1 Video | Photo: Grilled Cheese with Spinach and Pancetta Recipe
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil cooking spray
- 6 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mild Cheddar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil, plus extra, as needed
- 2 packed cups coarsely chopped baby spinach
- 16 (1/3-inch-thick) slices country-style white bread
Directions
Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Spray 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Lay the pancetta in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets and bake until crispy and brown, about 12 to 14 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Cool for 5 minutes and crumble. Set aside.
In a food processor, combine the butter, cheeses, salt, and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Blend until smooth, adding extra oil, as needed, until the mixture is spreadable. Add the spinach and pulse until just combined.
Preheat a panini maker. Spread the cheese mixture over 8 slices of bread. Top with the crumbled pancetta. Put the remaining bread slices on top. Grill the sandwiches, 2 at a time, until golden and crispy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes, then cut each sandwich in half and arrange on a platter.
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By marrscher4
Greenfield, MA
on February 25, 2013
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I made these for my family adn they loved these! Definitely a keeper.
By MGG04
Overland Park, KS
on November 12, 2012
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A little time consuming to make compared to slapping a slice of cheese between 2 bread slices, but it's worth the time. It's a tastier and fancier alternative to a regular grilled cheese sandwich. Since we were having the sandwiches with the fish sticks, I didn't add any pancetta to the mix.
By gvgranny
Green Valley, AZ
on October 01, 2012
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Why in the world do these cooks add SALT to everything - especially stuff for kids? Cheese already has so much salt. I am glad, tho, to see the unsalted butter. Also glad there's spinach in there. We used low sodium, low fat turkey bacon cooked crisp (didn't use much; still adds flavor -- or just eliminate and it was good. And why no whole wheat bread? We also added finely chopped onion and next time might add a thinly sliced tomato. It definitely was good, but it's never too early to think about what you're feeding your kids.
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