Giada De Laurentiis’s 5-Ingredient Sandwich Left Me Speechless

I have no problem admitting that I am a sandwich snob. My ideal sandwich is made with either a chicken cutlet or piled high with Italian cured meats with absolutely no mayonnaise in sight.

Recently, I was captivated by The Giada Sandwich, which is having a bit of a moment on the interwebs. At a glance, this tasty number created by the iconic Giada De Laurentiis met all of my lofty sandwich requirements, so I knew I had to try it.

Luckily, it only requires five ingredients—bread, mortadella, fresh pesto and mozzarella, and capers. I stocked up on the essentials so I could prepare it for a little get-together I was planning.

How To Make The Giada Sandwich

First things first, the bread. Giada recommends using either a baguette or a ficelle—a smaller, daintier baguette. Whatever bread you choose, make sure it is crusty and fresh. This is a hearty sandwich, and you don’t want to lose half of the precious meat and cheese as you try to bite through the bread. I picked up the Half-Baked Idea Ficelle from Trader Joe’s for this occasion so I could bake it myself and control the level of crust and freshness. Plus, warm bread straight from the oven is never a bad thing!

Next up, the pesto. Pesto on a sandwich just makes sense. It’s creamy, it’s cheesy, it’s herbaceous, and adds just the right amount of moisture without being greasy. Don’t tell your nonna, but I used store-bought pesto to save time. I am lucky enough to have a local cheese shop that sells amazing fresh pesto, but use any pesto you can get your hands on or make pesto from scratch.

Now onto the meat (and cheese) of the matter. Mortadella! While my editor may argue that the last sentence is incomplete, I feel it speaks volumes. Mortadella may be the most perfect of all the Italian meats. It’s strikingly gorgeous—millennial pink with flecks of jewel-like pistachios are a work of art. Mortadella is cooked rather than cured so it retains a very delicate texture and buttery mouthfeel. Paired with creamy mozzarella, it’s hard to imagine a better combination. 

Lastly, the pièce de résistance. As you sink your teeth into this beautiful sandwich, you will get a surprise: fried capers that have been neatly tucked into the layers of meat, pesto, and cheese.

The crunchy, salty, and slightly floral fried capers take this sandwich to the next level, making it impossible not to devour the entire thing without coming up for air. To fry the capers, you simply heat a little olive oil over medium heat. Pat brined capers dry, then fry them for two to three minutes, or until they puff up almost like popcorn. Drain the excess oil, then pop them on every sandwich you ever make.

It’s safe to say this has become one of my favorite sandwiches; it’s easy, flavorful, and comes together for a quick lunch or even a cocktail party snack.