Grown up avocado grilled cheese sandwiches paired with a piping hot bowl of soup- comfort food at its best.
Don’t you just love tucking into a piping hot bowl of soup on a cold day? Soup is the ultimate comfort food. On the weekends, when I have a little more time, I love making a huge pot of homemade chicken soup with lots of fresh vegetables, herbs and noodles. As it simmers away on the stove, it fills the house with a delicious, earthy aroma.
I like pairing soup with other dishes and serving it as a complete meal. Whether you’re cooking for one or for a family, it makes meal prep super quick and easy. When I was growing up, the ultimate comfort food was soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. Back then, the sandwiches were made with American cheese on white bread. My tastes have grown up a little since then!
So the other night, I heated up a bowl of chicken noodle soup and to pair with it, I decided to make my Grilled Cheese with Avocado Pesto – my grown up twist on a classic grilled cheese. I used pepper jack cheese and a creamy, homemade avocado pesto sandwiched between two slices of chewy multigrain bread.
To make the avocado pesto, I pureed up roasted pepitas, which I had in my pantry. Pepitas are pumpkin seeds- they’re delicious, packed with nutrients, and perfect for snacking.
To the pepitas, I added garlic, lime juice, cilantro, and creamy avocado. The avocado pesto is delicious spread on a grilled cheese but you could also toss it with pasta, serve it as a dip or use it as a topping for grilled fish or chicken.
While my soup was heating up, I gave my avocado grilled cheese sandwiches a quick toast in a hot skillet to crisp up the outside and dinner was done! Golden brown on the outside with plenty of ooey, gooey cheese and creamy avocado on the inside- yum! Just perfect served with a bowl soup on the side. Grown up comfort food at its best.
More tasty sandwiches
- Turkey and Cranberry Panini
- Edamame Falafel Sandwiches
- Curried Chicken Salad Sandwiches
- Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
- New England Lobster Rolls
- Greek Meatballs Pita Sandwiches
Recipe
Grilled Cheese with Avocado Pesto
Ingredients
- ¼ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ cup cilantro
- 1 ripe Hass avocado
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 8 slices multigrain bread
- 4 slices pepper jack cheese
- 2 teaspoon unsalted butter
Instructions
- Place the pepitas in a mini food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add the garlic and cilantro and pulse a few more times until chopped. Add the avocado, lime juice, salt, and 1 tablespoon olive oil and blend until smooth.
- Place 4 slices of bread on a cutting board and top each one with a slice of cheese. Spread the avocado pesto on the remaining 4 slices of bread and close the sandwiches.
- Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon butter in a large cast iron or other skillet. Place two of the sandwiches in the pan and cook 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Flip the sandwiches over and cook another 2-3 minutes until toasted and golden brown. Remove them from the skillet. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon butter in the skillet and cook the other 2 sandwiches.
- Slice the sandwiches in half and serve.
Farrah says
Goodness, this looks amaaaazing! <3 I love and adore avocado and a grilled cheese + soup would be the perfect comfort food for this weather! :]!
Leslie says
I love the idea of pairing food with a clear soup for the feel of completeness after a meal. I just tried making this sandwich today and ate it with the vegetable soup, and found dipping the sandwich into the soup before every bite gives it the moisture that makes it tastes even richer!
Great recipe Sonali!