This is my favorite recipe for pesto grilled cheese. It has fresh basil pesto, gooey mozzarella, and sourdough bread that is perfectly toasted and golden brown on the outside.
This sandwich is my favorite for lunch, and I typically make extra pesto to store in the fridge for quick dinners during the week. I believe it’s incredibly pleasant to have melted cheese and warm pesto between two slices of toasted bread.
Why You Will Love This Pesto Grilled Cheese
- This sandwich is a quick supper solution because it only takes 15 to 25 minutes to make. It’s great for those hectic weeknights when you need something filling but don’t have time to cook for hours.
- Gourmet twist: This isn’t your average grilled cheese. The fresh mozzarella, pesto, and sun-dried tomatoes give it an Italian flavor that makes it a traditional comfort dish.
- Easy-to-find ingredients — Even though it tastes nice, you only need a few simple things that you can find at your local grocery shop.
- You may make this sandwich your own by using other kinds of bread, cheese, or vegetables.
Time and Difficulty
- Time to Get Ready: 5 to 10 Minutes
- Time to Cook: 10–15 Minutes
- Total Time: 15 to 25 minutes
- How hard it is: Easy
Ingredients
- Eight large slices of sourdough bread
- Three balls of fresh mozzarella (125g each), sliced thin and dried
- 8 sun-dried tomatoes, diced and dried
- 4 strips of bacon, cooked and cut into pieces
- 4 big teaspoons of pesto
- Butter, as needed
Instructions
1. Get the Sandwich Base Ready
Put two pieces of bread in a frying pan.
You can make two sandwiches at once by putting four slices on the pan if it is big enough.
Make sure the pan is not on the heat at this point.
Spread a lot of butter on the top of each slice of bread, then flip them over so the butter side is down and they are ready for the toppings.
2. Put in the Fillings
Put 3–4 thin slices of mozzarella cheese on each piece of bread in the pan.
Then add a heaping tablespoon of pesto.
On top of the pesto, put chunks of bacon and sun-dried tomatoes.
Put another layer of mozzarella cheese on top of the toppings to make them even more gooey.
Put another slice of bread on top of each component to make a sandwich.
3. Last-minute things to do before cooking
Press down on the sandwiches with your hands to make sure the fillings stay within.
To get the bread ready for frying, spread butter on the top side of each slice.
4. Cook the sandwiches.
Set the heat to medium and let the pan slowly heat up.
Fry the sandwiches on both sides until they are golden brown, turning them as needed.
For a gooey inside, the cheese should be melted all the way through the middle.
5. Enjoy and serve
Take the sandwiches out of the pan when they are golden brown and ready to eat.
Before you serve them, give them a minute to cool down.
Enjoy your sandwiches with pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, and bacon, and gooey mozzarella!
What Type of Sourdough Should I Use?
You should search for a fresh sourdough that is cut into thick slices, around half an inch thick, if you want to make a grilled cheese sandwich. The regular white sourdough from your neighborhood bakery is great, but if you like whole wheat sourdough more, it will work too. Fresh bread will always taste better than bread that comes in a packet. It grills up with a lovely golden exterior and stays soft on the inside. If the bread is extremely sour or has a lot of holes, the cheese can melt right through. Ask for “sandwich loaf” style sourdough at your local bakery. It’s denser and great for grilled cheese.
Choices for Replacements
You can change this sandwich around based on what you have in your kitchen:
- Sourdough bread: Sourdough gives the bread a great tangy taste, but you may also use country white, whole grain, or Italian bread. Just make sure the slices are thick enough to hold all the ingredients.
- Fresh mozzarella: If you can’t find fresh mozzarella, you can use standard low-moisture mozzarella, provolone, or even fontina cheese. Don’t forget to pat dry the fresh mozzarella so your sandwich doesn’t get soggy.
- You can use roasted red peppers or fresh tomato slices instead of sun-dried tomatoes, but you should take out some of the seeds to keep the moisture down. You could even use a few thin slices of ordinary tomatoes in a pinch, but be sure to pat them dry first.
- Bacon: Don’t like bacon? If you want a vegetarian version, don’t use prosciutto or ham. To add crunch without meat, try some toasted pine nuts.
- Pesto: Both store-bought and homemade pesto work well here. You may also use sun-dried tomato pesto or red pepper pesto for a different flavor.
- Butter is the greatest for flavor, but you may also use olive oil or mayonnaise to grill. Mayonnaise makes a lovely golden crust!
Be Careful Not to Make These Mistakes While Cooking
The hardest part of creating pesto grilled cheese is getting rid of extra moisture. Wet mozzarella or greasy pesto might make your bread soggy, so make sure to dry the mozzarella with paper towels and only use a little pesto.
Managing the heat is very important. If you cook on too high heat, the outside will burn while the cheese stays cold inside. So maintain your pan on medium-low heat and wait for the cheese to melt perfectly.
A common mistake is to put too many contents in the sandwich. This can cause everything to slide out. Instead, use only one layer of each component and press down gently with your spatula while cooking to help everything stick together.
If you want the crispiest results, don’t melt the butter in the pan; instead, butter the outside of the bread slices. Also, don’t flip the sandwich until you notice the cheese starting to melt and the bottom bread getting golden brown.
What Goes Well With Pesto Grilled Cheese?
A warm, gooey pesto grilled cheese is the best way to make classic tomato soup even better. If you want something lighter, try serving it with a simple arugula salad with lemon juice and olive oil. The tastes of the pesto go well with the salad. You could also dip some crispy sweet potato fries or a bowl of roasted red pepper soup. If you’re cooking these sandwiches for lunch, adding pickles or pickled vegetables on the side will help balance off the richness of the cheese and bacon.
How to Store
Keep Fresh: Pesto grilled cheese is finest shortly after it’s made (hello, melted cheese!), but you can keep any sandwiches that are put together but not cooked in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Put them in an airtight container or cover them securely in plastic wrap. Keep the butter separate until it’s ready to cook.
Prepare Ahead: Cooking your bacon and chopping up the ingredients ahead of time will save you time. You can keep the cooked bacon and the other ingredients in separate sealed containers in the fridge for up to two days. You can easily put together your sandwiches this way whenever you’re ready to cook them.
Enjoy Later: If you have any baked sandwiches left over, wrap them in foil and put them in the fridge for up to two days. Unwrap the sandwich and cook it in a skillet over medium-low heat until the cheese starts to melt again when you’re ready to eat. The bread will also get beautiful and crispy!
Nutrition Estimate
Nutrition estimates for the complete recipe (without optional ingredients):
- 1500 to 1700 calories
- 50–60 g of protein
- Fat: 90–100 g
- 130 to 150 g of carbs