Ready to make grilled cheese grow up and go gourmet? Meet your new sandwich obsession.
You start with rustic Italian bread and baptize it in olive oil (just one side—no need to go full spa day). Then comes the basil pesto slather, a swipe of green gold that sets the tone. Layer on provolone like you mean it, tuck in a bunch of baby spinach, and artfully throw on strips of roasted red pepper like you’re plating for royalty. Add more cheese—because balance.
Smash it all together in a sizzling cast-iron duet: one pan cooks, the other presses like it’s conducting a grilled-cheese symphony. Flip, toast, and behold the melty marvel. Then? Chow down like you’ve conquered lunchtime.
Ingredients
- ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 8 slices rustic Italian bread
- ¼ cup prepared basil pesto
- 16 thin slices Provolone cheese
- 8 oz. baby spinach
- 4 whole bottled, well-drained roasted red peppers, cut into strips
Instructions
- Use two different-sized, cast-iron pans.
- Brush oil over all the bread slices. Or pour olive oil in one of the pans and drag the slices through. One side only, either scenario.
- Turn four slices over; spread pesto evenly over bread.
- Now plop on some of the cheese, tearing to fit if necessary.
- Add spinach, pepper strips, and remaining cheese. Do whatever order makes you giddy.
- Close sandwiches with remaining bread, oiled sides up.
- Cook (in batches), smaller pan on top, pressing occasionally. Flip about 3 minutes in.
- Wait until it’s golden brown and the cheese is melted.
- EAT IT!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
