When tomatoes are this good, keep it simple: these easy, cheesy tomato melts are the official open-faced sandwich of summer.
Sliced thick, sprinkled with salt, and bubbling under a layer of cheese ~tomato melts are how summer’s supposed to taste.
tomato melts in 5
- Toast your bread.
- Slather with my bright lemony basil mayo.
- Top with juicy tomatoes and the sharpest cheddar you can get your hands on.
- Broil until golden and bubbling (thank you, Maillard magic.)
- Devour.
the tomato melt playbook
- Don’t skip brushing the bread with a little oil and baking before topping with the rest of the ingredients. It gives your tomato melts a much better texture and ensures that the mayo and tomato juice don’t make the bread too soggy.
- Good bread and good tomatoes make the difference between “meh” and “amazing” here, so use the best you can find!
- Watch your toasts like a hawk while they are under the broiler – you want to take them out when the cheese is bubbling and brown, but not burnt (unless you like burnt.)
Tomato and bread were meant for each other…
- tomato sandwich bruschetta is a riff on the Southern classic tomato sandwich.
- fried green tomato BLT’s are a must make at least once every summer.
- grilled cherry tomato bruschetta ~ perfect for the non-meat eaters at the bbq.
- heirloom tomato toast is probably the prettiest bruschetta ever!
- pan con tomate (Spanish tomato bread) is the way they do it in Spain.
- grilled cornbread panzanella ~ you’ll love how the grilled cornbread soaks up those tomato juices!
Make open faced tomato melts with other veggies?
Heck yeah! How about a medley of fresh veg like zucchini, onion, broccoli, etc. Use up what’s in the fridge, the CSA box, or the odds and ends you might be picking from your garden this time of year. I love to put a thin slice of red or Vidalia onion under my tomatoes. (Asparagus melts would be amazing with a lemony mayo!)
Keep in mind that the vegetables wont get very cooked in a minute or two under the broiler, so choose vegetables that are good mostly raw, or give them a quick steam first to soften them before layering them into your melt. I usually do this in the microwave, just 2 minutes on a plate does it.
more spreads for tomato melts
- If you’re out of mayo, make your own homemade mayonnaise.
- Want a vegan tomato melt? You can make vegan mayo and use your fave plant based cheese.
- A little pesto (bonus points for homemade!) would be great with the tomatoes. Try my Spicy Basil Pesto or my Lemony Artichoke Pesto.
- Creamy Homemade Horseradish Sauce would be amazing.
- My 30-Second Remoulade Sauce
- Green Goddess Pesto
- There are too many to list ~ check out my sauces and condiments archive for more inspo.
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Tomato Melts
It doesn't get easier (or cheesier!) than these summery tomato melts with basil mayo and cheddar cheese!
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 4 thick slices of bread (I used a rosemary sourdough loaf)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, for brushing
- 4 Tbsp basil mayonnaise*, recipe here
- 4 medium tomatoes or 2 larger heirloom style tomatoes, sliced about 1/3" thick, choose your tomatoes to fit your bread.
- 4 slices sharp cheddar cheese**, you can also use shredded cheese if that's what you have.
- fresh basil leaves, for garnish
Instructions
- Place the bread slices onto a baking sheet and brush lightly with olive oil.
- Broil in the oven for just a minute or two until they are lightly crisp.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a couple minutes. (This is so the basil mayonnaise doesn't melt right into the bread)
- Top each slice of bread with a tablespoon or so of basil mayo. Then layer on the tomato slices, covering the whole slice of bread. Finally, top with the sliced cheddar cheese.
- Return to the oven and broil for a few minutes (this will really depend on your oven and how close your pan is to the heating element, so keep a close eye on them and check them frequently so they don't burn) until the cheese is melted and starting to brown on top.
- Remove from the oven and serve hot with fresh cracked black pepper and a sprinkling of fresh basil leaves.
Notes
*You can find my basil mayonnaise recipe here. Alternatively you can finely shred fresh basil and just mix with the mayo before spreading on your toast.
**Swap the cheddar cheese for another flavorful cheese like Gruyere, or even thin slices of fresh Mozzarella. Different cheeses will melt differently, so keep an eye on the melts in the broiler and adjust the baking time if needed.
Nutrition
Calories: 296 kcal · Carbohydrates: 6 g · Protein: 8 g · Fat: 27 g · Saturated Fat: 8 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 7 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 10 g · Trans Fat: 0.03 g · Cholesterol: 34 mg · Sodium: 283 mg · Potassium: 317 mg · Fiber: 2 g · Sugar: 3 g · Vitamin A: 1314 IU · Vitamin C: 17 mg · Calcium: 213 mg · Iron: 0.5 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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This is a simple but very delicious recipe. I love a tomato pie in the summer but it is so heavy. This reminds me of that but is much lighter. Thanks Sue.
Went to the farmers markett to get tomatoes for this recipe. A perfect dinner. Yum!!!
Hi Sue, I made the Tomato Melt with Basil mayonnaise for dinner tonight and it was delicious. I used Pepperidge Farm white sandwich bread and simply chopped the fresh basil and added it to the mayo. My husband loved it. It was the perfect dinner for a hot Summer night. Thank you for all the great recipes!
Oh yay, thanks Ann. I grew up on Pepperidge Farm white sandwich bread!