If I had to pick one lunch recipe to eat for the rest of my life, it would be this Burrata Sandwich with Mortadella! The combination of cool, creamy burrata cheese with silky, melt-in-your-mouth slices of mortadella, nutty pistachio pesto, and chewy ciabatta bread is so well balanced.
If you’re not familiar with mortadella, it’s an emulsified Italian pork sausage that is studded with pork fat and pistachios. Perhaps not the best description, but my god the flavor! It’s hands down my favorite Italian cold cut, and I like it sliced extra thin.
You could certainly use another Italian meat here (I’ve tested this recipe with prosciutto, but thin slices of ham or even salami would work), but this particular combination is beyond delicious!
For more restaurant-worthy sandwich recipes, try my turkey and avocado club sandwich, crispy chicken cutlet panini, or this light, yet satisfying Green Goddess veggie sandwich next!
Bread Selection Matters
Make sure you’ve got a soft bread with a crusty exterior. I really like ciabatta here because it can hold up to the ingredients, but isn’t difficult to bite into (again, soft center with a crisp exterior).
Jump to RecipeRemaining Ingredients
Because you need so few ingredients, make sure they’re high-quality. I strongly prefer homemade pesto to store-bought. If you love pistachios, try it with my homemade pistachio pesto. This would also be great with toasted walnut pesto, arugula pesto, or ramp pesto.
If you have leftover burrata (ha! what’s this?!), try my sweet and nutty garlic confit and burrata toast next. And if you can’t find burrata, fresh, hand-ripped or sliced mozzarella or straciatella cheese are great options. The latter is the creamy, milky filling inside burrata and I always grab a container whenever I see it at the store.
The Best Sandwich You’ll Ever Make
This is actually really easy to prep at home, you just have to toast the bread first (you can use the scooped out bread to make homemade breadcrumbs!)
If enjoying later, it’s fun to wrap the sandwiches up in parchment paper. Perfect little grab-and-go lunch for a picnic!
Ari’s Best Tips!
- Make sure the mortadella is very thinly sliced. This yields a rich, silky smooth texture.
- Be sure to season the burrata with salt! And if you happen to have leftovers use it to top homemade pizza with burrata.
- I know it sounds sacrilegious to say, but scooping out a bit of the top bread helps to make room for the filling while keeping it all from falling apart.
Make-Ahead & Store For Later
As with most sandwiches, this one is best fresh when the bread is crispy and the room temperature cheese melts-in-your-mouth.
However, if you’re less concerned about the texture of the bread, you can easily make it in advance. If using fresh burrata cheese, this can be prepped up to 1 day in advance. If using sliced fresh mozzarella, you can make the sandwich up to 2 days in advance.
Wrap tightly first in parchment paper, then in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until needed, then allow to come to room temperature before enjoying. Do not freeze.
Other Picnic Staples
This is pretty much the only sandwich I want at a picnic ever. If I had to fill in the gaps to make a complete meal (but isn’t a sandwich with meat and cheese a complete meal?!), I’d consider adding a few of the following, all of which are easy-to-make and can be prepped well in advance:
- Curried chicken salad made with rotisserie chicken
- Greek orzo pasta salad with feta cheese
- Raw broccoli salad with cranberries and cashews
- Lightly sweet tuna salad with dried cranberries
- Crunchy and creamy pecan chicken salad with grapes
And let’s be honest, it ain’t a picnic without a little bubbly!
I mean, look at it! Bet you want to dive right in. Or maybe… maybe that just me. If you make this Italian mortadella sandwich recipe, please let us know by leaving a review and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below!
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Burrata Sandwich with Mortadella & Pistachio Pesto
Video
Ingredients
For the pistachio pesto
- 2 cups tightly packed basil leaves
- ¼ cup toasted pistachios, unsalted
- 1 medium lemon, zested, about 2 tsp, and juiced, about 2 Tbsp
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- ⅓-½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the sandwich
- 1 loaf ciabatta, or 4 small ciabatta rolls
- 1 lb pistachio mortadella, very thinly sliced (½ lb = 2-3 big sandwiches, 1 lb = 4-6 big sandwiches)
- 12-16 oz burrata cheese, see note below
- Flaky sea salt
- 2 Tbsp high-quality extra virgin olive oil or truffle oil
- ⅓ cup pistachios, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Toast the ciabatta. Preheat an oven to 375°F (190°C). Cut the ciabatta in half lengthwise. I realize this is controversial, but feel free to scoop out some of the bread from the top side of bread to make room for the filling. Reserve for homemade breadcrumbs! Drizzle 2-3 Tbsp olive oil on the inside, then place on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast for 6-8 minutes, or until the bread is crisp.
- Make the pistachio pesto. Place 2 cups basil leaves, ¼ cup pistachios, 2 tsp lemon zest, 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, and 1 chopped garlic clove in the bowl of a food process. Process until finely chopped. With the motor running, drizzle in ⅓ cup of extra virgin olive oil. Transfer to a bowl, then stir in ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese. Add remaining olive oil if you want a thinner consistency, stirring until well mixed. Taste, then adjust seasoning with Kosher salt and black pepper as needed.
- Assemble the sandwich. Place a generous layer of thinly sliced pistachio mortadella on the bottom piece of bread. Next, take each ball of burrata and stretch it open. Place in even portions on top of the mortadella. Sprinkle the burrata cheese with flaky sea salt, then drizzle the sandwich with 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (or truffle oil) and ⅓ cup chopped pistachios. Spread a generous layer of pistachio pesto on the top piece of bread.
- Slice then serve! Place the top piece of bread on top. If not eating right away, I like to wrap the sandwich in parchment paper before slicing (it holds it all together better). Otherwise, slice into smaller, individual sandwiches (or slice each ciabatta roll in half), then enjoy!
Notes
- Bread: Try focaccia, bastone, or baguette next. I recommend something that isn’t too crunchy so it’s easier to bite into.
- This recipe was tested with a 16 oz ciabatta loaf, which I then cut into 6 hefty sandwiches. For a party, or as part of a larger spread, I’d cut the same loaf into 8+ smaller sandwiches.
- Burrata cheese is typically sold in either 8oz or 16oz containers. The former should have 2 balls of burrata, while the latter has 4 balls of burrata. Use this recipe as a guideline, but feel free to use more or less cheese based on preference.
Nutrition
Photography by: Megan McKeehan
Thanks for a yummy sandwich recipe! The flavors are perfect together. I added micro arugula because I had it and look forward to using the pesto in other ways.
Yesss, it was too good not to share!! Pesto is such a summer staple. Really glad you enjoyed, Carla! xo, Ari
Recipe looks great looking forward to trying it. However, the level of advertisements and pop up intrusions is beyond obnoxious… So annoying that as much as I like most of the recipes I’ve seen I will probably not return and that’s unfortunate for both you and me.
Hi Bill, thanks for the feedback. I hope you give the sandwich a try, it’s probably the best I’ve ever made!
Ads on websites help support content creators (and pay for all of the expenses that are necessary to maintain a website, as well as recipe testing, paying employees, etc.). If you’re not comfortable with supporting food bloggers in that way, I’d definitely recommend cookbooks as a better option. Best, Ari
I absolutely love to cook, and this is by far my favorite thing I’ve ever made. Not only is it incredibly delicious, it’s so quick and easy! I made the pistachio pesto in the time it took to toast the bread. Highly hiiiiighly recommend.
Three cheers for this epic sandwich!! Thanks for the feedback, Malia! Now I’m craving mortadella at 7am hah! xo, Ari
I have never had a better sandwich in my life. I had to drive 45 minutes out of my way to Wegmans in order to secure the more “out there” ingredients like burrata, and I also put the time in to make my own ciabatta. Man, was it worth it. I literally might dream about this sandwich for a good while. Please please PLEASE make this for yourself!
Adelaide, I am so thrilled you love this sandwich as much as I do! If I died and came back as a sandwich, this would be it. The creamy burrata cheese, silky mortadella, and omg that pesto. I can’t believe you made the ciabatta from scratch, that is truly next level. So impressed! (And yes, now I’m craving this sandwich). Yay! Cheers, Ari
I had never heard of Mortadella before and decided I would make this sandwich when a dear friend came for lunch. My grocery store had this pre sliced very thin as suggested. I made this delicious sandwich on ciabatta rolls and fell in love with this extra special sandwich. I would not change any of the recipe the seasoning were spot on. I will make this again!!
This is fantastic to hear, Carol! I adore the combination of ingredients here, it’s just too good! Cheers, Ari
This is an amazing sandwich. I made it exactly as is but I added a layer of prosciutto on top of the Burratta. Will definitely make again and again!!!
Love the addition of prosciutto, sounds fantastic! Thanks so much for the feedback! Cheers, Ari
This looks amazing! I just bought all the ingredients but they only had a very long and thin ciabatta loaf – looks half the length of the own shown and it’s also not as wide 🙁
Will this do?
TIA
Maureen
Hi Maureen! You can use any type, shape, or size of bread that you like! You might need to form smaller sandwiches based on what you chose, but it’ll still be great. Enjoy! Ari
I’m so looking forward to trying this during this weekend! I’m considering making my own ricotta – would that go well here in place of the burrata?
Hi Rosie! While ricotta won’t have the same creamy, almost melty luscious texture that burrata has, I think it’ll be delicious on the sandwich. If I were to make it at home, I’d place the ricotta in a bowl then stir in grated lemon zest, flaky sea salt, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and black pepper, then stir really well before spreading on the bread. Enjoy and please report back! Cheers, Ari
Thank you for the advice! Great point about the texture – maybe I’ll make it with burrata this time and then try the ricotta another time. It’s definitely hard to beat the creaminess of burrata!
Hands down the best sandwich I’ve ever had. Since the first time making it exactly as written, and loving it, I’ve tried it so many different ways too. With leftover sauteed chicken, with press turkey, with ham and every time I enjoy it so much. I’m making sure to have what I need on hand at Christmas so I can have it with roast turkey on boxing day. So yum.
Love this, Marie! I agree, it’s my favorite all-time sandwich. And I bet it would make for an incredible leftover turkey sandwich — such a good idea! Ari