I’ve always loved spinach, in any form. But finding a way my family thought it was palatable was another story. A number of years ago I started sautéing spinach with garlic, and that was a winner.
When I found a recipe for sautéing greens, and adding them to a grilled cheese sandwich, I had a pretty good idea the recipe would work. I didn’t like Swiss Chard, and I had a strong suspicion I didn’t like mustard greens, collard greens or turnip greens. But I was willing to give them a try.
My family was skeptical of the idea…you should have seen the suspicious looks! So I made only two sandwiches, with kale and mustard greens, and cut them in appetizer size portions. Wow! The sandwich bites were delicious. Everyone liked them and several requested a second portion.
Last fall Tom planted several kinds of greens in our raised beds…just for this recipe. When I’m ready to make these sandwiches, we just go out and cut a whole heap of greens. Hope you’ll like this recipe as much as we do.
Grilled Cheese & Greens Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 2 bunches fresh greens
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 bunch green onions sliced
- 2 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1/8 tsp sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
- 8 slices sandwich bread (I like to use sourdough)
- 8 slices cheese cheddar, swiss, jarlsberg
- butter for grilling sandwiches
Instructions
- Trim and discard stems from greens. Rinse greens, then add to a pot of heavily salted (think sea water), boiling water. Boil for 3-4 minutes. Strain out greens and let cool.
- Melt butter in a sauté pan and sauté green onions and garlic. Squeeze water from cooled greens. Chop then cross chop the greens. Add to sauté pan and heat through for 2-3 minutes. Add vinegar and sugar. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Make grilled cheese sandwiches by placing ¼ of the greens on top of the bread covered with cheese, place another slice of cheese on top of the greens, and top with another slice of bread. Grill both sides until cheese is melted and bread is golden brown. Slice and serve while hot.
