Not your average grilled cheese sandwich.
Broccoli “grilled” cheese sandwich.
Baby it’s cold outside! Well, sort of. It was cold on Friday. And yesterday morning. Hmmm, I guess that’s about it. Oh well, it has been raining a lot though. Sort of.
I don’t know about you, but here in the midwest it’s been a pretty mild winter so far. Okay, so it’s not officially winter yet but I think you know that I mean.
Hey, I’m not complaining. I’ll take this any day over negative degree wind chills and snow and ice. How about you?
Despite the mild weather, those scattered cooler and rainy days make me want some warm, comforting food. I mean who doesn’t like a warm bowl of soup or a gooey grilled cheese when the weather isn’t so inviting outside?
Yup, I said gooey grilled cheese. Do I have you yet?
Okay, yes. So gooey grilled cheese doesn’t exactly scream healthy. When you hear grilled cheese, I think most of us think of two pieces of white bread slathered with butter stuffed with many slices of processed cheese squares.
Sound familiar?
Quite honestly, I find grilled cheese can be a bit greasy. And it sort of goes against everything in me if I have a meal without vegetables.
I mean, that’s just not right. I know, I know – what about the typical tomato soup accompaniment? Well, that’s actually a fruit. So I’m back to my dilemma.
But I have the solution – it’s time to upgrade. What about broccoli ‘grilled” cheese sandwich?
I know – I can hear you. You’re skeptical. But hear me out.
By “grilled”, I mean not slathering butter all over the bread and pan-frying on the stove. How about instead – toasted whole wheat bread, real cheese slices, steamed broccoli, and arugula pesto?
Take this sandwich, quickly heat in the microwave and voila – you have a broccoli “grilled” cheese sandwich that’s comforting, delicious, and oh-so-a-little-healthier than the original version.
Trust me.
It tastes more decadent than it sounds.
Still skeptical? Think broccoli and cheese soup stuffed between two pieces of toasty bread.
Oh so good.
So, as the Christmas week is upon us and winter is officially rolling in, colder days are probably in our future. And hey, it’s okay to have the regular old gooey grilled cheese version once in awhile.
But quite honestly, I love this version better. What’s not to love – two servings of whole grains, one serving of vegetables and two servings of dairy.
Not too shabby for a sandwich.
What’s your favorite version of grilled cheese?
- 1 tablespoon arugula pesto (or any pesto will do)
- 2 ounces cheese sliced very thin
- ½ cup steamed broccoli finely chopped
- Smear ½ tablespoon of the pesto on each slice of bread.
- Place a slice of cheese on one slice of bread and top with ¼ cup of broccoli.
- Place slice of cheese on top of broccoli and add another ¼ cup of broccoli on top on that.
- Top with another slice of cheese and remaining slice of bread.
- Wrap in wax paper and microwave for 20 seconds.
Use your favorite cheese, I used a mixture of Cotswold and Cheddar. Number of cheese slices you get will vary depending how thin they are sliced. I sliced mine with a mandoline so I had about 4-5 slices. Cooking times will vary. You can also place sandwich in a swallow bowl and cover bowl with saran wrap.