Tomato Jam and Mozzarella Panini
Homemade cherry tomato jam, shredded mozzarella and basil grilled to perfection! You can make this panini recipe as a grilled cheese, too.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
Hereโs a fun seasonal project for those of you who have a surplus of cherry tomatoes. Or for people like me, who just canโt get enough cherry tomatoes while theyโre here. Tomato jam! Itโs sort of like peppery, jammy ketchup and Iโm really into it.
Fair warning; tomato jam requires a lot of tomatoes (one and a half pounds yields a scant cup of jam). If youโre so willing, I can offer you a delicious tomato jam, basil and mozzarella-Parmesan panini, which can also be made as a grilled cheese sandwich. I used my electric grill to make panini because that sounded like more fun at the moment.
This is more of a flexible recipe than most, so use your best judgment when it comes to cooking the jam down and grilling those sandwiches!
Tomato Jam and Mozzarella Panini
Homemade cherry tomato jam, shredded mozzarella and basil grilled to perfection! You can make this panini recipe as a grilled cheese, too. Iโd suggest making the jam as directed, then eyeballing the amount of cheese youโll need for the sandwiches.
Ingredients
Cherry tomato jam (yields about 1 cup)
- 2 pints (about 1 ยฝ pounds or 4 cups) cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes or Sungold tomatoes, halved crosswise
- 2 tablespoons honey or sugar
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ยผ teaspoon salt
- Several twists freshly ground black pepper
Panini or grilled cheese (enough for 4 large sandwiches)
- 8 slices whole grain sourdough bread
- 2 cups grated low-moisture part-skim mozzarella (you might not need this much cheese, depending on the size of your bread)
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Tomato jam
- 4 to 6 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
- Olive oil or butter, for frying
Instructions
- To make the jam: In a medium-sized pot (around 2 ยฝ quarts) over medium-high heat, combine the halved tomatoes, honey, vinegar, 2 tablespoons water, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally and reducing heat as necessary to avoid scorching as the jam condenses.
- Simmer until the mixture is completely broken down, reduced and thickened enough that you can scoop it on top of itself and it stays there, which will take somewhere between 30 to 50 minutes. Use the jam immediately or let it cool and store it, covered, for up to 1 month in the refrigerator.
- To make the sandwiches: If youโre making panini, brush olive oil or melted butter on one side of each slice of bread. Place the oiled sides down on a plate. Mix the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese together. Working in pairs, spread a generous layer of jam on one piece of bread and top the other with a generous handful of cheese, spread evenly down the bread (use a little more than you think you probably should). Top the cheese with a sprinkle of torn basil and press the other slice of bread, tomato jam-side down against the cheese to make a sandwich. Repeat for remaining sandwiches.
- Grill the sandwich in a panini press, electric grill or in a pan on the stovetop until both sides are crispy and turning golden brown on the edges. (I used an electric grill set to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, but hereโs a stovetop method that has worked for meโฆ feel free to just make a grilled cheese here.) Repeat for remaining sandwiches.
- Slice the sandwich in half and serve!
Notes
Tomato jam adapted from Modern Mediterranean by Melia Marden.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionistโs advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
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I really love that tomato jam!! It looks so delicious!
This looks delicious! Do you think it is possible to make the jam in bulk and can it?
I will be buying tomatoes today!!!
Hope you love it!
Tomato jam is such a cool idea, and Iโve never heard of it before. Does it taste kind of like antipasto? Or a little sweeter? In any case, looks delicious!
It reminds me of ketchup, but with a jammy consistency! Very tangy.
The grape tomatoes have been ridiculously sweet this year and jam is the perfect thing to do with the surplus. Mmmmmmโฆ.smacking my lips now!
I am 100% on board with the jam and the panini. In fact, Iโm getting out my press now! Bon Appetit!
Hope you love it, Lisa!
Sounds great. Would it taste okay without the sugar? (or less of it?)
I think so! It will just be more tart.
That crunchy bread, oh yum!
I love panini and your recipe sounds classic, easy, but delicious.
im not much of a jam person but the idea of tomato jam sounds so delicious!!!
Kate this looks amazing and vibrant!!! We make something very similar in south India to eat with fermented breads etc. called โtomato thokkuโ. Cheers!
Thank you, Deepthi!
I feel like Iโve had Make Tomato Jam on my summer bucket list for FOREVER. Need to turn that into a reality. Plus these sandwiches just look dang good.
Yeah, pretty sure this is my lunch tomorrow. I feel ya, canโt get enough of tomatoes these days!
Kate, I have been wanting to make tomato jam for ages. Your tomato jam sounds amazing and your mozzarella panini looks so appetizing :-). Pinned, and definitely will be making this :-)
Thank you, Lynne! Please let me know how you like it!
Yum!! The perfect solution for the platter-that-never-empties of cherry tomatoes and sungolds, thatโs been sitting on my counter for weeks. Love summer โharvestโ in my own backyard!
Kate, I hate to break it to you, but: you used to be the apple of my eyeโฆnow, youโre the tomato of my eye! (Which is actually a lot better than it sounds!) I just made this and the ingredients, method and photos are all bang on. Ahhhhmazing. Youโre the best, Kate, thank you!
Grilled cheese is the ultimate comfort food for me. I love the unique addition of tomato jam and it looks simple enough to try at home!
Iโm wondering if you could roast the tomatoes with the other ingredients in the oven until they are reduced down. It might preserve more of the flavors.
Hmm, I bet you could. Iโm not sure theyโd get jammy unless they were all piled up on each other like they are in a pot.
Iโm fortunate enough to have a glut of tomatoes just now. Do you think the jam could be frozen?
Thatโs a good question. Iโm not entirely sure, but I think so!
I have had SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) for over two years now and have been stuck on the very restrictive low FODMAP diet for almost 6 monthsโฆI am always looking for FODMAP friendly recipes, and trying to come up with new interesting things to eat, which is very difficult. I LOVE tomatoes, and by using grape tomatoes and sugar instead of honey I was able to make this delicious jam and stay within the restrictions of my diet. Definitely going to be a new staple in my diet to add flavor to chicken, sandwiches, etc. I love it!!! Thanks for sharing!
Danielle, Iโm glad this tomato jam works for you! Yay!
Yum! I made a similar tomato jam but Iโve been at a loss for how to use it. Panini! Brilliant!
Hope you love it in panini form, Amy!
How long will the sweet tomato jam stay? I am sure it is eaten up immediately, just wondering for the holidays if I can make it ahead of time (1 weekโฆ 2 weeks?)
Hi Darcy! I have some leftover jam from this post in my fridge and it still looks fine, so Iโd say a couple of weeks is a safe bet.
I canโt eat bread or cheese :( but I have a million tomatoes and I love tomato jam .I was wondering if you think this tomato jam recipe would work well as a pizza sauce. Mine are all too sweet. I was going to try to make a cauliflower crust.
That is a good question! It would be a very tangy sauce, so it would taste far from traditional. If you love tomato jam, though, you might just love it!
Hi Kate!
This tomato jam panini looks amazing!
I hope you donโt mind that I shared this link and a photo (with full credit) on my canned tomato jam post where I list this recipe as another option for awesome tomato jam. If you prefer not to be included, please let me know! Hereโs the link if you want to check it out. http://www.gettystewart.com/tomato-jam/
No, I donโt mind! Thank you for promoting my recipe, Getty! Your jam looks lovely.
I added some red chili flakes for a little biteโyum! Your recipes consistently continue to be on the upper end of the Likert scale. Thx!
Yay, thanks Cathy!
I didnโt just look at it and say it looks delishโฆ.I made it! Mmmmmmmmm!!!! Yummy! Thanks:)
Oh yay! :)
Grilled cheese is the ultimate comfort food for me. I love the unique addition of tomato jam and it looks simple enough to try at home!
I made these last night and they were soooo good! I used vine tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes, but I had to drain them because there was just so much liquid. I love the tangy sweetness of the jam, it was a perfect complement to the mozzarella. My husbandโs a meat eater so I added some left over rotisserie chicken we had in the fridge and he loved it. I wish I had some tomato soup to dip it in because it would have been just perfect. I donโt have a panini press, but I have an old George Foreman grill that does the job well (and I basically only use it for sandwiches, lol). Iโm looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
โ Amber
Oh, and I forgot sayโI used fresh mozzarella instead of shredded and it was AMAZING. It was one of those sliced mozzarella logs from Costco. I definitely recommend the fresh, it brings these sandwhiches into a whole new universe.
Thank you, Amber! Iโm glad you enjoyed this one!
Tomato Jam? YES! My husband & I just finished a Tomato Jam & Mozzarella Panini. He doesnโt like tomatoes on a sandwich, but he loved this as did I. I may have to double the recipe next time! Your website is also beautiful, thanks!
Yes! Happy to hear it, Deb.
Thereโs a local pub that makes a smoked mozzarella, candied bacon, tomato jam sandwich and they call it the O-maxing grilled cheese! Oh good lord itโs the best thing Iโve ever eaten!
Itโs the O-mazing not maxingโฆ sheesh
Made this for supper tonight-just awesome!!
:)
Hey Kate,
Donโt know if you still keep up with this site, but I hit it on a search. I just gifted myself a panini press, and was looking for recipes and found this one. It is the height of summer, so the farmerโs markets are open, and I plan on getting a load of heirloom cherry tomatoes and making this. Going to use some upscale fresh mozz. Canโt wait.
Hi James! Sounds delicious!
Could I add a hot pepper for some zing?
Sure!
Wow, even with half the amount of sugar this was overpoweringly sweet. Even adding extra acid couldnโt save it. Would eliminate the sugar entirely if I tried again.
I have so many home grown cherry tomatoes this year. Glad I found this recipe. I added a few chopped and sautรฉed hot peppers. It was fantastic! Picked out the tomato skins while cooling. Will definitely make this again.
Wow Kate, this is a delicious sandwich!!! Love the sweet and tangy tomato jam, and mixing the parmasan with mozzarella is a great idea. Our sandwiches were especially good since we made them using a nice crusty homemade bread from Zoe Francois and Jeff Hertzbergโs artisan bread recipe. Iโll add that I put a little less tomato jam on my grandsonโs sandwich thinking he might not love it, and he asked for more to dip his sandwich in. Your recipes are always winners! Thank you!
Iโve made these sandwiches so many times. They are so good!
I had one question. How long will the tomato jam last in the fridge?
Iโve commented on this recipe before, but this time I added 4 or 5 dried birds eye chilies to the tomato jam (made with home grown tomatoes) for a little heat. Soooo good!!! I plan to freeze the leftover tomato jam. I love your recipes and I feel like your taste buds match mine! Thank you Kate!!!
Youโre welcome, JoNell!