Your new favorite grilled cheese combo is right here! Eggplant Pesto Caprese Grilled Cheese has layers of fried eggplant, pesto, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, grilled to melty perfection!
Eggplant Pesto Caprese Grilled Cheese – I said a mouthful. But the only mouthful that you should be concerned about at this moment in time is the ten mouthful’s of this GLORIOUS grilled cheese concoction that is so easy to put together it’s not even fair. But life isn’t fair right? So let’s all lament with Egglplant Pesto Caprese Griilled Cheese – mmmkay?
This combo of deliciousness has appeared often on this web space – like with these Baked Eggplant Caprese Stacks – and then this epic Baked Eggplant Caprese Pizza. But THIS guys, is the original gangsta’ of eggplant pesto caprese love – da’ grilled cheese version. I’m not a massive chain restaurant gal – I think it was one too many grilled chicken wraps and oreo madness’s from TGI Fridays throughout my high school career that did the chain in for me (even though I felt the need to make my own homemade version). However, around these parts, there’s The Met Bar and Grill, a local fave with a couple of locations in the area, which just so happens to be a perfect meeting spot for some gal pals and I who don’t have time for life, let alone dinner. So when we find the rare occasion where we all have a night to grab a bite, we seem to always end settling to meet up at the Met Bar.
And what do 75% of us get after pretending we’re all gonna get salad? The “Met Caprese” – as they so sheekly and hip’ly abbreviate it. I however like to make it a super long title so that you know exactly what amazingness you’re getting in this sandwich. Layers of fried eggplant, tomato, pesto and gooey melty mozzarella cheese, grilled to perfection like god intended all sandwiches of the cheese persuasion to be.
Your eggplant is key in this sammy. You really want it to be golden crispy crisp before putting it in the sandwich, or else it’ll get real soggy – still will taste delish, but just be a little texture’ally not 100%. While I’ve gone to the effort of making my own breaded eggplant (like last year when we had an influx of them in our garden – and I made this Baked Eggplant Rollatini – OMG so good) I am a shortcut gal at heart, and ain’t nothin’ wrong with buying the pre-breaded version in your grocer’s freezer section! Or my local Market Basket has a great breaded eggplant that you can buy fresh. Either way, you want to get that in the oven and make it nice and crispy beforehand – 400 degrees for 15 mins should do the trick. After that eggplant is done, slap it together with it’s Eggplant Pesto Caprese Grilled Cheese homies, a couple flips on the skillet, and you have it – the only way you’ll eat grilled cheese from now until you find another really good grilled cheese concoction.