April is grilled cheese month. It’s also my birthday month, woot! Wait, I totally can’t imagine me saying “woot” in real life but whatever. Let’s get to the serious matter at hand. It’s grilled cheese month! I do love a good grilled cheese: grilled swiss and ham with spicy mustard on multi-grain bread, grilled extra sharp cheddar oozing from toasted sandwiches, grilled Jarlsberg and turkey, grilled kale pesto and 6 cheese baguette. Hold the presses. Grilled pesto and 6 cheese baguette?! Where have you been all my life?
I love a good pesto but in the life of a nut allergic person, pesto can be the death knell, quite literally. Because of this I had to create my own pesto, and I did. We have a favorite kale pesto recipe for pasta, and after last night’s homemade pasta dinner, my husband had a challenge for me. He challenged me to make something awesome with the leftover kale pesto. I couldn’t fail. I had to do something, well, awesome. I did, if I do say so myself. I even shared some of my sandwiches with him. That right there is an act of love.
A good grilled cheese requires a good bread. I recently discovered that Whole Foods organic French Baguette makes THE BEST grilled cheese ever. Seriously, the best. I love that they will slice the baguette for me so I don’t need to make the perfect slice. Several more tricks to the best grilled cheese ever is either a panini press or cast iron skillet and butter – real butter. Nothing fake or lite about this sandwich.
Steps to the BEST Pesto and 6 Cheese Grilled Cheese
- Heat the pan
- Butter the bread
- Smear a nice thick layer of nut-free kale pesto on one slice of the bread
- Add a nice thick layer of your favorite cheese. ( I used a 6 cheese blend. You can buy a bag or grate mozzarella, parmesan, fontina, asiago, romano, and provolone. I love to grate it myself since it tastes fresher, and will use whatever cheese I have on hand. I just so happen to love the little cheese bin at Whole Foods (frugal friendly tip) and grab a little this, and a little that every time I am there.)
- Add the top slice of baguette, buttered side up
- Toast that baby in a hot pan
- Serve and enjoy
- Or, if you are a blogger, plate, photograph, then enjoy
I made this, including the pesto (I did include the pine nuts), for a Kale Week cooking demonstration at my local farmers’ market this week. We used an Italian garlic and herb bread from one of the vendors. I cut little samples and people devoured them! They were a huge hit with the kids, too. I used a George Foreman Grill and it made it so fast and simple. Love this recipe!
Thank you! I love to hear they were a hit. It sounds like it was a great demo.
SOunds amazing!