Who says grilled cheese sandwiches are just for kids? Give your childhood favorite a grownup makeover with this healthier classic. This Avocado Tomato Grilled Cheese is exactly what you need to satisfy your comfort food cravings!
I don’t know about you, but I will never be able to give up grilled cheese, especially since I became a mom. When my kids are in need of comfort food or a filling meal, or we’re getting home after a road trip or sleepover, it’s grilled cheese. When I’m in need of a quick, delicious weeknight meal, it’s grilled cheese sandwiches for all. When it’s the 1st day of school? You got it; grilled cheese time.
When I first became a parent, I don’t think that I’d had grilled cheese since I was a kid! At the very least, I had been in college the last time I had one, and most likely in need of a classic comfort food during exam time. My daughter took a liking to grilled cheese at first, and then it was my son. I would also try a nibble of their order in a restaurant, or even at their schools, to see what it is they loved so much. Then I could recreate it at home!
At first, they wanted me to cut the crusts off their sandwiches, so instead of wasting food – which I hate to do – I’d eat the crusts. Boy, it was good! I had a knack for making grilled cheese. There’s definitely some magic to be had with heating up a sizzling, buttery pan of bread and cheesy goodness. I absolutely knew I had to take this amazing guilty pleasure, and make it more adult-friendly for me.
Avocado Tomato Grilled Cheese Sandwich
It turns out, it’s not difficult! Grilled cheese is amazingly forgiving, and amazingly versatile. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put effort into it – I’m all about effort – but it’s not hard to take some seasonal produce, choose the best bread (more on that in my recipe) and cheese options, and set to work! I chose fresh tomatoes right off the vine in our gardens. Then there’s avocado, which as far as I’m concerned, can do no wrong. Just look how delicious it looks!
Your finished product will be so gorgeous, and it tastes even better than it looks!
Ingredients
- 4 slices of multi-grain bread
- 1 avocado, cored and sliced
- 1 ripe tomato, sliced
- 1/3 cup shredded Pepper Jack Cheese (or cheddar cheese)
- Salt and freshly-cracked black pepper to taste
- Lemon juice
- Butter or oil spray
Instructions
- Heat grill pan on medium heat.
- Season the tomato slices and avocado slices with salt and freshly-cracked black pepper. Squeeze a little lemon juice on the avocado slices. Keep aside.
- Lightly butter the outsides of the bread slices. Place 2 slices of bread (buttered side down) on the heated grill pan. Sprinkle the cheese evenly.
- Arrange the seasoned tomatoes and avocado slices on the cheese. Cover with the remaining pieces of bread, buttered side up.
- Grill until cheese melts and you get beautiful grill marks on both sides.
Notes
Home Chef Tip: Pick the best bread you can find. Try using homemade or from your favorite bakery. Also, thinly slice your bread because thick bread makes the cheese harder to melt! Buy day old bread because, believe it or not, that makes better grilled cheese!
How cool is that? We all have our comfort dinners and guilty pleasures that we can’t give up. I’d never want to give up the wonder of grilled cheese. Luckily for me, I can make it more garden-friendly and filling with some well-placed produce.
Grilled cheese sandwiches are perfect for a made-to-order type of dinner, in which there are varying tastes at the dinner table. We create a sort of assembly line where some of us just want grilled cheese in our dinner, and others want the full works – seen above. That’s my order!
How do you take your grilled cheese? Do you like it as is, or do you like my healthy twist on this most classic of guilty pleasures? Or, what fruits or vegetables would you put on your grilled cheese, if the sky was the limit? Which it is!
We hope you enjoy this Avocado Tomato Grilled Cheese Sandwich recipe from SoFabFood Home Chef, Tamara from Tamara Like Camera, as much as we do. If you love this recipe, be sure to check out our other healthier classics for more like it. For daily recipe inspiration, subscribe to our newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on Pinterest. Enjoy!
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