Cooking for Students Grilled Cheese and Tomato Provolone Sandwich

Grilled Cheese with Tomato and Provolone

Posted on January 22, 2015 by Cooking for Students

College students have a tendency to throw healthy eating out the window. Your diet likely consists of pizza, Chinese takeout, ramen noodles and anything you can stick in the microwave. Of course these foods are super affordable but sprucing up your diet will do a lot of good. Something as simple as a healthy lunch will provide you with the nutrition needed to stay focused and give your body an energy boost to get through the day and get a head start on preparing for that assignment or exam.

The provolone and tomato grilled cheese is perfect. It is very gourmet but the ingredients required are really affordable. The sandwich is fresh, has great texture, is cheesy and will keep you filling full longer. All you need is some good quality bread, butter, cheese, tomato and a few extras if you want to amplify the sandwich a bit more.

What’s in it?

  • 2 slices Italian bread or whole wheat
  • 1 tablespoon butter, unsalted
  • 1 slice provolone cheese
  • Tomato slices
  • Store brought pesto or sun dried tomato sauce, optional
  • Black pepper, to taste

How’s it made?

  1. Begin by preheating a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat.
  2. Add half a tablespoon of unsalted butter to the skillet until it melts.
  3. Place a slice of bread onto the melted butter.
  4. Spread the top of this slice of bread with pesto or sun dried tomato sauce if desired.
  5. Follow the sauce with a slice of provolone cheese and a few slices of tomato.
  6. Spread sauce on the other slice of bread and place it on top.
  7. Butter the top of this slice. Sprinkle with a little black pepper if desired.
  8. When one side of the grilled cheese is golden brown flip and cook until the other side is golden. This should take 3-5 minutes per side.
  9. When cheese is melted, plate and enjoy.

After that first bite you are going to fall in love with this sandwich. It is a bit salty, really cheesy, and the juicy slices of tomato give the sandwich some acidity that keeps you wanting more. As for the optional pesto or sun dried tomato sauce, both work so well. They elevate the sandwich to new heights. For those that can’t choose there is always the option of using both sauces on the grilled cheese. The flavors meld nicely. What can get better than a grilled cheese sandwich that is good for you?