There’s nothing like an ooey-gooey grilled cheese to hit the spot when you’re craving some home-cooked comfort food. But now that I’m out of elementary school, the plastic-like slice of American and white bread no longer cut it.
There’s lots of ways to “spice-up” an old favorite like grilled cheese, like adding tomato and basil to fresh mozzarella or using 
pepper jack cheese with roasted red peppers but I’d have to say this version is my new fave. It’s just different enough to be exciting, but familiar enough to make me feel at home.
I made these gourmet sandwiches for brunch over the weekend– the perfect combo of sweet, salty and smokiness.
Smoked Gouda and Apricot Grilled Cheese
Prep time: 20 minutes
Makes 2 Sandwiches
- 1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped or slivered almonds
- 4 slices hearty whole grain bread
- 1 tablespoon apricot preserves
- 2-3 oz smoked Gouda, shredded or sliced thin
- 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 100% extra virgin olive oil nonstick cooking spray
1. In a small bowl, cover apricots with boiling water for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, toast almonds in a skillet on medium-high until browned. Drain apricots and add toasted almonds to bowl.
2. Spread 2 slices of bread with apricot preserves. Top with dried apricots and almonds, cheese and pepper. Top with remaining bread slices and lightly coat outsides of sandwich with cooking spray.
3. Place sandwiches in skillet over medium-high heat. Weigh down sandwiches with a heavy skillet and cook for 3 minutes or until bread is toasted. Turn sandwiches and weigh down again, cooking 2-3 more minutes or until filling is heated through.
PS- What’s funny is that I don’t particularly love smoked cheese OR apricots, but for some reason this combo sounded delicious together– and it totally was. I will definitely make this again… and again, and again.
Recipe by Megan Ware, RDN, LD. Registered Dietitian Nutritionist in The Woodlands, TX.