I hate it when I have a good idea that spirals out of control. I made that spinach and blueberry salad recently and was so impressed with it that I wanted to, wait for it, turn it into a grilled cheese sandwich.
Let me break this down for you though, it’s actually a pretty small step to go from salad to sandwich. Go back and look at the salad, I’ll wait… OK, we already have the spinach–lettuce in sandwiches is obvious–and putting salad dressing in a sandwich is also not uncommon either. Blueberries, I’ll grant you, aren’t obvious, but they were great in the salad. That leaves us with what missing?– Cheese and bread? Cheese easily goes in both, in fact, I debated crumbling either some blue cheese or goat cheese on that salad, but decided to keep things simple. As for bread–what do you think croutons are? So, all I have to do is make my croutons from whole slices of bread instead of small squares and warm the salad up between the bread and cheese.
But as I said, the situation kept spiraling out of control: I ended up making several delicious variants. Here are my three favorite.
Blueberry balsamic viniagrette (large), Spinich and tomato (top left), Sun-dried tomato and caramelized onions (bottom right). All made with goat gouda.
I’ve listed them below in order of preference, but I’ll eat any of them without complaint. I made a couple without the balsamic vinegar and blueberries, but that one was hands-down the best. (Not just my opinion either! Honest!)
For full recipes, scroll down and click through for the full article.
1) Spinach and blueberry grilled cheese with a balsamic glaze
Best. Grilled cheese. Ever.
With that salad on my mind, this was the first one I made. The dark, slightly-black looking surface on the bread is actually balsamic glaze, bot burnt toast. Note that all these sandwiches were made with goat gouda and a rustic, wheat, sour-dough bread. Any wheat or sourdough would fine. I might try a goat brie next time though, it may melt a bit better (and the blueberries will stick better when assembling it).
2) Hint-of-heat tomato and caramelized onion grilled cheese
This is probably the most basic of the bunch.
Remember that sun-dried tomato spread? I froze some and couldn’t help but use it here. It’s like a gift that keeps giving. This sandwich has a healthy amount of caramelized onions in it, and I’m OK with that. Once they are cooked down, all that’s left is this mild earthy sweetness that pairs really well with the tomato and cheese. That hint of heat? A pinch of red pepper flakes. Seriously, it really brought everything home.
3) Spinach, tomato, spinach, caramelized onions, and spinach grilled cheese.
This one goes out to all the spinach lovers out there...
Lots of spinach (lots), a few slices of roma tomato, goat gouda, and some caramelized onions. Great stuff, but for once I may have overdone it with the spinach. The sandwich had nearly two cups of wilted spinach in it. It was great though, the tomato and the goat gouda helped cut through it. This one could have slid into the number two spot if either the cheese was increased or the spinach was decreased.
So now that you know, let’s break down how to do each one:
1) Spinach and blueberry grilled cheese with a balsamic glaze
Stop whatever you are doing and make this.
Spinach and blueberry grilled cheese with a balsamic glaze
The proportions vary depending on the size of you slice, so I’ve deliberately left some of the proportions a bit vague. This should make enough for two sandwiches.
Ingredients
blueberries (get the most flavorful you can find, I find the organic ones to be superior)
3/4 to 1 cup Balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 to 2 cups fresh baby spinach
goat gouda (or goat brie)
2 tbsps butter (melted)
4 slices rustic bread
splash of vegetable or canola oil
Directions
1. In a small, non-reactive pot or skillet over medium to medium high heat add the balsamic vinegar. Bring to a bares simmer, adjusting the heat if needed, until it reduces by about half and has thickened. Don’t over-reduce as it will continue to thicken as it cools.
2. Brush one side of all four slices of the bread with the melted butter–this will be the outside. Spread the other side, the inside, with the balsamic glaze. Some may seep through the holes in the bread, this is OK.
3. Put a layer of the spinach on the bottom slice, then layer the cheese. Carefully place the blueberries on the cheese and close the sandwich to keep them in place. I had maybe a dozen blueberries or so in each sandwich. A couple fell out while cooking that I tried to sneak back in. Protip: If you use goat brie, you’ll have a better time getting the blueberries to stick to the cheese–they kinda roll off the sliced gouda.
4. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add just a drop of oil and spread it around the skillet with a paper towel. (You don’t want to cook in the oil, you’ve already buttered the bread. The oil is to give extra insurance against sticking if cheese oozes out.)
5. When the skillet is warm, place the sandwiches into the skillet and allow to cook until the bottom is toasted and golden. Cover as best as you can to help the gouda melt. Once the base is golden, carefully flip the sandwiches over (picking up any blueberries that escape) and cook until the next side is golden (covered, again).
Extra. If you have any glaze left over, spread some over the top. That stuff is delicious. Serve with some blueberries on the side.
2) Hint-of-heat tomato and caramelized onion grilled cheese
Excellent sandwich. The onions and tiny bit of red pepper flakes make it.
Hint-of-heat (sun-dried) tomato and caramelized onion grilled cheese
The proportions vary depending on the size of you slice, so I’ve deliberately left some of the proportions a bit vague. This should make enough for two sandwiches.
Ingredients
2 tbsps butter (melted)
4 pinches red pepper flakes
Sun-dried tomato spread (see recipe)
caramelized onions (about 3 onions worth, see recipe here)
4 slices rustic bread
splash of vegetable or canola oil
Directions
1. Brush one side of all four slices of the bread with the melted butter–this will be the outside. Spread the other side, the inside, with the tomato spread. Sprinkle a pinch or two of red pepper flakes over the side with the tomato spread. Add a healthy amount of caramelized onion. Those are the only additions other than cheese, so don’t skimp. Then add some sliced goat gouda and close the sandwich.
2. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add just a drop of oil and spread it around the skillet with a paper towel. (You don’t want to cook in the oil, you’ve already buttered the bread. The oil is to give extra insurance against sticking if cheese oozes out.)
3. When the skillet is warm, place the sandwiches into the skillet and allow to cook until the bottom is toasted and golden. Cover as best as you can to help the gouda melt. Once the base is golden, carefully flip the sandwiches over and cook until the next side is golden (covered, again).
3) Double spinach and fresh tomato goat gouda grilled cheese
I love the wilted spinach in this.
Double spinach and fresh tomato goat gouda grilled cheese
The proportions vary depending on the size of you slice, so I’ve deliberately left some of the proportions a bit vague. This should make enough for two sandwiches.
Ingredients
about 4 cups spinach
2 tbsps butter (melted)
2 pinches red pepper flakes
1 roma tomato, sliced thin
caramelized onions
4 slices rustic bread
splash of vegetable or canola oil
2 tbsps olive oil
Directions
1. In a large pot over medium to medium high heat add a the olive oil, then add the spinach. Stir frequently until all the spinach is wilted and has reduced in volume.
2. Brush both sides of all four slices of the bread with the melted butter. Sprinkle a pinch of red pepper flakes over one side of each piece of bread. Add a small amount of caramelized onion to two of the slices of bread (think of these two slices as the “bottom” of each sandwich). Add some sliced goat gouda, then pile half the spinach onto each sandwich. Add two or three slices of the roma tomato and add more slices of the gouda. Close the sandwich with the remaining slice of bread.
3. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add just a drop of oil and spread it around the skillet with a paper towel. (You don’t want to cook in the oil, you’ve already buttered the bread. The oil is to give extra insurance against sticking if cheese oozes out.)
4. When the skillet is warm, place the sandwiches into the skillet and allow to cook until the bottom is toasted and golden. Cover as best as you can to help the gouda melt. Once the base is golden, carefully flip the sandwiches over and cook until the next side is golden (covered, again).
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