Spinach and Ricotta Grilled Cheese
Indulge in a cheesy sandwich packed with veggie goodness! Complement it with your preferred marinara for an extra kick.
Indulge in a cheesy sandwich packed with veggie goodness! Complement it with your preferred marinara for an extra kick.
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1/3 cup ricotta cheese (i used reduced-fat)
- 1/4 cup frozen chopped spinach thawed
- sea salt and cracked pepper to taste
- dried italian mixed herbs to taste (oregano and basil mix)
- 1/4 cup grated light mozzarella cheese (or fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced)
- 4 thick slices sourdough bread
- 1 tablespoon butter (light or reduced-fat spread)
- 1/2 cup of your favourite pasta sauce
- Carbohydrate 1.77432500005441 g
- Cholesterol 2.75000000117931 mg
- Fat 1.01771250038341 g
- Fiber 0.618000016212463 g
- Protein 2.06872500051541 g
- Saturated Fat 0.550876250231856 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (25g)
- Sodium 62.6362500204906 mg
- Sugar 1.15632498384195 g
- Trans Fat 0.1459712500236 g
- Calories 23 calories
Step-by-step
- In a medium sized pan/skillet, fry the garlic in a small amount of olive oil (or cooking oil spray), until just fragrant (about 30-60 seconds) over medium-high heat. Remove from heat; add the garlic to a small bowl; set pan/skillet aside.
- Add the ricotta cheese, spinach, parmesan cheese, salt/pepper and Italian herbs to the pan-fried garlic and mix until well combined.
- Spread one side of each slice of bread with butter. Divide the ricotta mixture in half and spread it on the un-buttered sides of two slices of bread; divide the mozzarella cheese in half and add it over the ricotta mixture; top with remaining bread - buttered side up (to create a sandwich).
- Return the pan/skillet to the stove over medium heat and place the sandwiches in the pan. Cook, turning once, until the cheese has melted and both sides are golden brown (about 3-4 minutes per side).
- Serve with the pasta sauce (optional)
Frying raw garlic in oil for precisely thirty to sixty seconds fundamentally alters its cellular structure, eliminating harsh pungency while releasing fat-soluble aromatic compounds into the pan. This technique forms the flavorful foundation for mixing ricotta and spinach. Ricotta carries high moisture content, which requires thorough draining in a fine-mesh sieve if you use a full-fat variety, preventing the bread from becoming soggy during toasting. Sourdough bread provides the necessary structural integrity for griddling, holding dense dairy fillings without tearing under the weight of the spatula. Cooking the assembled sandwiches at a moderate medium heat ensures thermal energy penetrates the interior slowly enough to melt the mozzarella completely before the exterior bread burns. Watch for a deep golden brown color on the crust and check that the interior cheese reaches a molten state, which generally takes about three to four minutes per side in a dry skillet. Pairing this sandwich with a warmed marinara or tomato-based pasta sauce provides an acidic contrast that cuts through the rich dairy fats of both the ricotta and mozzarella cheeses. While grilled cheese sandwiches originated as a twentieth-century American comfort food staple relying on processed American cheese and white bread, merging Italian ricotta fillings with griddled sourdough bridges traditional Mediterranean cheese pie fillings with the American griddle method. Buttering the exterior bread directly rather than melting butter in the pan guarantees even fat distribution across every square inch of the crust for uniform browning.
