Grilled Cheese with Spicy Havarti, Cilantro Pesto & Roast Tomatoes

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I am forgetful. But, not in the I don’t remember your name kind of way or the I forgot my keys….again. It’s more like the I bought you a really great birthday present 3 months before your special day only to forget about it when your actual birthday rolls around.

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I’ll put a $20 in the back pocket of my jeans so I don’t have to carry a wallet only to not use the money and forget about it until 1) I wash the jeans or 2) I wear the jeans again. In January, I made a great cake for clients and saved a piece for my husband who was out of town on a work trip. I only just found it when I cleaned out the freezer last week……freezer burned and sad.

And so the story continues.

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I made this grilled cheese awhile back with every intention of sharing the recipe right away because April was National Grilled Cheese month. But here it is, the first week of May, and I totally forgot that I’d even made the sandwich until I laid down in bed last night.

What gives? Why am I such a scatter brain when it comes to doing anything more than 3 days in advance? Please tell me I’m not alone here. I think I’m going to stop planning ahead. It never seems to work in my favor…….

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With that being said, it wouldn’t matter if I posted the grilled cheese 3 weeks ago or today, this sandwich ROCKS. There are a lot of bold flavors going on here and your taste buds will be doing a happy dance, I assure you.

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It started with some jalapeno Havarti and roasted tomatoes I found at Whole Foods. I added some homemade cilantro pesto and used a thin sliced sourdough that I added a few tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese to the butter before spreading it on the bread. I’m not giving exact measurements. I trust that you’ll figure it out. Put as much or as little as you like on your sandwich. It’s your rodeo after all.

Other recipes you might enjoy:
Grilled Ham & Jarlsberg on Brioche, Mountain Mama Cooks
White Cheddar Raz-Pepper Grilled Cheese, Barbara Bakes
Sweet Pear and Rosemary Honey with Havarti Grilled Cheese, Foodiecrush
Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese, Tillamook via Baked Bree

Grilled Cheese with Spicy Havarti, Cilantro Pesto & Roast Tomatoes

Ingredients:

For one sandwich:

  • 2 slices sourdough bread (or other sturdy white bread)
  • roughly 1/4 cup shredded jalapeno Harvarti cheese (or pepper jack)
  • 1-2 tablespoons cilantro pesto, get the recipe here
  • about 1/4 cup roasted tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon butter, softened

Directions:

Over medium heat, warm a medium sized saute pan. Butter one side only of the slices of bread and put into saute pan. Divide cheese, evenly, among the slices of bread. Cook adjusting heat, if necessary, to melt the cheese and lightly brown the butter sides of the bread. When cheese is melted, remove bread from pan and place on a cutting board. Spread the pesto on one side of the sandwich and place the tomatoes on the other. Put sandwich together and cut in half. Enjoy!