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.
Natalie @ Obsessive Cooking Disorder says
I've been in love w grilled cheese since we got our panini press. Never made avocado pesto but it sounds like a great treat - nothing beats homemade pesto
usha says
Yes, you bring out childhood memories of simple and easy "quick" meals on rainy days, even as an in-between-meals-snack on a homebound snowy day. Yummy, I cannot wait to add the pesto sauce and the multi grained bread.
Thanks Sonali.
Karly says
What. A. Beaut. It may be Valentine's Day, but I only have eyes for this grilled cheese at the moment. Definitely putting this at the top of my to-do list!
Daniel says
Sometimes you just can't beat a soup and sandwich combination and these two are ticking all of the right boxes for me! Avocado pesto sounds like an awesome idea ๐
Thanks for sharing it with us!
Bethany @ athletic avocado says
Grilled cheese + soup is the most comforting classic easy meal! I'm obsessed with the addition of the avo pesto, it make the grilled cheese that much better ๐
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says
I'll be the first to admit, while I LOVE me some homemade soup, sometimes life happens, and I will always turn to Progresso! Ain't no shame in my soup game! This grilled cheese is just gorgeous, Sonali!!! And that's not something I say a lot about grilled cheese sammies! The color of that avocado pesto is just stunning! I could eat a dangerous amount of these cheese sandos!! LOVE IT! Cheers, friend!
Kristy from Southern In Law says
Oooh, this looks like my perfect lunch! What a delicious recipe.
PS: I hope the expo went really well this weekend!!
sonaliruder says
Thank you for your thoughtful comment, which brings up a lot of good points about poultry labeling. I'm glad you like the sandwich recipe! Regarding the other things you wrote about, you are correct in that like all living things, chicken has natural hormones so the hormone-free label may be a bit confusing for consumers. Furthermore, no artificial or added hormones are used in the production of any poultry in the US- itโs actually illegal. Companies can choose to label their food as โhormone freeโ or something similar to that but they then also must have a statement on the packaging that says that federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones in poultry.
As far as what you wrote about companies not being allowed to label their product as "antibiotic free" under FDA guidelines, can you please cite your source on that? This is a quote from the USDA website: โThe terms "no antibiotics added" may be used on labels for meat or poultry products if sufficient documentation is provided by the producer to the Agency demonstrating that the animals were raised without antibiotics.โ Hereโs the link: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/food-labeling/meat-and-poultry-labeling-terms
In terms of antibiotics, some companies raise chickens without any antibiotics but most commercial poultry producers do use antibiotics to treat and control the spread of disease. However, the FDA and USDA have several mechanisms in place to ensure that the birds are antibiotic free by the time they reach the market including strict drug withdrawal protocols that makes sure the drugs are completely eliminated from the animal before it enters the food chain. They also have extensive testing programs to make sure that the poultry at grocery stores does not contain any harmful antibiotic residues.
RFC says
WOAH this looks incredible! Grilled cheese is pretty much my signature meal, and has been since I was three years old, lol. I've never thought to add avocado though, wow!
Taylor Kiser says
My goodness does that grilled cheese look ahhmazing!! I love the addition of the avocado pesto! Soup and grilled cheese sound like the perfect lunch for today!
Beverley Press says
So much flavour and goodness is in this sandwich and served with soup makes a complete meal. Delicious as always and good luck at Babycom not that you will need it xoxo
Sarah says
I love it and adding avocado to grilled cheese! It adds so much creaminess and I love the pop of color! Never thought to do an avocado pesto, sound delicious!
Kerri Olkjer says
I think soup and warm sandwiches are the perfect winter meal! Love the flavors here.
EA Stewart says
Yum!! Grilled Cheese and Soup (usually Trader Joe's Organic Tomato Soup) is a favorite at my house. My kids would LOVE this avocado pesto on their grilled cheese sandwiches. Me too!!!
Julie @ Running in a Skirt says
Oh avoacdo on grilled cheese is my jam! This looks amazing and clearly I need it in my life. ๐ The soup looks awesome too!
Risa says
What temperature do you grill the sandwiches at? Sounds Devine! Can't wait to make these.
sonaliruder says
I would cook them at medium heat. If you cook them at high heat, the bread will get toasted before the cheese has a chance to melt ๐
amanda -runtothefinish says
There is something so immensely satisfying about that cheese squishing out between the bread!!! I haven't found a vegan cheese yet that has quite the same impact, but I still love it!
Krista says
For a decent dairy free/vegan sliced cheese - try Go Veggie! Otherwise a halfway decent shredded/melting cheese is daiya. Go Veggie is by far my favorite, however I dont love their "vegan" types. I like the regular dairy free, better.
elizabeth shaw says
WOW so many wonderful flavors in here! Truth be told, as a kid (well still sort of) I asked for grilled cheese and soup every birthday! I had my 16th birthday eating delicious diner grilled cheese ๐
Laura says
I totally agree! There's nothing like a warm bowl of soup and a grilled cheese sandwich! And progresso is perfect for those nights when I only have the energy to toast bread (and not make homemade soup)!
Jessica @ Nutritioulicious says
Oh wow Sonali, those grilled cheese sandwiches look amazing! Just look at that cheese oozing out! Love the idea of pairing with avocado pesto - great pop of color! So