Pesto Grilled Cheese

I know, it sounds heavenly, doesn't it?  Pesto grilled cheese... is there any part of that that sounds bad?  Nope.  This recipe is actually a rediscovered one for me.  I tried it for the first time before Jeff moved out here, in my first couple of weeks in the apartment.  I always pesto on hand, mozzarella is never difficult to get, and (here's my mistake) I used whatever bread I had around.  I was all excited for the deliciousness that I expected, and I was disappointed by the mediocrity that followed.

I forgot about the recipe, but somehow it came up this past fall, and Jeff thought it sounded fantastic.  I acknowledged that the bread I used wasn't great and I was a little skimpy on the pesto, so we decided to try again with our favorite bread from the best bakery.  It was a success!

Now we make it with some regularity and have tried on a couple different breads (like roasted garlic bread), but the key thing is the bread has to be pretty hearty.  No basic loaf bread from the store (white bread, wheat bread, rye bread)... get creative here, folks!

It is a little messy, so make sure you use a nonstick skillet or you'll be scrubbing for a while.

Pesto Grilled Cheese


Delicious, hearty bread (like Italian, French, Roasted Garlic)
Butter or margarine to spread
Pesto
Mozzarella (we've used sliced or shredded; sliced is cleaner)
Grated Parmesan (for sprinkling)

  1. Slice bread into relatively thin pieces.  Butter the outside sides of the bread, and spread pesto on the inside of the bread.
  2. Place cheese in the middle (on the pesto sides) and place into the skillet.  
  3. While one side browns, sprinkle parmesan on the top buttered side.  Be careful when you flip the sandwich over, but it will make a little bit of a mess.
  4. Remove from heat when the mozzarella is melted and both sides are browned.

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