Why you’ll love this recipe

This might be the best cheese toastie I’ve ever had. It feels indulgent, whilst being super fresh, thanks to our tangy, charred grilled veg. 

It’s the perfect excuse to bring out the BBQ, although any griddle pan will work perfectly. The flavour combo of all the ingredients makes it so much more than cheese on toast. It’s nutrient dense, packed with fibre, a balance of fats and 25g of protein. As grilled cheese calories go, it’s pretty light too! 

Ideal for a summer lunch shared between friends or the grilled veg works perfectly for this cheese toastie to meal prep and enjoy throughout the week. 

Ingredients

Aubergine 

Charred aubergine offers a meaty substitute to this vegetarian grilled cheese. You won’t be missing any meat with this sandwich! 

Courgette

One of my favourite vegetables to grill, similarly great to the aubergine in texture. 

Salad tomatoes 

For acidity, flavour and moisture in the sandwich. 

Thick cut, wholemeal malted bloomer bread

Try to use any dense sort of bread that isn’t sliced too thinly. I used a wholemeal, thick sliced loaf for additional fibre. You want the bread to be thick enough to ensure that it can hold the amount of cheese and veg you’re going to squeeze into this toasted sandwich.  Other breads that would work well: white bread (thick slices), sourdough, ciabatta and panini. 

Mozzarella 

We want to use low hydration/grated mozzarella for this recipe to prevent any sogginess in our cheese toastie. 

Garlic & Basil 

Pairs so well with the med veg and adds an extra summery vibe to this sandwich. 

Lemon 

To add brightness and balance to the indulgent cheesy flavours. 

How to make this recipe

Start by prepping the courgettes and aubergine and cut into long thin slices.

And slice the tomatoes.

In a griddle pan or BBQ start to brown the vegetables, cooking over a high heat with rapeseed oil until charred and cooked.

Once the vegetables are nicely charred, set aside.

Then thinly slice the charred vegetables  into bite sized pieces, before adding to a large mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, finely chopped basil and a generous amount of salt and pepper into the bowl.

Optionally butter the 2 slices of bread before placing butter – side down into a non-stick frying pan on a low/medium heat. Then add the grated cheese and the grilled veg to each slice.

After around 3 minutes, flip the cheesy bread onto the other piece to close the sandwich, continue to heat, whilst flipping the sandwich until the cheese is melted and the bread is nicely toasted. Enjoy!

Tips & Variations

You can customise this cheese toastie by adapting the recipe with some add-ins. Whether you want even more protein (it’s already pretty high) or to add more veggies, the foundation of this recipe is great for so many more fillings! 

Add protein 

• Shredded chicken breast 
• Grilled bacon 
• Mashed chickpeas
• Black beans 

Add more veggies 

• Grilled bell peppers 
• Grilled sweetcorn
• Grilled red onion/white onion 
• Grilled mushrooms

Other toastie recipes…         

The Best Toast Ever: Halloumi and Avocado Sourdough Toast

Slow Roasted Cherry Tomato Ricotta Toast

Pizza Toast (Hailey Bieber’s Tiktok Inspired Recipe)

Meal Prep/ Storage

To use this recipe as meal prep, grill all of your veg ahead of time, combining with the lemon juice, basil and garlic. Add this to a sealed container and refrigerate. 

When it’s time to eat, start to toast your bread and add the prepped grilled veg & cheese into the sandwich. You want to eat the grilled cheese when it’s been freshly toasted to get the gooey cheese inside. If you meal prepped it all, the bread could be soggy and the cheese on toast would be hard. 

Other quick lunch recipes…

Creamy Mushroom Toast