Italian Mozzarella in Carozza
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What is Mozzarella in Carozza?
You saw this tempting cheesy and crispy sandwich and you may be wondering what on Earth does “Mozzarella in Carozza” mean? “Carozza” means “carriage,” so the mozzarella’s carriage in this case is the crispy exterior! Mozzarella in Carozza is essentially the best grilled cheese sandwich you could ever imagine - simply stuffed with mozzarella (mine has a touch of basil!) wrapped in its carriage (bread), deep fried to a golden brown goodness with hot and gooey cheese inside! To say “yum” is indeed an understatement!
If you didn’t know, I visited Italy in 2024 for my honeymoon. It was a life-changing experience indulging in all of the wonderfully flavourful and fresh food! Now I can’t wait for my next venture to Italy. I went to Positano, Rome, Florence and Venice. While the whole trip was incredible, Positano was the destination at the top of my list. Positano is on the coastline of Italy, in the Campania region. Other famous cities that are part of the Campania region include Naples and Pompeii. The beach I went to in Positano is absolutely beautiful and the food there was incredibly tasty - expensive, but indeed worth it! To relive my honeymoon in a small way, I wanted to prepare a recipe that originated from Campania. Now, when you see a cheesy fried sandwich, who can honestly say no?
If Campania is a destination unseen for you, then this fried cheesy sandwich is a little way to allow you to explore what this region of Italy has to offer! I encourage you to try this Mozzarella in Carozza recipe as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge! Get started on your cooking journey for free today by signing up to my email newsletter, plus all of my latest recipes will be sent directly to your inbox!
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Why You’ll Love this Italian Fried Mozzarella Sandwich Recipe!
Crispy bread
Gooey and warm cheese
Easy to make
Minimal ingredients
Addictively good!
Important tips For the Best Mozzarella in Carozza
The best cheese choices are either buffalo mozzarella or fior di latte. Other cheese can be used, however keep it authentic by included at least of these varieties.
Some modern variations of this recipe makes use of mayonnaise on each slice of the bread to help the cheese adhere to the sandwich to make the breading process simpler. The mayonnaise also adds a bit of tang to the sandwich.
Fillings like ham, prosciutto or even bacon can be added to the sandwich to make it better as per your preferences.
Olive oil is the preferred medium to fry in since it adds a fragrant flavour to the sandwich that you just wouldn’t get with something like vegetable oil.
If you are not serving the sandwiches right away, you can easily preserve the cheese pulls by heating up the sandwiches for a few minutes in an oven heated at 350 F.
Tools Needed to make Mozzarella in Carozza
Ramekins: For the dipping sauce!
What Goes in Mozzarella in Carozza?
You can find all ingredients and their quantities in the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD by scrolling to the bottom of this post or by pressing the “Jump to Recipe” button. You can also use the recipe card to scale the recipe based on how many sandwiches you want to make so that you know how much cheese and breading you’ll need for the best fried mozzarella sandwiches ever!
Bread: I used sourdough because I love the flavour and it will hold its shape well when being fried.
Mozzarella: You’ll want to use buffalo mozzarella or fior di latte. If using buffalo mozzarella, you’ll need to allow it to drain for one to two days to ensure that there is no excess moisture.
Eggs: Large eggs to dip our breaded sandwiches in so that the breadcrumbs stick onto the bread.
Breadcrumbs: Regular Italian breadcrumbs without seasoning.
Olive oil: Needed for shallow frying. I recommend olive oil because it’ll give a satisfying flavour to the coating of your sandwich.
Basil: Freshly chopped basil will be added in the sandwich to add a nice pop of flavour to the sandwich.
Salt and pepper: Seasoning to add over the sandwich after we’ve fried it.
Marinara sauce: I made my own marinara sauce for dipping the sandwich in! I definitely recommend you try out this marinara sauce recipe - it only takes about 15 minutes to whip up and it will complement your Mozzarella in Carozza so well!
How to Make Crispy and Gooey Mozzarella in Carozza
Drain the excess water from the fresh mozzarella packaging and place between kitchen towels. Squeeze to get most of the excess moisture out from the cheese. Place the mozzarella ball in a bowl/container and leave in the fridge for at least 24 hours.
Slice the mozzarella into 1/4 inch thick slices. On 2 slices of bread, arrange the mozzarella. Tuck in 2-3 basil leaves between the cheese for of these slices of bread.
Close the sandwiches with 2 more slices of bread. Cut away the edges of the bread.
Press lightly atop the 2 sandwiches. Crack and whip 2 eggs in a large plate, add breadcrumbs to another. Carefully, drip the assembled sandwiches in the egg, covering each side.
Let an excess egg drip before placing it in the breadcrumbs. Cover each part of the sandwich and shake off any excess.
Repeat the same with any remaining sandwiches.
Fill olive oil about 1/4 inch of the way up in a large pan. Heat on medium heat until hot, test it by throwing in a breadcrumb piece and see if it sizzles right away. Make sure the oil is not too hot so that the breadcrumbs becomes dark right away.
Place the breaded sandwiches in the hot oil and shallow fry for 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
Remove the sandwiches once fried and season each side with salt and pepper.
Slice diagonally and serve right away with marinara sauce.
Variations of Italian Fried Sandwiches
Bread: Any type of rustic bread will work. Experiment with Ciabatta, Italian bread, baguette, or even Belgian bread!
Protein: This Italian grilled cheese sandwich is vegetarian, but if you eat meat and/or seafood, you can experiment by adding Prosciutto, anchovies or ham can be added as fillings inside the sandwich.
Vegetables:You can also fill the sandwich with some grilled eggplant or zucchini, if desired.
Simple: Just make the sandwich with mozzarella and enjoy! However, I really enjoyed the fragrance of the basil here. While I do mention in my free motivational guide to explore your potential in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun!!, that using a suitable substitute for a certain ingredient is perfectly fine, when you don’t have something that has no substitute, omitting the ingredient in some cases can work fine as well! If you don’t have basil but you have everything else to prepare Mozzarella in Carozza, then don’t worry about it! It’s not a mandatory ingredient by any means. While it can enhance the flavour of the sandwich, if you just want to enjoy some warm and gooey mozzarella in a fried sandwich, then you’re set!
Can I Make Mozzarella in Carozza in Advance?
Like nearly all of my recipes on the blog, especially those that are fried, Mozzarella in Carozza is definitely recommended to enjoy fresh right when it’s done frying! However, if you’ve made too many (somehow!), you can definitely store it in the fridge and reheat it later on. Let’s dive into those instructions!
STORING LEFTOVER Mozzarella in Carozza
Transfer your extra sandwiches into an airtight container and keep them in the fridge. This vegetarian version of Mozzarella in Carozza should stay good in the fridge for about 4 days.
HOW TO REHEAT Mozzarella in Carozza
The microwave is a viable option to reheat your fried mozzarella sandwiches if you’re very hungry! All you need to do is 30 seconds to a minute, depending on how strong your microwave is. Check in 30 second intervals to see if the inside and outside are warm. However, I do strongly caution against microwaving your Italian Fried Grilled Cheese Sandwich because if you’re not careful, it is very likely to become soggy.
With that being said, you’re better off reheating the mozzarella sandwich by air frying or reheating in the oven. To reheat in the air fryer, heat for about 2-3 minutes at 350 F. To reheat in the oven, also set your oven to 350 F and heat for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the outside and inside are entirely warmed through.
Now, if you still have your oil from frying on hand, you can certainly reheat the Mozzarella in Carozza by re-frying the sandwiches! If you have the time and inclination, then this may be the best reheating method!
Other Satisfying Sandwich Recipes
Watch How to Make Mozzarella in Carozza Here:
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!