Stanley Tucci's Favourite Sandwich

Name: Stanley Tucci's Favourite Sandwich
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 slices of good sourdough/crusty bread; 1/2 ball of fresh mozzarella; 1 handful of grated cheddar/mozzarella/gruyere (use what you have - optional but using both gives you a good melty middle and good flavour); 2 tbsp fresh basil pesto; 3 slices of prosciutto; 4-5 basil leaves, to top; Butter

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If you’ve ever wondered what Stanley Tucci’s last meal would be you’ve come to the right place. I interviewed Stanley for my Desert Island Dishes podcast and he did not disappoint as he led us through the 7 dishes that have shaped his life. In everything podcast interview I do, there tends to be one stand out dish and for Stanley Tucci's episode it was all about his favourite sandwich. Let me tell you about it.

On the podcast we find out about the seven desert island dishes that have shaped his life and find out how he got to where he is today. And if you’re wondering…in person, he’s everything you think he might be and more. This was a dream episode to record. I should also say at this point that all of Stanley's dishes were noteworthy. You can listen to the episode here. He described the most delicious tomato and bean pasta, essentially Stanley Tucci's Pasta Fagioli, which has become a favourite in my house. It's really so delicious, as you would expect.

Why you’ll love this sandwich

It’s really simple but with loads of flavour
It takes 15 minutes start to finish, making this a perfect quick, lazy dinner or lunch.
The sandwich can be customised based on what you have but it gives you a great baseline recipe.

What you’ll need

Sourdough - or any crusty loaf. You want something with some chew and some thickness as you have a lot of fillings in the sandwich and a classic sandwich bread would risk falling apart.

Fresh mozzarella - this is made from cow’s milk but if you get the really good Italian stuff, it’s often made with buffalo milk which is even more delicious

Grated cheese - Cheddar/gruyere or grated mozzarella works well. This is where you want the stronger flavoured cheese. Mozzarella is perfect for melting and for creaminess but it lacks a strong flavour so complementing with another cheese works well here.

Fresh basil pesto - this is made with fresh basil and tends to have a less intense flavour than the jarred pesto. I do also love the jarred pesto but I find that it’s a little strong for this sandwich.

Prosciutto - this is a salty, cured ham from Italy. It has a delicious salty tang that is perfect with the creamy mozzarella.

Basil leaves - In the podcast Stanley says he usually does either the pesto or the basil but I went for both because how could both be wrong?

Butter - this is to spread on either side of the bread to ensure a crispy exterior. You could also use mayo too as that helps bread to turn golden and toasty too.

See recipe card for the exact recipe with a full list of ingredients and measurements

Substitutions and Variations

Prosciutto - you could replace this with another cured meat like bresaola, serrano ham, salami, speck. Or even just cooked ham would also be good.

Pesto - making this with sundried tomato pesto or chilli pesto would also be delicious.

Here's how to make this toasted prosciutto & mozzarella sandwich

The full easy recipe is below but these step-by-step images will help to guide you.

ONE: Lay the grated cheese, prosciutto and fresh mozzarella on one slice of bread.

TWO: Top with fresh basil leaves and pesto too. Or one or the other, it's up to you! Sandwich the other half of bread on top.

THREE: Butter the exterior of the sandwich evenly. This will ensure it turns golden in the pan.

FOUR: Crisp up the sandwich in a pan over medium heat for around 5 minutes a side.

Cooking Tips

Be patient: the key to a delicious toasted sandwich is patience. You don’t want the heat on super high so that the exterior burns before the interior has a chance to melt. Keep the sandwich on a gentle medium heat so that it can turn golden and melt the middle nicely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to fry the sandwich?

You could grill or air fry the sandwich. Leave it open faced to melt the cheese initially then sandwich together and grill/air fry for a few more minutes to the toast the exterior too.

Other recipes you might enjoy

Try my Goat's Cheese and Ham Focaccia Sandwich, it has apricot jam for the sweet contrast. My Chicken Parmesan Sandwich is world famous too, crispy chicken, tomato sauce, pesto mayo. YUM! I also love this recipe for C rispy Chicken Caesar Sandwich. Caesar Salad in a sandwich, you need to try this one.

Made this recipe and loved it?

I would love love LOVE if you could leave a review in the comments… I love hearing what you thought, any changes you made, the stories behind what made you try my recipes. Also, if you share a photo on Instagram, please tag me @desertislanddishes, it makes my day to see you making my creations!