Eggy Fried Cheese Sandwich (Mozzarella Carrozza)

This Eggy Fried Cheese Sandwich is my prosciutto stuffed version of Nigella Lawson’s Mozzarella In Carrozza recipe. Its actually an Italian staple take on a stuffed grilled cheese mashed up with eggy bread. I love to whip it up for a cheeky late night snack or for a quick lunch with a little salad.

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I like to keep a good catalogue of go-to hot snacks in my repertoire. The kind of thing that I can throw together in 10 minutes from the contents of my fridge. Eggs, prosciutto and cheese feature highly in these recipes like my Poached Eggs with Prosciutto and Asparagus.

This recipe, like a vast swathe of my whole repertoire, is adapted from a Nigella Lawson recipe many years ago. The variation primarily (and often) is the addition of meat!

Mozzarella in Carrozza is basically a cross between a grilled cheese, an Eggy Bread sandwich and a Croque Monsieur. Sounds good right!

This recipe was difficult to write in a step by step format as it become quite wordy. What you need to know is that you are going to make sandwiches which are bread, prosciutto, mozzarella, prosciutto, bread.

The whole thing is smushed together around the edges then dipped in milk, flour then egg and fried in butter.

Its honestly very simple and you end up with a sandwich that’s crispy on the outside and soft and gooey on this inside. I don’t think you’ll need the recipe the next time you make it!

How to Serve Mozzarella Carrozza with Prosciutto

I mostly just eat these sandwiches on their own because no one is watching and really, who cares if I have a meal without servicing my five-a-day requirements. Shhhh!

Otherwise I like to serve this with either a caramelised onion chutney and some peppery salad leaves. Or alternatively, if I make it with regular bacon rather than prosciutto (and I often do), I am big fan of a heap of baked beans on the side. That’s a whole different levels of classy but equally tasty (and as a bonus, beans count as one of your five-a-day!).

Make this Fried Cheese Sandwich into a Feast

I truly believe that you can make any dish into a proper feast! Whether thats a feast for one after work on a Tuesday, a casual feast for four on a Friday evening or a feast for 12 for a special occasion!

This fried sandwich is a perfect addition to any brunch feast. After all its just an Egg and Bacon Club Sandwich or Bacon Mozzarella Pastry in an Eggy Bread wrapped guise!

For other ooey-gooey-cheesy snacks, take a look at my Baked Camembert with Garlic, Maple & Thyme. And for more bread based and Italian inspired goodness, you cannot go wrong with my Confit Tomato Bruschettas with Pesto & Mozzarella.

Don’t forget to head over to my Feast Collection pages to find all of my tips and tricks to help you host a fun and stress-free feast. Plus remember to check out my other Brunch suitable recipes.

Ingredients for Mozzarella Carrozza with Prosciutto

Bread

I would not advise using anything other than cheap white sliced bread. Save the fancy sourdough for another time. You need the bread to squidge together for the whole thing to not totally fall apart on you.

Prosciutto

I’ve said prosciutto to be inclusive. Parma Ham is also prosciutto but it is from a specific region and made in a prescribed way. Serrano ham (the Spanish version) would also do the trick perfectly. There is a taste difference but both flavours work great with the mozzarella.

I’ll be honest and say that I buy the cheap stuff. From Aldi actually. Because its about half the price of the main brands and just as tasty. I don’t think that I’ve ever had bad prosciutto. I’m a snob when I need to be but in this instance, I don’t need to be.

Mozzarella

I’d recommend the kind of mozzarella that comes quite dry in a block for slicing rather than the balls sitting in liquid. I do love the fresh balls and I would use one in a pinch but the slightly soggy interior may well become too much.

Ready grated mozzarella like what I often use will work but doesn’t provide quite enough of the gooeyness that I’m looking for in this recipe. It is also a little harder to contain in the sandwich when it’s being dipped in the milk and egg, etc. It can be done with care however!

Be Flexible

You can play around with the fillings to your heart’s content. Some kind of cheese is the only real requirement. A melty cheese is best so something like gouda or even a brie would work well.

If you don’t wish to include prosciutto, you can with leave it out, or replace it with something like regular bacon or pancetta. Grilled vegetables like my Griddled Courgettes are another option, I would especially like to see some garlic mushrooms in there.

The last variation that I sometimes make is to include some kind of sweet chutney inside the sandwich rather than serve it with it.

Make this Fried Cheese Sandwich Vegetarian

Not including the prosciutto and just creating a basic Mozzarella Carrozza would be the first obvious step to making this recipe vegetarian. You could then add in some of my above flexible suggestions if you like or leave it plain.

The second potentially less obvious consideration is to make sure that the mozzarella being used is not made with animal rennet. Traditional mozzarella is not vegetarian friendly although most modern and commercially available varieties are.

Make it Vegan

This is one of those recipes that just contains so much dairy, it is almost impossible to veganise. Avocado on toast might be a better option I’m afraid!

Make it Allergy Friendly

This recipe is naturally nut free.

Gluten Free: Substitute the bread for a gluten free variety. You may need to work quite hard to find a variety that is soft enough to press together in quite the way that you need. Swap the flour for cornflour.

Dairy Free: Use a dairy free cheese replacement instead of the mozzarella and a plant based milk in place of the regular milk. Lastly, use olive oil to fry the sandwiches instead of butter.

Much of the cheap white bread varieties include some kind of milk product so do be careful when purchasing.

Egg Free: You essentially have two options. Just don’t dip the sandwich in egg and fry straight after coating them in the flour. Or, use an egg replacement product like “Easy Vegan Egg”.

Please note that this recipe may contain other allergens not referred to above and any variations suggested have not been tested unless otherwise stated. For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.

Equipment Notes for Eggy Fried Cheese Sandwich

A serrated bread knife is an essential item of kitchen equipment. The serration stops the bread from tearing and gives a nice clean cut. A half decent bread knife can be picked up in any supermarket for a couple of quid.

A flour shaker is a handy addition to a kitchen. It makes coating the sandwiches with flour very easy and even plus minimises mess too.

A comprehensive list of the equipment used to make this recipe is included in the main recipe card below. Click on any item to see an example. There are no hard and fast rules so many items can be sensibly substituted to achieve the same results.

Get Ahead

This is not a recipe that takes terribly well to being prepared in advance. It would be possible to make the sandwiches themselves earlier in the day and then do the milk/flour/egg dipping just before cooking.

But to be honest, as the whole recipe takes about 10 minutes to put together, I am not sure this is going to save an awful lot of time.

Making the whole thing ahead of time and then reheating would be possible but it isn’t going to be the greatest. Mozzarella in Carrozza is best served fresh.

Leftover Mozzarella Carrozza with Prosciutto

I would really recommend that you only cook as many sandwiches as you intend to serve. Whilst reheating is possible (either in a frying pan or the microwave), I wouldn’t highly recommend it.

Mozzarella Carrozza with Prosciutto Tips

Make sure that the edges of the bread are as well sealed as possible. Saying that, if a little cheese escapes on cooking, it isn’t going to be the end of the world!

Slices of bread do vary in size depending on the brand. if the quantities of filling that I have given seem to overstuff the sandwich, then reduce the quantities. Equally if you want to squeeze in a little more then go for it.

Don’t forget to let me know in the comments if you try making this recipe – I want to know what you think and if you made any substitutions, how did it turn out?

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The Recipe

Eggy Fried Cheese Sandwich (Mozzarella Carrozza Recipe)

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This Eggy Fried Cheese Sandwich is my prosciutto stuffed version of Nigella Lawson's Mozzarella In Carrozza recipe. Its actually an Italian staple take on a stuffed grilled cheese mashed up with eggy bread. I love to whip it up for a cheeky late night snack or for a quick lunch with a little salad.

5 from 7 votes

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Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time5 minutes mins

Total Time10 minutes mins

Servings 2

Author Chloe

Equipment

• Wooden Board
• Serrated Bread Knife
• Sharp Knife – Small
• Mixing Bowl – Small
• Measuring Jug – Small
• Flour Shaker
• Frying Pan – Small
• Silicone Fish Slice

Ingredients

 

MetricUSA Measurements

 

0.5x1x2x4x

• 4 slices Thick White Sliced Bread
• 4 slices Prosciutto
• 120 g Fresh Mozzarella
• 80 ml Milk
• 1 Egg
• 0.5 tsp Sea Salt Flakes
• 2 tbsp Plain Flour (All Purpose)
• 1 tbsp Salted Butter
• 1 tsp Vegetable Oil

Instructions

 

• Cut the crusts off 4 slices Thick White Sliced Bread.
  
• Lay 4 slices Prosciutto over the bread slices with one slice of Prosciutto on each slice of bread. Leave a border of bread around each slice.
  
• Slice 120g Fresh Mozzarella into rectangles and lay them over half of the prosciutto topped slices of bread.
  
• Put the slices of bread together to create a sandwich.
• Using your thumb and forefinger, press around the borders of each sandwich to squidge the edges together to seal them. Reinforce the seal using the edge of your hand (like in a karate chop position). You can make the requisite noise as you’re doing this, I won’t judge.
  
• Pour 80ml Milk into a small flat dish. Whisk 1 Egg with 0.5 tsp Sea Salt Flakes in another small flat dish.
  
• Dip each sandwich in the milk coating both sides. Put the dipped sandwiches onto a plate or your board.
  
• Coat both sides of each sandwich with around 2 tbsp Plain Flour and gently shake of any excess.
  
• Put 1 tbsp Butter and 1 tsp Vegetable Oil in a non-stick frying pan and put onto medium heat.
  
• Once the butter is just melted, take the sandwich and plate of egg right next to your hob.
  
• Dip the sandwich into the egg on both sides and place into the buttery pan.
  
• Repeat with the remaining sandwiches. Fry on a gentle heat.
  
• Once golden brown underneath, carefully but confidently flip the sandwiches in the pan. If any mozzarella escapes whilst cooking, just shove it back in or allow it to go a bit crispy in the pan.
  
• Gently fry until golden brown on each side and serve immediately.
  

Step by Step Video

Nutrition (Approx)

Serving: 1sandwich | Calories: 520kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 156mg | Sodium: 1408mg | Potassium: 228mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 783IU | Calcium: 494mg | Iron: 3mg

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