Grilled Cheese with Avocado and Heirloom Tomato
This simple grilled cheese combines gooey Gruyere cheese, avocado, heirloom tomato, and sourdough bread for a grown up grilled cheese treat!
This opening photo…was it the most put-together shot I had? …no. But I think it captures the glory that is this sandwich. Gooey gruyere cheese smashed between thick slices of buttery avocado and heirloom tomato, and “grilled” between two slices of sourdough toast.
Okay, before I go any further, let’s talk about this “grilled cheese” thing for a minute. Who on earth named this “grilled cheese?” There is no grill in sight here…what this really is…well…
it’s a fried sandwich.
*gasp* I know. I said it. For those who are still in the denial stage, I do apologize.
The key to not feeling guilty about eating a grilled cheese sandwich is to put healthy things in it!
Heirloom tomato?
YES.
Slice that up, put it in there.
Bam! Healthy.
Want to take it up a notch?
Add some avocado. Slice that up, put it in there.
Bam! Holy {expletive} that’s HEALTHY!
Now we get to the grilled cheese part. I like to take my toast and “grill” (fry) one side of each slice, so that both the inside AND outside are crunchy.
Take some slices of your favorite cheese (gruyere for me) and lay it on your toast.
Add your slices of heirloom tomato.
Add the sliced avocado and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then add more cheese.
Then put your top slice on and “grill” (fry) it on both sides until the cheese is melted and gooey. Done!
Confession: The real reason I put avocado and tomato in my grilled cheese is because I think it tastes better. The healthy part just happens to be a bonus =)
Grilled Cheese with Avocado and Heirloom Tomato
Ingredients
- 2 slices sourdough bread
- 1 heirloom tomato
- 1 avocado
- 4 oz gruyere cheese
- salt and pepper
- about 1.5 tbsp salted butter
Instructions
- Start by cutting your heirloom tomato and avocado into thin slices. Set aside.
- Heat up a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Rub butter directly on the skillet and add both slices of bread to the pan. Toast for a couple of minutes until golden brown, then remove the bread slices. Keeping in mind that the sides we just browned go on the inside, build your sandwich by first doing the sliced gruyere cheese, then the tomato, then the avocado. Season with salt and pepper. Add another layer of cheese, and add your other slice of bread. Add more butter to your skillet and brown the sandwich on each side for about 3 minutes, until both sides are golden brown and the cheese has melted. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
34 Comments on “Grilled Cheese with Avocado and Heirloom Tomato”
Ratso’s on Lincoln Ave served an open faced version of this 40 years ago. I made my own version (with pretoasted bread) using thinly sliced raw onion and crunchy iceberg lettuce. My mom used garlic salt or garlic powder to serve this to my three year old.
It was, and still is one of my kids’ favorite comfort foods. Mine too.
This sandwich turned out great! Thanks for the post, Joanne!
That’s wonderful Amber! Happy cooking =)
cookie i know the apples seem a ltltie bit odd, and maybe it isn’t for everyone, but you have to just try it! it may just be me, but for some reason the sweetness and texture just complement everything else perfectly. ps. if you try it, you’ll have to let me know what you think!