Balsamic Roasted Broccoli and Red Pepper Grilled Cheese
Hearty grilled cheese sandwiches made with whole grain bread and stuffed with caramelized, balsamic roasted vegetables and cheddar cheese.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
I drove to northern Iowa for a wedding and back over the weekend. My brother and I zoomed past endless rows of tightly packed corn and soy, punctuated by classic white farm houses and red barns that looked like they had popped right out of our childhood story books.
Our cousin got married in a small farming community on a lake. It was quaint and beautiful and the sunny weather could not have been more lovely.
Ironically, however, the restaurant menus in this farm town were lacking in fresh food. I mean that as an observation, not a complaint—it was a good reminder that the farm-to-table movements still have a long way to go. In my daily life, I surround myself with people, restaurants and websites that also appreciate fresh cooking, so travel experiences always provide requisite jolts of reality.
In town with my parents for lunch, I skimmed past an iceberg ranch dressing salad on an otherwise meaty menu. I was relieved to find a grilled cheese sandwich listed under the kids menu on the backside. I welcome an excuse to eat a classic grilled cheese sandwich with fries, but I just can’t imagine feeling well if I ate from those menus every day. My dad related the experience to the small Oklahoma town where I was born. (He always comes back home craving fresh food.)
On the six-hour drive home, I paused in Omaha to drop off my brother at the airport and found a highly rated local restaurant serving brunch on Yelp. As I waited for my roasted vegetable grits to arrive, I thought about how unfair it is to lump the middle of the country together as flyover land. It’s not the coasts vs. the Midwest anymore. If anything, it’s cities vs. small towns, and there’s so much goodness to be found in between.
I think it’s just a matter of time until the small towns catch up. I’m not sure how I feel about the homogenization of America in general, but when it comes to healthy food and readily accessible information, I think it’s for the best.
I’ll quit rambling. These grilled cheese sandwiches are my tribute to the past weekend. I contemplated whether I should make them into quesadillas instead of sandwiches. I picked up the most marvelous loaf of whole grain sourdough in Kansas City last Thursday, so bread beat tortillas.
These grilled cheese sandwiches are my kind of grilled cheese—buttery but not overwhelmingly so, made with melty real cheese and stuffed with some redeeming, tender, caramelized roasted balsamic veggies.
I think you’ll love the combination of roasted broccoli, bell pepper and onion here. It is such a fun spin on a classic grilled cheese sandwich. Please let me know how the sandwiches turn out for you in the comments!
Balsamic Roasted Broccoli and Red Pepper Grilled Cheese
Hearty grilled cheese sandwiches made with whole grain bread and stuffed with caramelized, balsamic roasted vegetables and cheddar cheese. Recipe yields 4 sandwiches.
Ingredients
Roasted vegetables
- 1 pound broccoli, or 8 ounces broccoli florets
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 small yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional, for spice)
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Sandwiches
- 8 slices quality whole grain bread, preferably sourdough
- 12 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 to 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1+ tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare your veggies, keeping in mind that you want them to be roughly the same size for even cooking. Remove the florets from the broccoli stems and slice them into bite-sized pieces. Slice the bell pepper into thin strips. Halve the onion and slice it into thin strips as well (no need to separate the strips of onion from each other).
- Transfer the prepared veggies to a large, rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle on the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add the salt and toss until all of the ingredients are evenly combined. Arrange the veggies in a single layer on the baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with red pepper flakes (if using) and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper. Bake until the veggies are tender and deeply caramelized, about 20 minutes, tossing halfway.
- To prepare your sandwiches: Spread a very thin layer of Dijon mustard on one slice of bread. Top the mustard with a heavy sprinkling of shredded cheese, then as much roasted vegetables as you can reasonably fit on top. Top with more cheese and place another piece of bread on top. Repeat for the remaining three sandwiches.
- To cook your sandwiches: Heat a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add a generous pat of butter. Let the butter melt and swirl it around. Carefully place one sandwich on one side of the pan, then another sandwich on the other side. Cover the pan with a lid or a baking dish to help the cheese melt. Let the sandwich cook until the bottom side is golden and the cheese is mostly melted. Use a spatula to life one sandwich out of the pan at a time. Add a little more butter to the pan and let it melt (reduce the heat as necessary so the butter doesn’t burn). Carefully flip the sandwiches over and place them back in the pan to cook the other sides until they’re nice and golden (I covered the sandwiches again here). Once the cheese is melted through and both sides are golden, transfer the sandwiches to serving plates. Repeat with remaining sandwiches.
Notes
Serving suggestions: This sandwich would be great with roasted tomato and red pepper soup or a simple green salad.
Change it up: Pretty much any caramelized roasted veggies would be great in here.
Prepare in advance: Feel free to roast the veggies the night before. Actually, you might want to go ahead and roast extra veggies for other meals. Just make sure to arrange the prepared vegetables in a single layer on the baking sheet(s).
2025 recipe edit: I retested the recipe and increased the cheese from 8 ounces to 12 ounces for nicely cheesy sandwiches that can accommodate a broader range of bread sizes.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I happened to look up this recipe from the recently posted 25 comfort food article and I have to say you are not only a talented cook but you have an awesome writing style. Working in the sustainability industry, I surround myself with like minded people and receive “jolts or reality” that you have mentioned, every now and then. I completely agree with you that there needs to be a choice for people living in small towns and more . It feels very unfair. Healthy living should be accessible to everyone.
You’re so kind, Sharmila. :)
Great.
I used Broccolini (its what I had) and it worked fine. The mustard and pepper hit just the right note
Wonderful! Thank you for your review!
This is such a deliciously dressed up grilled cheese that was so simple to put together! The tangy balsamic with cheddar flavors was so satisfying, my taste buds were in heaven! The second time I made this we used a cave aged cheddar that I strongly recommend trying to cook this with if you can because it had an extra nutty flavor that took it to an even high level of tastiness :)
Thank you, Kelsie!
Kate! I was going to skip this recipe cause I thought it sounded too “weird”, lol. I’m glad I didn’t! I will make this again! Thank you!
I’m happy you didn’t either, Beth! Thanks so much for letting me know what you thought.
This recipe is awesome! Instead of balsamic vinegar, I tossed the veggies in a pale ale honey mustard/olive oil mix before roasting them, which gave them extra flavor. I used Portuguese rolls from my local bakery. After filling them with the roasted veggies, I topped with smoked cheddar cheese and stuck them back in the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese instead of pan-frying them. They turned out delicious! I’ll definitely be making them again.
This looks so good! My mom makes a great quiche with balsamic roasted beets and onions. I’m sure this sandwich is amazing.
Best grilled cheese ever! We always end up with extra roasted balsamic veggies, so we like to toss them in to an egg scramble for breakfast the next day. Yum!
Just made these last night … soooooo good! Now that’s what I call an adult grilled cheese! My boyfriend loved it!! Thanks so much for the recipe.
I made this recipe tonight and my husband and I loved it! He hates vinegar but didn’t even realize it was in there, so this is now a go-to recipe I can use for days I crave vinegar :) Thank you!
Btw I used both white and yellow cheddar in my sandwiches and personally loved that combination.
Hi Kate, I have a dairy sensitivity and I’m leery of vegan cheeses. (I’m sure someday I’ll get around to trying one anyway!) When I saw this recipe idea, I immediately thought it would taste great with hummus instead of cheese. So today I made it, and wow, I was more right than I imagined. This was super delicious, and I’m so excited to make more!
I love this recipe! I am obsessed with making sourdough bread and this is a great way to eat it. The roasted veggies are great to eat on their own too! 10 out 10!
This was so easy and tasty! I will definitely make it again!
Just made your grilled cheese recipe and saw this. Now I have something else to try. Thank you very much
Yummm this is absolutely delicious! Also, we recently tried replacing the cheese with your vegan sour cream recipe (with nutritional yeast blended in) and it worked great!
Have been making this recipe for several years now and was reminded again last night of what an absolute gem it is. The caramelized veggies, Dijon mustard, buttery bread…. all sing together perfectly. My boyfriend keeps saying this is the best grilled cheese he’s ever had!
Thank you, Juliette! I’m glad this one has been a repeat recipe for you.
I made these sammies. First of all i could not resist snacking on the roasted veggies. So tasty!! I loved everything about these sandwiches and so did my husband!! I did use some cheddar cheese we had smoked, will make this AGAIN, thank you Kate for making me a superstar!!
I’m glad this was a hit! I appreciate your review, Trex.
WOW!!!! I made this today and was soooo happy with it. Surprisingly even tho it’s a little Dijon the taste really came through and it shined through the cheese and veggies. Can’t wait for the leftovers!!
I really thought I’d reviewed this recipe already, but I can’t find it, so I thought I’d hop on here and say how awesome these are. I love to make grilled cheese with tomato soup and this really kicks it up a notch! I’ve made these many times and absolutely love them. I’ve also shared the recipe several times. Thanks for all your hard work sharing your recipes! I’m on a quest to become vegetarian. Currently only eating meat 1-2 times a week – mostly for my husband’s sake as I promised I’d never force him into vegetarianism. If it were up to me, I’d be there already, but I’ve already seen the benefits of cutting back so I’m thankful for people like you who work so hard to share your yummy vegetarian recipes. :)
That’s great to hear, Sheri! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Where did you buy the bread for the grilled cheese sandwich?
Hi! A crusty bread would be a great option. I recommend getting some from the fresh bakery section of your grocery store or a local bakery. That is, if you don’t make your own.
Best grilled cheese!! Saw your post just as I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner. Followed your recipe exactly and they were perfect. Going in for seconds now
I love this recipe! I’m making it like every month or two. No doubt, the balsamic roasted veggies make the dish. They came out perfectly tonight. I make grilled cheese with pepper jack slices and it is so fun to eat. Thanks Kate!
Great to hear, Bryan!
This recipe popped up when I went searching for a different kind of Super Bowl item to bring & share. What a hit! It was the first thing to go and I received many compliments! It’s quick to make, interchangeable with what you have in house, and best of all it’s so delicious! I’ve made it several times for friends & family and it never fails to get everyone oooh-ing and ahhh-ing. Thanks for the recipe and keeping it light & healthy!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Kathryn.
WOW WOW WOW
I printed this recipe years ago and just got around to making it tonight. It is absolutely delicious!! Me entire family loved this elevated grilled cheese. We made some with fresh grated cheddar and some with Gouda. DELICIOUS. Your recipes never disappoint! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Heidi! Thank you for your review.
Found this while looking for vegetarian sandwiches to make on my panini press. I loved it, and it was easy enough for a weeknight meal! I got a “it was better than I expected” from the 17 year old boy, which I think is the teenage equivalent of a Michelin star? Thanks for sharing this!
Amazing sandwiches. Definitely a keeper
I love grilled cheese sandwiches and feel so guilty having them with the butter, cheese and bread not being my friend with my weight issues. Adding the roasted veggies and serving with salad took most guilt away. They were perfect for a weeknight dinner. Thank you for your great recipes.
We made this last night with fresh sourdough bread from the farmer’s market. This was the best grilled cheese we have ever had! The veggies made a great addition, along with the mustard. We will be adding this as one of our go-to recipes!
Very good and simple creation, challenging to flip with all the goodies inside, but a great flavor and outcome. I used horseradish spread instead of the mustard.