Veggie Grilled Cheese
Artisanal bread, cheese, and pantry vegetables come together in a tasty grilled cheese sandwich. We packed the sandwiches rather full, so they were difficult to keep together in the pan. No matter, the ingredients which spilled out just became the garnish. Originally served as part of: Mess O' Grilled Cheese.
- Prosciutto Grilled Cheese (October 16, 2005)
- Grilled Cheese (February 5, 2002)
Ingredients
- 4 ½ inch thick slices artisanal, Kalamata Olive, farmer's market bread
- 5 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup jarred, fire-roasted red bell pepper (drained)
- ½ cup canned, quartered artichoke hearts (drained)
- 4 whole peppers, jarred pepperoncini
- 2 teaspoons fresh chives (cleaned and sliced)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (divided)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (divided)
Instructions
We start by thinly slicing the cheese, rinsing the roasted red peppers and artichoke hearts, and draining and slicing the pepperoncini peppers. We have these ingredients pushed to one side of our large cutting board.
Laying two slices of the bread on the cutting board, we start to layer in the ingredients. We place a quarter of the cheese on each slice, followed by half of the red peppers, artichokes, pepperoncini, and chives on each slice. We top with the remaining mozzarella and smoosh down with the other slices of bread.
We heat a large pan with half of the butter and olive oil. When hot, we put the sandwiches in the pan and cook for a couple of minutes. We carefully flip the sandwiches when the bottom is golden brown and add the rest of the butter and oil to the pan to cook the other side.
We slice the sandwiches in half, serving the vegetables which fell out as garnish.
Ingredients
- 5 oz fresh mozzarella (thinly sliced)
- ¼ cup jarred fire-roasted red peppers (rinsed)
- ½ cup canned quartered artichoke hearts (rinsed)
- 4 jarred pepperoncini (sliced)
- 4 ½-inch slices Kalamata olive bread
- 2 tsp fresh chives (sliced)
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter (divided)
- 1 tbsp olive oil (divided)
Instructions
What's a kid job?
A Kid job is a step kids can help with, with a grown-up nearby, not one they do on their own. Every kid is different, so go by what your child can do rather than by age. Roughly:
- Little ones (about 2 to 4) can stir, pour in ingredients a grown-up has measured, tear lettuce, wash vegetables and sprinkle toppings.
- Older kids (about 5 to 8) can also measure and level, crack eggs, whisk, roll and cut out dough, and put things together.
- Bigger kids can read the recipe aloud, keep track of the timer, and take on more of the cooking as they're ready.
Steps with a knife, microplane, skewers, stove, oven, grill or hot oil, or with raw meat, poultry or seafood, are marked Grown-up. Kids can still watch those, from a safe distance.
Slice the cheese, rinse the peppers and artichokes, and drain and slice the pepperoncini.
Kid job
Lay out 2 slices of bread. Top each with a quarter of the cheese, then half the peppers, artichokes, pepperoncini and chives, then the rest of the cheese. Press the other slices on top.
Grown-up
Heat half the butter and oil in a large pan and cook the sandwiches a couple of minutes, until golden. Flip carefully, add the rest of the butter and oil, and brown the other side.
Cut in half and serve whatever fell out as garnish.