Here’s a fun seasonal project for those of you who have a surplus of cherry tomatoes. Or for people like me, who just can’t get enough cherry tomatoes while they’re here. Tomato jam! It’s sort of like peppery, jammy ketchup and I’m really into it.
Fair warning; tomato jam requires a lot of tomatoes (one and a half pounds yields a scant cup of jam). If you’re 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
- Author: Cookie and Kate
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 sandwiches 1x
- Category: Sandwich
- Cuisine: Italian
Homemade cherry tomato jam, shredded mozzarella and basil grilled to perfection! You can make this panini recipe as a grilled cheese, too. I’d suggest making the jam as directed, then eyeballing the amount of cheese you’ll need for the sandwiches.
Ingredients
Cherry tomato jam (yields about 1 cup)
- 2 pints (about 1 ½ pounds or 4 cups) cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes or Sungold tomatoes, halved crosswise
- 2 tablespoons honey or sugar
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ¼ 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 ½ 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 you’re 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 here’s a stovetop method that has worked for me… 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 Information
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
I really love that tomato jam!! It looks so delicious!
Gabrielle
This looks delicious! Do you think it is possible to make the jam in bulk and can it?
Mandy
I will be buying tomatoes today!!!
Kate
Hope you love it!
My Dish is Bomb
Tomato jam is such a cool idea, and I’ve never heard of it before. Does it taste kind of like antipasto? Or a little sweeter? In any case, looks delicious!
Kate
It reminds me of ketchup, but with a jammy consistency! Very tangy.
Amy @ Parsley In My Teeth
The grape tomatoes have been ridiculously sweet this year and jam is the perfect thing to do with the surplus. Mmmmmm….smacking my lips now!
lisa @garlicandzest
I am 100% on board with the jam and the panini. In fact, I’m getting out my press now! Bon Appetit!
Kate
Hope you love it, Lisa!
Nora
Sounds great. Would it taste okay without the sugar? (or less of it?)
Kate
I think so! It will just be more tart.
Hillary | Nutrition Nut on the Run
That crunchy bread, oh yum!
Anca
I love panini and your recipe sounds classic, easy, but delicious.
dixya | food, pleasure, and health
im not much of a jam person but the idea of tomato jam sounds so delicious!!!
Deepthi
Kate this looks amazing and vibrant!!! We make something very similar in south India to eat with fermented breads etc. called “tomato thokku”. Cheers!
Kate
Thank you, Deepthi!
Joanne
I feel like I’ve 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.
Gaby Dalkin
Yeah, pretty sure this is my lunch tomorrow. I feel ya, can’t get enough of tomatoes these days!
Lynne
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 :-)
Kate
Thank you, Lynne! Please let me know how you like it!
Courtney
Yum!! The perfect solution for the platter-that-never-empties of cherry tomatoes and sungolds, that’s been sitting on my counter for weeks. Love summer “harvest” in my own backyard!
Rose
Kate, I hate to break it to you, but: you used to be the apple of my eye…now, you’re 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. You’re the best, Kate, thank you!
Jessie @ Chasing Belle
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!
Karen
I’m 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.
Kate
Hmm, I bet you could. I’m not sure they’d get jammy unless they were all piled up on each other like they are in a pot.
Sue
I’m fortunate enough to have a glut of tomatoes just now. Do you think the jam could be frozen?
Kate
That’s a good question. I’m not entirely sure, but I think so!
Danielle
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 months…I 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!
Kate
Danielle, I’m glad this tomato jam works for you! Yay!
Amy
Yum! I made a similar tomato jam but I’ve been at a loss for how to use it. Panini! Brilliant!
Kate
Hope you love it in panini form, Amy!
Darcy
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 week… 2 weeks?)
Kate
Hi Darcy! I have some leftover jam from this post in my fridge and it still looks fine, so I’d say a couple of weeks is a safe bet.
Tamar
I can’t 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.
Kate
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!
Getty
Hi Kate!
This tomato jam panini looks amazing!
I hope you don’t 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! Here’s the link if you want to check it out. http://www.gettystewart.com/tomato-jam/
Kate
No, I don’t mind! Thank you for promoting my recipe, Getty! Your jam looks lovely.
Cathy
I added some red chili flakes for a little bite–yum! Your recipes consistently continue to be on the upper end of the Likert scale. Thx!
Kate
Yay, thanks Cathy!
liz
I didn’t just look at it and say it looks delish….I made it! Mmmmmmmmm!!!! Yummy! Thanks:)
Kate
Oh yay! :)
Rocha
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!
Amber Morrell
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 husband’s 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 don’t 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). I’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
– Amber
Amber Morrell
Oh, and I forgot say–I 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.
Kate
Thank you, Amber! I’m glad you enjoyed this one!
Deb Hume
Tomato Jam? YES! My husband & I just finished a Tomato Jam & Mozzarella Panini. He doesn’t 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!
Kate
Yes! Happy to hear it, Deb.
Twana
There’s 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 it’s the best thing I’ve ever eaten!
Twana
It’s the O-mazing not maxing… sheesh
Nancy
Made this for supper tonight-just awesome!!
Kate
:)
James Foster
Hey Kate,
Don’t 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 farmer’s markets are open, and I plan on getting a load of heirloom cherry tomatoes and making this. Going to use some upscale fresh mozz. Can’t wait.
Kate
Hi James! Sounds delicious!
Jessica Spanswick
Could I add a hot pepper for some zing?
Kate
Sure!
Katharine
Wow, even with half the amount of sugar this was overpoweringly sweet. Even adding extra acid couldn’t save it. Would eliminate the sugar entirely if I tried again.
C Court
I have so many home grown cherry tomatoes this year. Glad I found this recipe. I added a few chopped and sautéed hot peppers. It was fantastic! Picked out the tomato skins while cooling. Will definitely make this again.
JoNell McClary
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 Hertzberg’s artisan bread recipe. I’ll add that I put a little less tomato jam on my grandson’s sandwich thinking he might not love it, and he asked for more to dip his sandwich in. Your recipes are always winners! Thank you!
Sasha
I’ve made these sandwiches so many times. They are so good!
I had one question. How long will the tomato jam last in the fridge?