Tomato and Pesto Grilled Cheese

This is a recipe for a grilled cheese that does not involve any butter!!! I repeat: no butter!!! Woohoo for healthy eating!!!  I use olive oil as a healthy substitute, and it tastes excellent.

I decided to take a normal grilled cheese and upscale it by adding some tomatoes and pesto sauce.

I also use muenster cheese instead of the typical American cheese.  I've also made it with mozzarella, which is really good too.

I like to assemble it before placing it into the pan, and I don't add butter or olive oil at all.  Instead I just let the bread soak up the olive oil from the skillet.

I cook it open-faced for a few minutes to let each piece of bread soak in the olive oil individually.  

Then I put the piece without the tomatoes on top of the piece with the tomatoes (it's much less messy that way!) to let the sandwich pieces all melt together.

This recipe is super easy and quick - I've been making it during my lunch breaks from work, and it is definitely a favorite.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 slices whole wheat bread
• 1/2 of a tomato
• 1-2 slices cheese - my favorite kinds are mozzarella or muenster
• 1 1/2 tsp pesto (appx)

Directions:

• Heat the olive oil in a skillet on low to medium heat.
• Slice the tomato into thin slices - about 4 small slices will fit on one piece of bread
• Lay 1 slice of cheese onto a piece of bread, then layer the tomato slices on top of the cheese and place in the skillet.
• Spread the pesto onto the remaining slice of bread (optional: if you want 2 slices of cheese, add the second slice on top of the pesto)
• Place the second piece of bread in the skillet as well.  Let the sandwich sit open-faced for a minute or two.
• Put the pesto-covered bread on top of the bread with the tomato slices and let the sandwich melt together. Flip the sandwich after 2-3 minutes to prevent one side of the bread from getting burnt.
• After about 5 minutes or so, the cheese should be melted sufficiently and the sandwich is ready to eat.