The Unexpectedly Delicious Bread Swap For Grilled Cheese That's Made From A Vegetable

Though your culinary preferences may mature as you get older, the love for grilled cheese remains constant. And it never hurts to marry your newly refined tastes with nostalgia. You can spruce up your grilled cheese with pancetta rather than bacon, swap out the cheddar for gruyere, or — stick with us for a minute — use sweet zucchini in favor of bread.

Vegetables will always be some of our favorite additions to elevate your grilled cheese. They bring an earthy, fresh flavor to the rich and hearty dish, arming it with an extra crunch. While other veggies operate solely as toppings, zucchini has no issue becoming the bread itself. The summer squash has a milder flavor that easily slips into whatever role you place it in. You can boost its sweetness with a dollop of honey or turn up its savory taste with a dash of MSG. Either way, the delicate-tasting vegetable brings out the best from cheese.

To make it, grate the squash and squeeze out the moisture with a cheese cloth or towel. Once it's thoroughly dry, bind the zucchini together with eggs, cornstarch, salt, and pepper. For a cheesier flavor, add some grated parmesan. Put oil or butter in a heated skillet and pour in two small amounts of the zucchini, shaping them until they look like slices of bread. Fry the veggies until golden brown, then add cheese on top of one of them. When the cheese melts, press both zucchini slices together and serve.

If you're not keen on frying up the zucchini, you can always bake it, instead. Grate and dry out the zucchini like normal; combine it with eggs, salt, pepper, and parmesan, this time adding almond or coconut flour into the mix. Pour the mixture into a baking pan and heat it until it's golden brown. Once the bread has cooled, slice it up and make your grilled cheese like normal.

For something without eggs, try our vegan zucchini bread recipe. The bread is complete with cinnamon, coconut sugar, nutmeg, and walnuts, making it a deliciously sweet and nutty treat to switch up your grilled cheese. Whichever method you use for customizing your zucchini, just know that it's a great fit with all the best cheeses for your grilled cheese sandwich.

Thanks to its mild taste, zucchini has no issue meshing with all kinds of cheese or other ingredients. It can sit in the background while you whip up an ultra-savory sandwich with Gouda, roasted cremini mushrooms, and caramelized onions. To give the zucchini a bolder flavor, add a splash of balsamic vinegar to it before pairing with Brie, figs, bacon jam, and minced onions.