Melted Zucchini Grilled Cheese
"Melting" zucchini or other summer squash, by grating it and then sautéing it in a generous amount of butter or olive oil will reduce it to a wonderful creamy consistency that works nicely mixed into a grilled cheese sandwich.
Ingredients
- 1 lb zucchini or other summer squash
- 1 tbsp butter
- ½ tsp salt
- 8-12 oz melty cheese, grated or sliced see notes
- 8 slices bread
- 4 tbsp softened butter
Instructions
Melt the Summer Squash
- Grate the summer squash with a box grater.
- Melt one tablespoon of butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the grated squash and ½ teaspon of salt. The squash will sweat out water as it sautés. Sauté until the squash is reduced and creamy in texture. Expect about 15, maybe 20 minutes. Stir often enough to prevent any browning of the squash.
Prepare the Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
- If you are working with cheese slices, simply assemble the sandwiches with melted squash placed between the cheese slices. If you are working with grated cheese, transfer the melted squash to a bowl. Spread the squash in the bowl to speed the cooling process. When cool enough not to melt the grated cheese, mix the cheese into the squash to make a uniform mixture. Divide the mixture amongst the sandwiches.
- In either case, generously butter the bread slices on the outside. If you forgot to leave butter out to soften, you can use mayo instead. Some people prefer mayo over butter when making grilled cheese.
- Grill the sandwiches in a skillet over medium heat. Flip the sandwich when the first side is golden brown. When the second side is golden brown, the cheese should be fully melted and the sandwich is ready.
- Serve the sandwiches hot. Optionally keep them in a 200°F oven until ready to serve.
Notes
So many good options for melty cheese including Gruyère, muenster, Monterey jack, and provolone. Use two to three ounces of cheese, by weight, per sandwich depending on how much cheese you like in your grilled cheese. You have the option to either use grated cheese or sliced cheese. With grated, you will mix the cheese and the melted squash together before putting into the sandwich. With sliced, you’ll simply layer the melted squash between slices of cheese.
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