Avocado & Mozzarella Grilled Cheese + Greek Pesto

Who's down for grilled cheese??

Not just any grilled cheese, though. Gooey mozzarella and avocado grilled cheese stuffed with a feta pesto and a little bit of spinach for good measure.

Yes.

I've seen inspiring grilled cheeses on Pinterest and Instagram with mozzarella, avocado, and spinach, and they've all looked incredibly delicious, perfectly layered & cut in half, thick, melty, and well... pretty.

That was kind of the look I was going for, and as you can probably see... it didn't exactly work out that way.

But in my opinion-- the uglier the food, the better!

Regardless of appearance, this fancy sandwich tastes like grilled cheese heaven, which is definitely a thing by the way. And it's probably the easiest recipe I've ever made.

The pesto is what takes this dish to the next level. I've been obsessed with all things pesto (and hummus) lately. I threw in basically every thing Greek I could think of when making this pesto and I'm in love with it to say the least. It's so lemony and briny-salty and fresh and-- I could probably eat this straight out of the jar.

Actually, I did.

Greek Pesto Avocado & Mozzarella Grilled Cheese

Serves 4 w/ leftover pesto

• 1 medium loaf Tuscan OR Ciabatta bread- cut in half to have the top and bottom slice of the loaf (lightly cut off top if raised to get flat surface)

• 16 oz. fresh mozzarella- thinly sliced

• 1 cup lightly packed spinach

• handful of fresh basil leaves

• 2 tbs. olive oil

• 2 avocados- sliced

• 1/2-3/4 cup Greek Pesto (recipe below)

• fresh cracked black pepper

• 1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan

Brush the outer bottom slice of bread with 1 tbs. olive oil. Spread 4-6 tbs. pesto on both slices of bread, to make a thin layer. Layer 8 oz. thinly sliced mozzarella on the bottom slice of bread. Sprinkle parmesan on top, then layer the spinach and basil leaves evenly across. Add avocado slices on top of spinach, and top with black pepper to taste. Add the last 8 oz. mozzarella and top with top slice of bread, pressing down. Brush top with other tbs. olive oil. Grill in a heated panini maker (if loaf is too large, cut in half or quarters before pressing) until golden brown and flattened- about 3-4 minutes. 

Let cool enough to touch. Cut into quarters if still whole. 

Greek Pesto

:

• 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves

• 3/4 cup packed fresh curly parsley leaves

• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves OR 2 tbs. dried mint flakes

• 2 tbs. fresh dill OR 2 tsp. dried dill

• 1/2 cup feta

• 1/3 cup pine nuts

• 1 lemon- juice & zest

• 1 tbs. capers

• 1/2 tsp. Greek seasoning (add more once tasted IF needed)

• 1 tsp. black peper

• extra virgin olive oil

Blend in food processor/blender until smooth, adding olive oil to get a thick pesto consistency. Taste and add more greek seasoning - 1/2 tsp. at a time - if in need of salt. Store in a mason jar for up to 1 week. 

XOXO

                                                                                      -Cecilia A.