If you're looking for a gourmet grilled cheese that's incredibly easy to make, this Pesto Grilled Cheese is about to become a new favorite. Crispy, buttery sourdough is layered with melty provolone, fragrant basil pesto, and juicy tomatoes for a simple sandwich that's packed with fresh Italian-inspired flavor. Whether you're making a quick lunch, an easy dinner, or a comforting weekend meal, this grilled cheese is always a delicious choice.
Pesto Grilled Cheese Recipe Essentials
- 🍽️ Course: Lunch, Dinner, Main Course, Sandwich
- ⏱️ Cooking Time: 10 minutes
- 🍴 Servings: 1 sandwich
- 🧄 Flavor Profile: Crispy, buttery, cheesy, fresh, herby, and savory with bright basil flavor
- 🍚 Best Served With: Tomato soup, Caesar salad, garden salad, pasta salad, chips, fries, or fresh fruit
- 🧊 Make Ahead?: Best served fresh, but ingredients can be prepared ahead for quick assembly.
Summarize and Save This Content On
One of my favorite things about this sandwich is how a handful of simple ingredients create something that tastes like it came from your favorite café. The creamy melted cheese, fragrant pesto, and juicy tomatoes are the perfect combination between two slices of buttery golden bread. It's proof that comfort food doesn't have to be complicated to be unforgettable.
My grandma always believed that a grilled cheese sandwich could solve just about anything. She loved turning simple pantry staples into meals that brought everyone together around the kitchen table. This pesto grilled cheese reminds me that even the easiest recipes can become family favorites when they're made with a little extra love.
This recipe was inspired by my pizza grilled cheese and mac and cheese grilled cheese and pairs perfectly with my grandmas tomato soup and pesto pasta summer salad for a complete meal.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy: Ready in about 10 minutes with just a handful of simple ingredients just like our sloppy joe grilled cheese.
- Loaded with flavor: Basil pesto, melted provolone, buttery sourdough, and fresh tomatoes create an irresistible combination.
- Perfect anytime: Great for quick lunches, easy dinners, meatless meals, or comforting weekend sandwiches.
Ingredients
One of the best things about this grilled cheese and pesto is that it uses just a few everyday ingredients to create a restaurant-quality sandwich. Everything is easy to find at your local grocery store, and you can even customize it with your favorite bread, cheese, or pesto.
- Sourdough Bread: Creates a sturdy sandwich with a crisp, golden crust and chewy texture.
- Butter: Gives the bread its rich flavor while helping it toast to crispy perfection.
- Basil Pesto: Adds bold basil, garlic, Parmesan, and olive oil flavor that makes this sandwich extra special.
- Provolone Cheese: Melts beautifully and provides a creamy, mild flavor that pairs perfectly with the pesto.
- Diced Tomato: Adds freshness, a juicy bite, and bright color while balancing the richness of the cheese.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Switch the Bread and Cheese: Use Italian bread, ciabatta, whole wheat, multigrain, or artisan bread. Swap the provolone for mozzarella, fontina, Havarti, Monterey Jack, white cheddar, Gruyère, or a blend of your favorite cheeses.
- Add More Protein: Layer on grilled chicken, rotisserie chicken, turkey, ham, crispy bacon, pepperoni, or sliced salami for a heartier sandwich.
- Customize the Fillings: Add spinach, fresh basil leaves, roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, avocado, sun-dried tomatoes, or sliced fresh mozzarella for even more flavor and texture.
- Change the Flavor: Try sun-dried tomato pesto, kale pesto, roasted garlic pesto, spicy pesto, or drizzle the finished sandwich with balsamic glaze or hot honey for a delicious finishing touch.
How to Make Pesto Grilled Cheese
This café-style grilled cheese comes together in just four simple steps. Don't let the gourmet flavor fool you-it's quick enough for lunch but delicious enough to serve for dinner. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat before you begin for perfectly golden, evenly toasted bread.
Step 1: Butter the bread and start to layer. Spread 1 tablespoon of butter evenly over one side of each slice of sourdough bread. Place one slice of bread, butter-side down, into the preheated skillet. Spread 1 tablespoon of basil pesto evenly over the bread.
Step 2: Add the fillings. Add provolone cheese and diced tomato.
Step 3: Finish the sandwich. Spread the remaining tablespoon of pesto on the unbuttered side of the second slice of bread, then place it pesto-side down over the tomatoes with the buttered side facing up.
Step 4: Cook and serve. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until the bottom is golden brown and crispy. Carefully flip the sandwich with a wide spatula, gently pressing down to help the cheese melt evenly.
Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until the second side is golden brown and the cheese is completely melted. Remove from the skillet, let the sandwich rest for 1 to 2 minutes, then slice and serve warm.
Recipe Tips
- Start with quality ingredients: Use sturdy sourdough or another hearty bakery-style bread, good-quality basil pesto, and arrange the cheese evenly to the edges for the best flavor and perfectly melty bites.
- Build the perfect sandwich: Spread the butter evenly from edge to edge, pat the tomatoes dry to prevent sogginess, and layer the ingredients evenly for the best texture.
- Cook low and slow: Grill over medium heat, flip only after the first side is deeply golden, and gently press the sandwich after flipping to encourage even browning and fully melted cheese.
- Serve fresh: Pesto Grilled Cheese is best enjoyed hot from the skillet while it's crispy and gooey. Pair it with tomato soup, a crisp green salad, or fresh fruit for a complete meal.
If you love recipes like this, you may also enjoy Italian grilled cheese and Buffalo chicken grilled cheese.
Storage Directions
Grilled cheese is best enjoyed fresh off the skillet while the bread is crispy and the cheese is perfectly melted. If you have leftovers, they're easy to store and reheat for another delicious meal.
Refrigerator: Wrap the cooled sandwich tightly or store it in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freezer: Wrap the cooled sandwich in plastic wrap and aluminum foil or place it in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheat: Warm in a skillet over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side or bake in a 350°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes until heated through and crispy. Avoid microwaving if possible, as the bread will soften.
Make Ahead: Butter the bread and prepare the ingredients up to 24 hours in advance. Assemble and cook just before serving for the crispiest texture.
Serving Suggestions
- Soup and Salad: Pair with my grandma's cream of tomato soup, slow cooker minestrone soup with tortellini, Caesar salad, garden salad, or broccoli crunch salad for a classic café-style meal.
- Dipping Sauces: Serve with warm marinara sauce, balsamic glaze, garlic mayo, pesto, or roasted red pepper sauce for even more flavor.
- Perfect for Entertaining: Cut the sandwich into halves or quarters and serve with pickles, olives, roasted vegetables, or a charcuterie board for brunches, lunches, and casual gatherings.
- Fresh Sides: Serve with fresh fruit, grapes, berries, old fashioned cucumbers and onions in vinegar, creamy cucumber salad, pasta salad, deviled egg macaroni salad, potato chips, French fries, or oven baked sweet potato fries for an easy lunch or dinner.
Pesto Grilled Cheese Recipe FAQs
Pat the tomatoes dry before adding them, avoid overfilling the sandwich, and cook over medium heat so the bread becomes crisp while the cheese melts.
Yes. Add crushed red pepper flakes, sliced jalapeños, pepper jack cheese, or a drizzle of hot honey for a little extra heat.
More Grilled Cheese Recipes
If you love crispy, cheesy grilled cheese sandwiches, here are a few more easy recipes that are perfect for quick lunches, comforting dinners, and family favorites.
If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!
Pesto Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 slices sourdough bread
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons basil pesto
- 4 slices provolone cheese sliced, or mozzarella
- 2 tbs tomato diced
Instructions
- Heat a dry small nonstick skillet over medium heat.
- Place 1 slice of bread, butter side down, in the pan and spread 1 tablespoon of basil pesto evenly over it. Then, top with provolone cheese and then the diced tomato.
- Spread 1 tablespoon of butter evenly over one side of each slice of sourdough bread.
- Place one slice of bread, butter-side down, into the preheated skillet. Spread 1 tablespoon of basil pesto evenly over the bread, then layer with the provolone cheese and diced tomato.
- Spread the remaining tablespoon of pesto on the unbuttered side of the second slice of bread, then place it pesto-side down over the tomatoes with the buttered side facing up.
- Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until the bottom is golden brown and crispy.
- Carefully flip the sandwich with a wide spatula, gently pressing down to help the cheese melt evenly.
- Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until the second side is golden brown and the cheese is completely melted.
- Remove from the skillet, let the sandwich rest for 1 to 2 minutes, then slice and serve warm.
Notes
- Start with quality ingredients: Use sturdy sourdough or another hearty bakery-style bread, good-quality basil pesto, and arrange the cheese evenly to the edges for the best flavor and perfectly melty bites.
- Build the perfect sandwich: Spread the butter evenly from edge to edge, pat the tomatoes dry to prevent sogginess, and layer the ingredients evenly for the best texture.
- Cook low and slow: Grill over medium heat, flip only after the first side is deeply golden, and gently press the sandwich after flipping to encourage even browning and fully melted cheese.
- Serve fresh: Pesto Grilled Cheese is best enjoyed hot from the skillet while it's crispy and gooey. Pair it with tomato soup, a crisp green salad, or fresh fruit for a complete meal.
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