Chef-Dietitian Throw Down: Gourmet Grilled Cheese

Our store chef, Alex, and I had a competition last week on who could make the best gourmet grilled cheese sandwich.  The purpose of the competition was to not only create excitement in the store, but to also show customers that you can make a traditionally unhealthful comfort food healthy!

A traditional grilled cheese sandwich typically consists of white bread, processed cheese and butter or margarine.  Although it may be tasty, it lacks in nutrition.  The table below shows some simple dietitian-approved swaps. 

Traditional Ingredient	Healthier Swap	Reason for Swap
White bread	Whole-grain bread	By choosing a whole-grain bread that contains at least 3 grams of fiber per serving, you add more nutrition to your sandwich.  To make sure your bread is made with whole grains, look for the word “whole” in the flour ingredient.
Processed cheese	2% reduced-fat cheese and/or part-skim mozzarella cheese	Save on calories by choosing a reduced-fat cheese made with 2% milk versus whole milk. Tip: Mozzarella cheese is naturally lower in fat, making it lower in calories as well.
Butter or Margarine	Olive Oil	Olive oil adds heart-healthy monounsaturated fats.

  

Below is the recipe I used for my Grilled Cheese Caramelized Onion Creation:

Grilled Cheese Caramelized Onion Creation
Serves 1.

All you need:
2 tsp Hy-Vee olive oil
2 slices Brownberry Healthful oat & sunflower seed bread
1 slice Hy-Vee part skim mozzarella cheese
¼ cup caramelized onions*

1 slice Hy-Vee pepper jack cheese

All you do:

1.       Heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat.

2.       Place 1 slice of bread in skillet. Top with mozzarella cheese, caramelized onions and pepper jack cheese.

3.       Add other slice of bread. 

4.       Cook until browned on each side, flipping once. 

*To caramelize onions:  Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a nonstick skillet over low heat. Slice 1 large yellow onion into small pieces; add to skillet. Sprinkle onions with 1 teaspoon brown sugar. Cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally until onions are thick and caramelized. 

For more suggestions on healthy ingredient swaps, be sure to contact your West Lakes Hy-Vee Dietitians!

-Dietitian Natalie