil, garlic, salt, and basil

Pesto made of basil, pine nuts, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, garlic and olive oil

Pesto made of basil, pine nuts, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, garlic and olive oil

Bun

Tomato

Cheese

Melted Cheese

Pesto

Balsamic Vinegar

Finished Burger

Caprese Burger
3 beefsteak tomatoes, cored and cut in half
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 garlic clove, minced
6 basil leaves, julienned
6 potato buns, cut in half
1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into 6 thick slices
3 tablespoons store-bought balsamic vinaigrette
1/2 basil pesto, recipe below

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Put the 6 tomato halves, flesh side up, on a baking sheet. Drizzle each with some of the olive oil, 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, some minced garlic, and some basil. Cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tomatoes are soft when a fork is inserted.
Toast the buns under a broiler, so the inside is crisp, but the outside is still soft.
To assemble the burgers, place a tomato half on the bottom bun. Top with 1 mozzarella slice on the tomato, 1 1/2 teaspoons vinaigrette, and season with salt and black pepper. Spread the pesto on the bun top and cover. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Let rest for 2 to 3 minutes and serve.
Serves 6.

Basil Pesto
1/2 cup packed fresh basil
2 or 3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Pinch crushed red pepper
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Add the basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, crushed red pepper, and salt and pepper to a taste to a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. This can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Makes about 1 cup.