Roasted Broccoli Rabe Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe

For most of us, grilled cheese sandwiches were a mealtime favorite growing up, usually associated with a creamy (and likely canned) tomato soup. The quintessential childhood meal, the sandwich always involved toasted white bread and impossibly gooey slices of American. Though it might not be as frequent a dinner anymore, it's still hard to beat that warm cheesy sandwich and punchy tomato soup. So why not swap out the mystery cheese and make it a favorite again?

This grilled cheese sandwich recipe developed with Michelle McGlinn is melty, gooey, and layered with flavors. It even houses a vegetable: Broccoli rabe, a crunchy turnip green known for its sharp taste. Roasted with lemon, red pepper, and olive oil, the broccoli rabe becomes a savory green that complements the rich white cheeses. The cheeses in question are creamy fontina and mozzarella, two mellow white cheeses that melt easily and pair well with broccoli rabe. Think of it as a grown-up grilled cheese — but don't worry, it still pairs well with tomato soup (canned or not).

First, you'll need broccoli rabe, otherwise known as rapini. From there, you'll need olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, shallot, spreadable butter, mozzarella, fontina, and sliced bread. Any sliced bread will do, but we love a crusty bread like sourdough to hold all that melty cheese.

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Spread broccoli rabe on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Drizzle broccoli rabe with 2 tablespoons oil, tossing to coat. Toss with salt, pepper, and the juice from ½ lemon.

Roast for 15-20 minutes, until very tender.

Sprinkle with red pepper flakes.

In the meantime, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium heat.

Add the shallot slices and fry until crisp, about 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Butter the bread slices on one side.

On the plain side, layer mozzarella, fontina, and broccoli rabe.

Top with crispy shallot.

Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the sandwich, buttered side down.

Add the top piece of bread and press down. Cook until bottom is golden brown, then flip.

Cook until bottom is golden brown again, then remove from the heat.

Of course, the best thing to serve with grilled cheese is tomato soup; but this tuned-up version also goes well with more involved soups like ham and bean soup, roasted red pepper soup, and lasagna soup. Grilled cheese is a perfect pairing for soup because the crusty, grilled bread makes it perfect for soaking up the broth with — so be sure to choose a soup with plenty of flavorful broth.

If it's the hottest day of summer and the very thought of soup makes you sweaty, try a salad instead, which adds nutrients to an otherwise rich and heavy sandwich. Try a salad with some crunch or go classic with a Caesar, a chopped salad, or a Cobb. And if the grilled cheese is enough of an entrée for you, keep it simple and pair with chips or roasted veggies. Our suggestion? Use any extra broccoli rabe for a quick orzo and feta salad.

Grilled cheese isn't exactly our first thought when we think of good leftovers. Melted cheese has a way of getting a little gluey after cooling, so grilled cheese is best served fresh off the griddle. If you do have leftovers, don't worry, there are plenty of ways to bring it back to life. To reheat a broccoli rabe grilled cheese sandwich, you'll want to melt the cheese without burning the bread. The best way to do this is in a toaster oven, which can quickly bake the sandwich the same way an oven would. If you don't have a toaster oven, just use your oven instead and bake until the cheese has re-melted.

We don't recommend microwaving or grilling the cold sandwich, unless you're okay with a few compromises in quality. Microwaving the sandwich will make the bread soggy, and toasting it on a skillet will risk burning the already-browned bread. Stick to oven heat to keep it like-new.