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Cooking adventures in a small, closet sized, kitchen. - I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.

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Asparagus Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich

[heart_this] · Apr 25, 2011 · 22 Comments

Asparagus Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich

An ooey-gooey grilled cheese sandwich with a tasty asparagu pesto!

Although we just had yet another snow storm here last week, the signs of spring are slowly starting to show up. This week I came across some cheap asparagus in the grocery store and though it may not be local, it will certainly help hold me over until the local asparagus arrives. I have been experimenting with pesto grilled cheese sandwiches for a while now and when I saw the asparagus I was reminded of the asparagus pesto that I made last year and I thought that an asparagus pesto grilled cheese sandwich would be the perfect way to welcome the first of this years asparagus in. The asparagus pesto is pretty tasty all by itself but when you smother it in melted cheese and wrap it in crisp buttery bread it is truly something amazing! With all of the flavour in the pesto I was going to need a cheese that could stand on it own two feet and I figured that a Wisconsin gruyere would go perfectly with the sweet and juicy asparagus.
One problem with pesto grilled cheese sandwiches is that pesto is generally have a lot of moisture so I like to use bread that is a day or two old and I like to lightly toast it first. This way the bread will be able to withstand the extra moisture better. Even with the pre-toasting, this is a pretty messy sandwich but, if a sandwich isn’t messy, is it really worth eating?

Asparagus Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Asparagus Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 15 minutes Servings: 1

An ooey-gooey grilled cheese sandwich with a tasty asparagu pesto!

ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 slices whole grain bread, very lightly toasted
  • 2 slices Wisconsin gruyere
  • 2 tablespoons asparagus pesto (see below)
directions
  1. Heat a pan over a little below medium heat.
  2. Butter one side of each piece of bread.
  3. Place one slice, butter side down, in the pan, top with the cheese, pesto and the remaining slice of bread, butter side up.
  4. Grill until the cheese has melted and the bread is golden brown on both sides, about 2-4 minutes per side.
Nutrition Facts: Calories 601, Fat 42g (Saturated 19g, Trans 0), Cholesterol 94mg, Sodium 965mg, Carbs 28g (Fiber 4g, Sugars 3g), Protein 26g

Nutrition by: Nutritional facts powered by Edamam
Asparagus Pesto

Asparagus Pesto

Prep Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 10 minutes Servings: 16(makes 1 cup or 16 1 tablespoon servings)

A fresh spring asparagus pesto!

ingredients
  • 1 cup asparagus, blanched
  • 1/2 cup baby spinach
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
  • 4 tablespoons parmigiano reggiano, grated
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 lemon, zest and juice
  • salt and pepper to taste
directions
  1. Place everything into a food processor and puree.
Nutrition Facts: Calories 41, Fat 3g (Saturated 0.8g, Trans 0), Cholesterol 1mg, Sodium 32mg, Carbs 0.8g (Fiber 0.3g, Sugars 0.3g), Protein 1g

Nutrition by: Nutritional facts powered by Edamam
Similar Recipes:
Spinach Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Sundried Tomato Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Grilled Goat Cheese and Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Sandwich
Asparagus Pizza

Food, Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Sandwich, Vegetarian

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Belinda @zomppa says

    April 26, 2011 at 11:39 am

    Hooray to grilled cheese!!

    Reply
  2. Pam says

    April 26, 2011 at 11:55 am

    Asparagus pesto! That's a new one for me!

    Reply
  3. Lauren @ Healthy Food For Living says

    April 26, 2011 at 12:02 pm

    I just checked out the recipe – fabulous! Asparagus pesto sounds incredible. Another winning sandwich recipe, Kevin :).

    Reply
  4. Ellie says

    April 26, 2011 at 12:14 pm

    That looks fantastic. The addition of the pine nuts is brilliant! What an idea. YUM!!!

    Reply
  5. Natalie says

    April 26, 2011 at 3:37 pm

    This looks to die for! I love the idea of asparagus pesto!

    Reply
  6. Anonymous says

    April 26, 2011 at 3:57 pm

    That is my ideal grilled cheese. Looks amazing!

    Reply
  7. Kaity @ The Cupcakery says

    April 26, 2011 at 4:14 pm

    This looks absolutely scrumptious!

    Reply
  8. Twin Tables says

    April 26, 2011 at 4:34 pm

    What a great new way to use aspargus! I was denied eating it as a child and now can't get enough! Off to the kitchen! 🙂

    Reply
  9. Kelly says

    April 26, 2011 at 5:03 pm

    I love grilled cheese and I love pesto, so the idea of adding some asparagus to the mix sounds fantastic.

    Reply
  10. Anonymous says

    April 26, 2011 at 6:41 pm

    The asparagus pesto sounds amazing! Great recipe 🙂

    Reply
  11. Cassie says

    April 26, 2011 at 6:52 pm

    I love outside-the-box pesto! Yummy

    Reply
  12. Rachael says

    April 26, 2011 at 8:06 pm

    Your grilled cheese sandwiches always look to die for. I can't wait to try this one out. YUM. (I'm hungry now.)

    Reply
  13. anniebakes says

    April 26, 2011 at 8:14 pm

    Being a Wisconsin Cheese Girl, this is right up my alley!! Love it, anne

    Reply
  14. Viralitis says

    April 26, 2011 at 10:14 pm

    I would LOVE to be making this soon!

    Reply
  15. 20 something says

    April 27, 2011 at 9:08 pm

    I love it when you make something I am competent enough to make.

    Reply
  16. nowy says

    March 22, 2012 at 11:52 pm

    omg so delicious,

    Reply
  17. Ashley! says

    April 12, 2012 at 4:59 am

    I just made this, and I added some lightly sauteed shallots. Holy yum!

    Reply
  18. Anonymous says

    September 20, 2012 at 12:57 pm

    where do I get the recipe?

    Reply
  19. Kevin says

    September 20, 2012 at 5:00 pm

    Anonymous: The recipe is here: http://wisconsincheesetalk.com/2011/04/25/asparagus-pesto-grilled-cheese-sandwich/

    Reply
  20. Josephine B says

    April 16, 2022 at 11:03 pm

    Hi Kevin, This sanger sounds so delightful also delicate and I’d love to try it. But, since I live in Australia and can’t purchase Wisconsin Gruyere will any other Gruyere do the trick. My mouth is salivating even now to try it, so cant wait much longer. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes and I’ll admit I’ve served MANY over the years.

    Cheers, Josephine.

    Reply
  21. Josephine B says

    April 16, 2022 at 11:47 pm

    Hi Kevin, Sorry, I forgot to also ask of how long does this pesto last if not used all at the one time? Will it be fine if I put it into a sealed container in the fridge? Thank you.

    Cheers from Australia,

    Josephine.

    Reply
    • kevin says

      April 25, 2022 at 7:53 am

      Any gruyere will work and you can also try other cheeses such as parmesan, asiago, etc. I would use it within a few days when stored in the fridge. Store it in the freezer for longer periods of time. Enjoy!

      Reply

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Kevin: I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.
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