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Did Spring Arrive? Spinach & Tomato Sauce Grilled Cheese

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Well, technically, yes! Officially, Spring was sprung last night. But around here, the weather just can’t seem to make up its mind between Winter & Spring, between cold & warm! Either way, it is a good time for grilled cheese sandwiches! And with the Corona virus keeping us home (as much as possible) and isolated, we need recipes for preparing great tasting food at home, now more than ever. This is the place for it!
Last month, I needed a light lunch item to serve four people. My assembled group consisted of a vegetarian, a pescatarian, a flexitarian and a meat-eater. By now, most people know vegetarians are those that eat a plant based diet along with dairy. Pescatarians eat a plant based diet along with dairy, fish, and seafood. I consider myself a flexitarian. I mainly eat a plant based diet, while occasionally enjoying meat and fish.  This sandwich was the perfect choice for the gathering. I made the spinach & tomato sauce ahead of time, sliced the mozzarella, and provided prosciutto as an option for the meat-eater. We each constructed our own sandwiches, as we desired. My sandwich had prosciutto on half of it, just to ensure that the addition to the sandwich was a good one. After all, I wouldn’t want to include an ingredient in the recipe that didn’t work. We all loved our individualized sandwiches!

Spinach & Tomato Sauce Grilled Cheese

Spinach & Tomato Sauce Grilled Cheese (adapted from foodandwine.com)  Time Required: 30 minutes, Serves: 4

Ingredients:

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes in thick puree
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
  • 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, drained & squeezed dry
  • 8 thick slices from a large round loaf of country bread
  • 1/2 pound mozzarella, sliced
  • 1/4 pound (3/4 cup) goat cheese, crumbled
  • 2 tablespoons butter, divided
  • thin slices of prosciutto, optional

Instructions:

In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are translucent, about 5 minutes.

Saute the onions.

Stir in the garlic and saute for an additional 2 minutes.

Add the garlic to the onions.

Add in the tomatoes, salt, and pepper.

Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper to the onions.

Simmer the sauce for 5 minutes.

Let the sauce simmer.

Add the spinach and continue to simmer until the spinach is heated through, about 5 minutes longer.

Add the drained spinach to the sauce.

Cover the sauce to keep it warm.

The spinach & tomato sauce is ready!

Top 4 slices of the bread with the mozzarella.

Start with the mozzarella slices.

Spoon some of the spinach mixture over each, spreading the spinach to the edges of the bread.

Add the spinach sauce to the sandwich.

For non-vegetarian sandwiches, add one or two slices of prosciutto to those sandwiches.

Add prosciutto to the sandwiches of the meat-eaters.

Sprinkle the goat cheese over the spinach or prosciutto and top with the remaining bread slices.

Add the goat cheese to the sandwich.

Spread 1/2 tablespoon of butter on the top slice of bread.

Top the sandwiches with the second slice of bread of bread and dot it with butter.

In a large nonstick frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderate heat. Cook two of the sandwiches at a time, starting with the non-butter sides down.

Brown the sandwich in a bit of oil.

When the first side is a nice golden brown color, flip the sandwiches over, and cook until the cheese melts and the bread is golden, about 4 minutes in all.

Flip the sandwich to brown it on the second side.

Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and the other two sandwiches, keeping the first batch of sandwiches warm on a baking sheet in a 200° oven.

The vegetarian version.

The meat-eaters version.

This is Gourmet Grilled Cheese!  ~Linda

Spinach & Tomato Sauce Grilled Cheese (adapted from foodandwine.com)  Time Required: 30 minutes, Serves: 4

Ingredients:

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes in thick puree
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
  • 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, drained & squeezed dry
  • 8 thick slices from a large round loaf of country bread
  • 1/2 pound mozzarella, sliced
  • 1/4 pound (3/4 cup) goat cheese, crumbled
  • 2 tablespoons butter, divided
  • thin slices of prosciutto, optional

Instructions:

In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Simmer the sauce for 5 minutes. Add the spinach and continue to simmer until the spinach is heated through, about 5 minutes longer. Cover the sauce to keep it warm.

Top 4 slices of the bread with the mozzarella. Spoon some of the spinach mixture over each, spreading the spinach to the edges of the bread. For non-vegetarian sandwiches, add one or two slices of prosciutto to those sandwiches. Sprinkle the goat cheese over the spinach or prosciutto and top with the remaining bread slices. Spread 1/2 tablespoon of butter on the top slice of bread.

In a large nonstick frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderate heat. Cook two of the sandwiches at a time, starting with the non-butter sides down. When the first side is a nice golden brown color, flip the sandwiches over, and cook until the cheese melts and the bread is golden, about 4 minutes in all. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and the other two sandwiches, keeping the first batch of sandwiches warm on a baking sheet in a 200° oven.