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Muffuletta Grilled Cheese

Grilled cheese stuffed with olive-pepper muffuletta filling, plus a romaine side salad.

Serves 2Prep 10 minCook 20 minDifficulty mediumCuisine American

vegetarianmain

−Servings: 2+

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Ingredients

• 4 sliceSourdough Pullman bread
• 4 sliceProvolone cheese
• 1 headBaby Romaine lettuce
• 1 stalkCelery, small-diced
• 1 bunchParsley (reserve whole leaves and roughly chop half)
• 2 tbspPistachios
• 1 ozCastelvetrano olives
• 1 ozSweet piquante peppers
• 1Shallot (minced; about 2 tablespoons)
• 1 tbspRed wine vinegar
• Olive oil (see instructions)
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Prepare the ingredients
2. Wash and dry the produce.
3. Using the flat side of your knife, smash the olives to remove the pits, then finely chop the olives.
4. Finely chop the sweet piquante peppers.
5. Small-dice the celery.
6. Pick the parsley leaves off the stems; discard stems. Roughly chop half the parsley and keep the remaining leaves whole.
7. Cut off and discard the stalk of the romaine; separate the leaves.
8. Peel and mince the shallot to yield about 2 tablespoons; place the minced shallot in a small bowl with the red wine vinegar.
9. Make the vinaigrette
10. Season the shallot + vinegar mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
11. Slowly whisk in 2 tablespoons olive oil until well combined. (Reserve any unused vinaigrette for the salad.)
12. Make the muffuletta-style filling
13. In a medium bowl, combine the chopped olives, chopped peppers, diced celery, chopped parsley, and half of the vinaigrette.
14. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil if desired and toss to combine.
15. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
16. Assemble the sandwiches
17. Place the 4 bread slices on a clean work surface.
18. Divide half the provolone (2 slices) among 2 slices of bread. Top each with the prepared filling.
19. Top each filling with the remaining provolone slices and finish with the remaining 2 bread slices to form 2 sandwiches.
20. Cook the sandwiches
21. In a medium (preferably nonstick) pan, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium-high heat until hot.
22. Add the sandwiches and cook 2 to 4 minutes per side, or until the bread is golden brown and the cheese has melted.
23. If the pan seems dry while cooking, add an additional teaspoon of olive oil before flipping.
24. Transfer the cooked sandwiches to a cutting board.
25. Make the salad & plate your dish
26. While the sandwiches cook, in a large bowl combine the romaine leaves, pistachios, and the whole parsley leaves.
27. Add enough of the remaining vinaigrette to coat the salad (you may have extra). Gently toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
28. Cut each sandwich in half and divide between two plates. Serve the salad on the side. Enjoy!
29. Cooking Times & Temperatures
30. Prep time: 10 minutes
31. Cook time: 15–25 minutes total (about 2–4 minutes per side for each sandwich)
32. Heat: medium-high in a skillet (pan should be hot before adding sandwiches)

Notes

• If you don't have Castelvetrano olives, use another mild green olive and adjust salt as needed.
• Reserve some vinaigrette to dress the salad; you may not need all of it for the filling.
• If the skillet dries out while grilling, add small amounts of olive oil (1 teaspoon at a time) — this helps get an evenly golden, crisp crust.
• To ensure fully melted cheese without burning the bread, cook over medium-high but reduce heat if the bread is browning too quickly.