Naan Grilled Cheese with Homemade Pesto

posted on April 10, 2014

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You may or may not know that April is National Grilled Cheese Month.

Naan Grilled Cheese with Homemade Pesto | www.spachethespatula.com #recipe Why every month isn’t Grilled Cheese Month is, frankly, beyond me. Buuut in honor of it, I made you a ridiculously cheesy grilled cheese. I used garlic naan for the bread to make it extra delicious. I also made homemade pesto (seriously shocked I don’t have a pesto recipe on this site, yet).

Guess what happens when you try to photograph a really, really hot and fresh grilled cheese that you loaded with 2 types of cheese and pesto? It creates something like a puddle of cheese. I’m not really sure this is something to complain about, though…

Naan Grilled Cheese with Homemade Pesto | www.spachethespatula.com #recipe I started with 2 pieces of pre-made garlic naan for the bread. You could use regular naan, whole wheat naan, plain old bread…whatever you want. I just like the garlic naan because 1) added garlicky flavor, and 2) I like the fluffiness and slight crunch it adds. I then spread some homemade pesto on both pieces. This pesto is unbelievably tasty. I use pecorino cheese in it for a bit of nuttiness. It has a slightly different, and stronger, flavor than parmesan. You can use it on just about anything. I stirred some into my scrambled eggs, yesterday, and it was bomb.

Then, I topped the pesto with mozzarella cheese, for ultimate, stretchy-gooey factor, and gruyere for lots of flavor and melty-ness. Pop the whole thing in a panini press for a few minutes and you are left with one of the best grilled cheeses you will ever try.

I do think this would be awesome with some fresh tomato slices, but as Mikey has a weird hatred of raw tomatoes, I skipped them for his sake.

Naan Grilled Cheese with Homemade Pesto | www.spachethespatula.com #recipe

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Naan Grilled Cheese with Homemade Pesto

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

for the pesto:

3 and 1/2 to 4 ounces fresh basil
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 garlic cloves
2/3 cup freshly-shredded pecorino cheese
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt & freshly-ground pepper, to taste

for the grilled cheese:

2 pieces garlic naan
2 and 1/2 oz. gruyere, freshly shredded
2 and 1/2 oz. mozzarella
1/4 cup pesto

Directions:

for the pesto:

In a food processor, add in the basil, pine nuts, and garlic and process until combined. Drizzle in half of the oil with the motor running. Now, add in the cheese, and with the motor running again, drizzle in the remainder of the oil.
Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

for the grilled cheese:

Spread two tablespoons of the pesto onto the flat side of each piece of naan. Sprinkle the cheeses over one side and top with the other piece of naan. Grill in a panini press for 3-4 minutes until grill marks form and cheese is melted. (You can also use a pan on the stove, you'll just have to flip the sandwich halfway through cooking, and adjust the cooking time.)
Cut the sandwich into quarters and serve.

Naan Grilled Cheese with Homemade Pesto | www.spachethespatula.com #recipe