Pesto Grilled Cheese
This pesto grilled cheese sandwich marries so beautifully with my Roasted Tomato Soup. The Gruyère and Havarti cheeses make a delicious pair in a white grilled cheese. Gruyère is a swiss cheese that has a slight bacon-y flavor while havarti is a more mild, creamy cheese that has the best pull-apart-ability.
The key to this sandwich is the homemade pesto. There's nothing like it. Pesto is a no-fail sauce made with many variations. The basic herbs you can choose from are basil, cilantro or parsley. You can use any nut you like, too, from almonds, pine nuts, walnuts and more.
What you'll need:
For the pesto:
1 cup fresh basil leaves
2 Tbsp slivered almonds
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
squeeze of lemon juice
1 garlic clove, peeled
pinch of salt and pepper
~1/4 cup olive oil
For the sandwich:
1 French or Italian bread loaf
butter spread
Gruyère cheese
Havarti cheese
For the soup:
~ 4 pounds of fresh tomatoes (roma, assorted cherry, grape, plum)
6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 yellow onion, diced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
pepper to taste
32 oz carton of broth (chicken or vegetable)
1 large handful of fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
*Click here for the full soup recipe directions
How to make it:
Add all of the ingredients (except for the oil) into a food processor.
Slowly add in the olive oil and pulse until it begins to incorporate.
Keep pulsing, then blend until emulsified and fully broken down. Set aside.
Slice the bread on a diagonal into 1/2" slices.
Butter one side of each slice.
With the butter side down, spread on a layer of pesto. Add a slice of each cheese.
Spread a layer of pesto on the other slice of bread (butter side down).
Cook in a skillet over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, checking for doneness as the cheese melts. Flip and toast the other side the same.
Serve with Roasted Tomato Soup and enjoy!