Remember that awesome spiced crunchy balsamic pickled beets recipe from a few weeks ago? Like I promised, there’s more where that came from. And this time it takes the form of a Pickled Beet and Basil Grilled Cheese Sandwich!
I loved cheese even as a kid, even though all I had was processed cheese. It was easier to find, cheaper to buy and made pretty darn good sandwiches for an 8 year old. As I grew older though, my taste in cheese became a little more “worldly.” Although admittedly, one of my long-standing guilty pleasures in life is still a thick block of Kraft cheese!
I grew up on cheesy toast. It was something we enjoyed on weekends, topped with some spicy green pepper. And pretty soon I made that short leap (or side step?) to grilled cheese sandwiches and I fell in love even more. Since then, I’ve also shared this curried beef grilled cheese sandwich and this bacon grilled cheese sandwich casserole. This one here was the perfect way to make use of my flavour-packed pickled beets.
While I have presented this as a grilled cheese here, it works just as well as an open-faced grilled cheese toast as well.
This is a truly phenomenal sandwich! Really. Even if you’re not a “beet person,” you have got to try this because the pickled beet makes a huge difference. Go ahead and check out my post on the crunchy balsamic pickled beets recipe here if you’d like, so you know about all those bold and amazing flavours trapped inside the beet pickle.
If you like pickles in your sandwich, then you will love this! What takes this sandwich to a whole new level though, are the slices of bread that are slathered with basil parsley butter!
Recipe
Balsamic Pickled Beet & Basil Grilled Cheese
US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results whenever available.
Common Measurement ConversionsIngredients:
- 1 recipe of crunchy balsamic pickled beet
- 8 slices white bread Soft bread works really well, like sandwich bread or Milk bread.
- 1 small red onion sliced thinly
- 2 cups grated cheese about 226 g. I used a combination of pepper jack, provolone and white cheddar. Use more if needed.
- 85 g goat cheese crumbled
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Jalapeno sliced thinly. optional
- Basil and parsley butter recipe below
- Oil or butter for pan frying
Basil and Parsley Butter
- 115 g unsalted butter 4 oz/ 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup basil leaves lightly packed
- ¼ cup flat leafed parsley lightly packed
- Salt to taste
Instructions:
Basil and Parsley Butter
- Finely mince the herbs.¼ cup basil leaves, ¼ cup flat leafed parsley
- Place the herbs and the other ingredients in a bowl and mix until well incorporated. Add salt to taste. You can leave it at room temperature so that it remains spreadable, or freeze it if you would like to use it later.115 g unsalted butter, Salt
- Alternatively, place all the ingedients in a small food processor and process until the herbs are finely minced and mixed will with the butter. Taste and season with salt.
To Assemble the Grilled Cheese
- Generously spread the basil butter on the outside and inside of each slice of bread.8 slices white bread, Basil and parsley butter
- Layer a little of the sliced red onions, then the drained beet pickle (about 2-3 tbsp on each sandwich or however much you prefer) on half the number of bread slices you have.1 small red onion, 1 recipe of crunchy balsamic pickled beet
- Add about ¼ – ½ cup of shredded cheese to the same bread slices, and crumble some goat cheese on top. Next add the chilli slices, if you prefer (seeded or de-seeded). You can add some chopped parsley too if you like, but that's not necessary).2 cups grated cheese, 85 g goat cheese, Jalapeno, Salt and pepper to taste
- Place the second slice of bread on top.
- Preheat your nonstick pan or grill pan to medium and brush it with some oil to prevent sticking. When the pan is hot, place the sandwiches on it and grill for about 3 minutes per side (until the side is golden brown and the cheese is melting).Oil or butter
- Alternatively you can press your sandwich in a panini press.
- Cut the sandwich in half and serve as is or with a side salad while still warm.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information:
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
I’m not sure you could see it well enough in the pictures, but that basil parsley butter actually melts and infuses the bread with that amazing basil flavour! So you got the soft cheesy center with the tangy, vinegary pickled beet, paired with creamy and tangy goat cheese and the lingering freshness of basil in the beet and the butter infused bread. And what’s the best part of grilled cheese? That stretchy cheesy goodness of course!
And that my friends, is how you take something as amazing as a grilled cheese sandwich and make it even better! So what’s your favourite grilled cheese sandwich combo?
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