East Side Pesto Melt (The Ultimate Italian Grilled Cheese Sandwich!)
Today in the Great Lakes Kitchen we’re making a ridiculous sandwich that I’m particularly proud of. This crispy, delicious combination of basil pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, bacon, and Italian cheeses is a mouthwatering sandwich that I’m calling the East Side Pesto Melt.
There’s a lot of ingredients and a bunch of steps, but if you want to try something you’ve probably never tasted before, give this sandwich a try!
East Side Pesto Melt (The Ultimate Italian Grilled Cheese Sandwich!)
Course: Lunch, DinnerCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Moderate4
Sandwiches15
minutes8
minutes23
minutesSandwich ingredients
Basil Pesto
Sun-dried Tomato Spread
1 Cup Mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Grated Parmesan Cheese
6 Strips Bacon
8 Slices Italian White Bread
8 Thin Slices Fontina Cheese (can substitute with Provolone or Havarti)
8 Thick Slices Mozzarella Cheese
- Basil Pesto Ingredients
2 Cups Fresh Basil (tightly packed into measuring cup)
3 Garlic Cloves
1/4 Cup Pine Nuts
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Sun-Dried Tomato Spread Ingredients
8.5 Ounces Sun-dried Tomatoes in Oil (comes in a jar)
6 Ounces Tomato Paste
1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Dry Basil
1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
Directions
- Basil Pesto
- Combine all ingredients and blend thoroughly with immersion blender or food processor.
- Sun-Dried Tomato Spread
- Combine all ingredients and blend thoroughly with immersion blender or food processor.
- The Sandwich
- Mix 1 Tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese with 1 cup of mayo.
- Fry bacon until cooked but not crispy, and roughly chop up into small pieces.
- Lay out bread and place one slice of Fontina on each slice of bread, followed by one slice mozzarella. The cheese should cover the bread, edge-to-edge.
- Spread a layer of pesto atop the mozzarella on 4 of the slices.
- Spread a layer of sun-dried tomato spread atop the mozzarella on the other 4 slices.
- Sprinkle bacon pieces atop the sun-dried tomato spread on 4 slices.
- Carefully join the sandwich halves together.
- Spread a thin layer of the mayo on the outside of the top slices on each sandwich.
- Place sandwich, mayo-side down, onto a hot skillet. Then spread mayo on the bread that is now facing up.
- Check the bottom after a couple minutes, and turn sandwich over when bottom is golden brown. Cook for another couple minutes, until golden brown.
- Remove sandwich from skillet and slice in half with a sharp knife. Enjoy!
