Ok, well, one of the best…it definitely makes my top 10 list of grilled cheeses. And boy can I judge a good grilled cheese!
And heck, since April is Grilled Cheese Month, I’m more than happy to share this beauty with you. Let me first tell you how this baby was born: This is actually a story of leftovers falling in love and finding a new home with each other.
Rye bread isn’t something I keep around the house regularly. I just happened to have half the loaf left over from St. Patrick’s Day’s corned beef Rubens and I wanted to put it to good use.
I also had half a brick of Gruyere left from scalloped potatoes I made that same weekend for my sweet little niece, Cora’s, baptism. Add to that some cherry tomato stragglers from an orzo dish, avocados I forgot about on the counter and a handful of spinach left in the fridge.
So here goes nothing!
Butter 1 side of each piece of bread ~ I used Brummel and Brown, but any old butter or light margarine will work.
On the opposite side of the butter, lay the sliced cheese on one piece of bread and smash the sliced avocado onto the other, leaving a few chunks. Salt and pepper your avocado.
Heck, salt and pepper your sliced tomatoes too, while you’ve got the mills handy.
Put a pan on the stove to just above medium high heat and let it get nice and warm. Place the bread with the cheese slices on it, butter side down.
Add a handful of baby spinach and seasoned sliced tomatoes to the warmed and melting cheese.
So really, you could use any tomatoes you have on hand. I only had grape tomatoes, but vine ripe, roma, or campari would be lovely as well. Those giant hot house or beefsteak boys will be too hearty and not as flavorful, so stay away from these for this recipe.
Top with the 2nd slice of bread, avocado side to the veggies.
Once the bottom side has browned and the cheese has started to melt, carefully flip the sandwich so the avocado side’s buttery side is now on the skillet.
Smash it down a snooch and cook until the bottom side is now evenly browned.
Once browned and cheese is melted, transfer to a cutting board for cutting or a plate for eating.
I ate this right off of the cutting board.
Please don’t judge me! Hey, I let it cool for at least 5.2 seconds before digging in!
Now I know you’re going to laugh at the measurements this recipe calls for…since this grilled cheese creation came about on leftovers and a craving the below is only a guide for you to tweak to your preference and taste buds. But don’t skimp ~ this is meant to be an ooey-gooey-juicy giant of a grilled cheese.
Enjoy!
- 2 slices of rye bread
- 2 slices of Gruyere, or enough to evenly cover 1 slice of bread
- ¼ of an avocado, sliced
- 1 small handful of baby spinach
- 2-4 slices of a sweet tomato, such as vine ripened, roma or campari (grape tomatoes work well too!), lightly seasoned with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
- Sea salt & fresh cracked pepper, to taste
- Heat a skillet to medium/medium-high
- Butter 1 side of each slice of bread
- On the non-buttered sides, lay the cheese slice(s) evenly across 1 piece and smash the sliced avocado on the other piece, leaving a few chunks. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper to the avocado.
- Lay the buttered side of the bread (the one with the cheese on it) on the skillet and top with baby spinach and tomatoes.
- Top this layer with the slice that has the smushed avocado, avocado side down, buttered side out.
- Once the cheese has started to melt and the bottom piece is browned, carefully flip the sandwich and toast the opposite side until evenly browned.
- Remove to a plate to cool down and crisp up.
