These Grilled Cheese Dips are the new best way to eat grilled cheese: either to slow down your sandwich or as a game day appetizer!
This position was created in collaboration with Muir Glen Bio. Product opinions are our own.
As the weather gets cooler, we prepare for a leisurely meal and snuggle up on the couch here at A Couple Cooks. Alex and I have been burning Gilmore Girls on Netflix, and Sunday afternoons are ripe for football. This year we even joined a fantasy football league with our neighbors. That made the football season a lot more enjoyable, even for a disinterested “fan” like me. These grilled cheese dips are perfect recipes for game day or any day you’re looking for a spiced up grilled cheese sandwich.
How to make grilled cheese dips
Slice into a grilled cheese sandwich grilled cheese dips makes the cooking experience suddenly more fun! It also slows the pace of the race cars we usually drive through grilled cheese. And for dipping those grilled cheese dips, we created this easy Marinara Sauce with Fire Roasted Tomatoes. It’s easy, simmered with onions and garlic and mixed with a magical touch of balsamic vinegar at the end. As you may know, we’re fans of fire roasted tomatoes for their juicy flavor and quick cooking time. Muir Glen Organic is our favorite brand; They are available at your local Whole Foods Market.
The finishing touch to grilled cheese dips is a little spinach for nutrients and basil pesto for a flavor boost. This might be our new favorite way to eat grilled cheese! Move, tomato soup.
did you make this recipe
If you make our Grilled Cheese Pesto Dip recipe, we’d love to know how it turned out. Leave a comment below or share a photo on Instagram and mention @acouplecooks.
This recipe is…
This grilled cheese pesto dip recipe is vegetarian. For gluten-free bread, use gluten-free bread.
Looking for game day recipes?
These grilled cheese dips are the perfect game day recipe to serve at a large snack table. Some of our best matchday recipes:
Looking for kid-friendly recipes?
Grilled Cheese Dips might be the definition of a kid-friendly recipe! In addition to the healthy snacks above, here are a few of our kid-friendly recipes on A Couple Cooks:
This recipe is…
This grilled cheese dip recipe is vegetarian. For gluten-free bread, use gluten-free bread.
The description
These Grilled Cheese Dips are the new best way to eat grilled cheese: either to slow down your sandwich or as a game day appetizer!
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 Garlic cloves
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 28 oz can of Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tbsp balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup Basil pesto (store-bought pesto, homemade or vegan)
- 4 cups Baby spinach, loosely packed
- 2 cups grated Monterrey Jack cheese
- 8th Slices of artisan bread or high-quality sandwich bread (gluten-free on request)
- 1 tbsp butter
- Chop the onion. Chop the garlic.
- In a medium saucepan, heat ¼ cup olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds, then stir in the dried oregano. Reduce the heat slightly and immediately add the tomatoes (making sure they sizzle as they pour into the hot oil), then stir to combine. Stir in kosher salt and pepper. Cover and simmer gently, then simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in balsamic vinegar, then remove from heat. Cover until the ladles are set.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, place the basil pesto, baby spinach, and 2 pinches of kosher salt over medium-high heat. Sauté until spinach is tender, about 3-4 minutes (be careful, the pesto may splatter if the pan gets too hot). Place the spinach in a bowl and wipe out the pan.
- For each sandwich, layer a slice of bread, ¼ cup cheese, a thin layer of spinach pesto filling, then another ¼ cup cheese and another slice of bread.
- In the same skillet, heat ½ tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Place two sandwiches in the pan and toast for a few minutes until the bread is golden brown, then turn and grill until the other bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted. Repeat with the remaining two sandwiches.
- Let the sandwiches cool for 2-3 minutes, then cut into “lady” slices. Serve with individual bowls of marinara sauce.
- Category: main course, appetizer
- Method: Cook
- Kitchen: American
Keywords: Grilled Cheese Marinara Appetizer Game Day Soccer Tailgating Vegetarian Pesto Kids Healthy Dinner Ideas for Kids
