Let Italy’s vibrant flavors do all the talking with this open faced sandwich recipe! Serve for breakfast, lunch, dinner, as an appetizer, you really can’t go wrong! 

Three open faced sandwiches, showing the prosciutto, basil, tomato, radish, poached eggs, and pistachios.
Photo Credits: Suzy Karadsheh

Sometimes the sandwich fixings are so tasty you don’t want to cover them with an extra layer of bread. That’s how I feel about this open faced sandwich! 

I wanted to capture an Antipasto Platter vibe in sandwich form, so I went for classic Italian-style flavor-makers. I started with whipped ricotta seasoned with oregano, which makes for the creamiest, most decadent base. 

Then I layer on so much texture and flavor with fresh basil and juicy tomato slices (think Caprese 2.0), peppery radishes, velvety roasted red peppers, salty prosciutto, and crunchy pistachios. 

I top it all off with a poached egg, not just for the protein and omegas but also because there’s nothing quite like a runny egg yolk on an open faced sandwich! So satisfying and delicious, you won’t want to cover it up. And, as a bonus the single slice of bread makes this decadent sandwich just a tad lighter!

Table of Contents
  1. Open Faced Sandwich Ingredients 
  2. How to Make this Open Faced Sandwich Recipe
  3. Ways to Mix It Up
  4. What to Serve with This Open Faced Sandwich Recipe
  5. More Open Faced Sandwiches & Toasts
  6. Try Our Italian EVOO!
  7. Open Faced Sandwich with Prosciutto and Basil Recipe

Open Faced Sandwich Ingredients 

I turned to the usual Italian heavy-hitters for this open faced sandwich recipe. You’ll need: 

  • Ricotta cheese: Use low fat or whole milk ricotta.
  • Extra virgin olive oil: Enriches the ricotta spread. Use a high quality extra virgin variety (I love our Italian Nocellara with this recipe, which has notes of tomato that complement the toppings well). 
  • Dried oregano: Adds an aromatic quality. Fresh oregano or Italian seasoning could work here too.
  • Kosher salt and black pepper enhance the flavor. 
  • Italian bread: Any good mild but crusty bread works here, like ciabatta or French baguette.  
  • Basil: Adds an summery aromatic quality. You just can’t beat basil and tomatoes! 
  • Tomato: Ideally a variety that’s juicy yet firm when ripe, like Roma or a firm heirloom. If tomatoes aren’t at their prime go for grape tomatoes instead. 
  • Radishes add a fresh peppery note. 
  • Roasted red peppers: Use a jarred variety, roast your own bell peppers from scratch.
  • Prosciutto slices: Adds protein, nutrients, and a delicious salty flavor. You can substitute with other cured meats, or leave it off to make this recipe vegetarian. 
  • Crushed shelled pistachios: Add a sweet-buttery flavor and crunch. They’re not essential—feel free to leave them off or substitute with slivered almonds. 
  • Poached eggs add protein, vitamins, and richness. Feel free to substitute with fried eggs, boiled eggs, or leave the egg off if you’d like.
  • Vinegar: Causes the proteins in the egg whites to coagulate more quickly, which prevents them from spreading out too much in the water boiling water. This will help the poached egg keep its shape, but you can still poach an egg without vinegar if you don’t have any on hand. 
Suzy's hand about to pick up one open faced sandwich.

How to Make this Open Faced Sandwich Recipe

The first step is to poach the eggs, which only takes about 3 minutes. Here’s how it’s done.

  • Bring a medium saucepan full of water to a boil. Line a plate with paper towels. 
  • Address the egg white. An egg white is called the Albumen and it has a thick part that clings closer to the yolk and a thin, almost watery-appearing part. For an egg that is easier to poach and looks tidy you’ll want to remove the thin, watery part of the egg white. To do this, set a small fine mesh sieve over a small bowl and crack an egg into the sieve. Gently swirl the egg in the sieve. Once the thin part of the egg white has fallen through the sieve, transfer the egg (yolk with thick white) to a ramekin or small glass. Repeat with the remaining 4 eggs, transferring each to separate ramekins. 
  • Get your produce prepped. Slice 1 ripe tomato. Thinly slice 3 radishes. Drain and coarsely chop 1 roasted red bell pepper. Crush a handful of shelled pistachios. 
  • Poach the eggs. Once the water boils, reduce it to a gentle boil or a simmer. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar, then stir the water in a circular motion to create a vortex. Quickly add one egg to the middle of the vortex and cook for exactly 3 minutes. Once the egg white is cooked and the yolk is still runny, use a slotted spoon to transfer the egg to the paper towel-lined plate and top with a sprinkle of salt. Repeat with the remaining eggs.
  • Make the whipped ricotta. Place 1 cup ricotta, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano in a small mixing bowl. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and whip with a fork until fluffy.
  • Build the sandwich. Spread the whipped ricotta cheese on the toasted bread. Next, top each toast with 1-2 basil leaves, tomato, radish, red pepper, a slice of Prosciutto, a poached egg, and a sprinkle of pistachios. Enjoy!

Ways to Mix It Up

Open-faced sandwiches are endlessly adaptable, which means you can make a version to suit anyone’s tastes. If poached eggs aren’t for you then opt for a fried egg. To keep things vegetarian, skip the prosciutto and add asparagus. Here are a few more ideas to get you started: 

Three open faced sandwiches. One is on a cutting board and two are on the counter.

What to Serve with This Open Faced Sandwich Recipe

This sandwich has a lot of richness from the cheese, prosciutto, poached egg, and pistachios, so a light bright salad goes best alongside.

Keep it simple with mixed greens dressed in a 5-Minute Lemon Vinaigrette. Some bitter greens mixed in like frisée or radicchio would add a welcome balance.

Or if you want to add something fresh but sweet this fruit salad recipe is a favorite in my family.

More Open Faced Sandwiches & Toasts

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a bottle of nocellara Italian extra virgin olive oil from the mediterranean dish.

Try Our Italian EVOO!

Extra virgin olive oil made from 100% Nocellara del Belice olive variety, cultivated in the ancient city of Agrigento, Sicily. 

4.50 from 2 votes

Open Faced Sandwich with Prosciutto and Basil

The Mediterranean Dish
Three open faced sandwiches. One is on a cutting board and two are on the counter.
This open faced sandwich is a simple breakfast toast with the flavors of Italy! So easy to prepare, and every bit as satisfying!
Prep – 10 minutes
Cook – 4 minutes
Total – 14 minutes
Cuisine:
Italian
Serves – 4
Course:
Breakfast

Ingredients
  

For the Poached Eggs

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar

For the Open Faced Sandwich

  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Kosher salt
  • Black pepper
  • 4 slices Italian bread, toasted
  • 4-8 fresh basil leaves
  • 1 ripe tomato (like Roma or heirloom), sliced
  • 3 radishes, thinly sliced
  • 1 roasted red pepper in oil, drained and coarsely chopped
  • 4 Prosciutto slices (or your favorite Italian cured meat)
  • 1 tablespoon crushed shelled pistachios

Instructions
 

  • Bring a medium saucepan full of water to a boil. Line a plate with paper towels.
  • Remove the water from the egg whites for a neater-looking poached egg. Crack an egg into a small fine mesh sieve over a small bowl. Gently swirl in the sieve, then transfer the egg to a ramekin or small glass. Repeat with the remaining eggs, transferring them to separate ramekins.
  • Poach the eggs. When the water is boiling, stir in the vinegar. Use a wooden spoon to stir the water to create a vortex. Quickly add the egg to the middle of the vortex and cook for exactly 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the egg to the paper towel-lined plate and top with a sprinkle of salt. Repeat with the remaining eggs.
  • Make the whipped ricotta. Place the ricotta, olive oil, oregano in a small mixing bowl and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Whip with a fork until fluffy.
  • Build the sandwich. Spread the whipped ricotta cheese on the toasted bread. Top with the basil, tomato, radish, red pepper, Prosciutto, egg, and pistachios. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including the olive oil used in this recipe.
  • For a vegetarian version of this recipe, simply leave off the prosciutto. 
  • Feel free to skip the eggs, or swap with fried or boiled.

Nutrition

Calories: 373.1kcalCarbohydrates: 18.5gProtein: 17.7gFat: 25.5gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 11.5gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 200.6mgSodium: 429.8mgPotassium: 316.3mgFiber: 2.1gSugar: 3.1gVitamin A: 856.4IUVitamin C: 9.2mgCalcium: 205mgIron: 2.5mg
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*This post has recently been updated with new information for readers’ benefit.

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I’m Suzy; born and bred right on the shores of the Mediterranean. I’m all about easy, healthy recipes with big Mediterranean flavors. Three values guide my cooking: eat with the seasons; use whole foods; and above all, share! So happy you’re here…
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4.50 from 2 votes

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Comments

  1. Erin says:

    5 stars
    This was so delicious! I added Calabrian pepper spread because I love spice. Everyone in the house loooved it. Thanks!

  2. Kaleb says:

    4 stars
    quick and delicious! I’ve got stuff at work prepped so all I have to do is toast the bread and cook the egg. For the egg, I just “fried” it on a non-stick griddle, no oil. cooked very quickly and still had my runny yolk.

  3. Fidencio soto says:

    Your recipe is very healthy and loving

    1. Suzy Karadsheh says:

      Glad to hear it!

  4. Maureen butler says:

    Wow I can’t wait to make all those recipe , I would like to start eating healthy . And they look very delicious and I want to lose about 50 lbs . I feel very happy to get it for free I brought the mediterranean diet book before but the writing was so small that it didn’t interest me so thank you for giving the recipes and making it legible for me to see ,seeing the food and the recipes is helping me to see how to actually make it I’m so very thankful . I need some help in following a diet or a new way to eat to lose weight if there’s any help you can give me please put it on my email address I am so very thankful to you and for your help , God bless you.

    1. Suzy Karadsheh says:

      Hi Maureen! Thank you for your kind comment! I am so glad you are here and that you are finding some recipes to try. I am not qualified to give weight-loss advice, but I’m glad to offer what I know to help you on your journey. The Mediterranean diet is certainly simple and effective. Here are a couple of articles you may like to read
      5 Basics of The Mediterranean Lifestyle: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/5-basics-mediterranean-lifestyle-mediterranean-girls-perspective/
      7 Ways to Follow The Mediterranean Diet: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/7-ways-follow-mediterranean-diet/

  5. anie says:

    I love this recipe because all the ingredients are healthy and it is easy to make if you are in hurry. I tried it this morning and really can’t stop myself from eating more and more sandwiches. Thanks for the recipe.

    1. Suzy Karadsheh says:

      Wonderful! So glad you’re enjoying this easy sandwich.

  6. Emma Carter says:

    Holy yum!! That looks absolutely divine! Is it wrong that it’s almost midnight, and I am half tempted to make it now?! haha

    1. Suzy Karadsheh says:

      Glad you like it, Emma! Can’t wait for you to give it a try.

  7. Rosa says:

    Your open face sandwiches look and sound soooo delicious! I wouldn’t change a thing. They are perfect the way they are! 🙂

    1. Suzy Karadsheh says:

      Thanks, Rosa! Enjoy

  8. Nancy says:

    It looks so delicious, but won’t it get all over your face and lap with the toast being so chewy and the egg so lovely and runny??
    I like the idea of how versatile this would be, too.

    1. Suzy Karadsheh says:

      Hi Nancy…so I make sure to toast the bread so it’s sturdy enough to carry everything. You can always use a fork and knife it you’d rather;)

  9. Cyndikay Martinez says:

    Oh my goodness Suzi…this is so good…my grandchildren want to try it…but…they said “Grandma please make my egg with no runny yellow stuff” ! They are so funny…I know these will be just as delicious with and egg cook well done. Thank you for this recipe.

    1. Suzy Karadsheh says:

      Awesome! My girls are fussy about eggs too. One likes her eggs runny, and the other does not! Enjoy

  10. Bob Alderink says:

    Hi, Suzy! Love the idea of breakfast sandwiches. I should do that once in a while. Just a note, I learned to make my own ricotta cheese. It’s super easy and has a great, smooth texture. Sweetened with a little honey or maple syrup (the real stuff), it’s great along side my peach/cherry compote and with savory herbs it lands in my egg scrambles. You should give it a try.

    1. Suzy Karadsheh says:

      Hey, Bob! Thanks for stopping in and checking this sandwich out! I’ll bet your homemade ricotta is excellent! I’d love the recipe to try sometime. Hope all is well with you all!