Spinach & Feta Grilled Cheese

Spinach & Feta Grilled Cheese is a twist on a classic that uses a spinach, feta, and mozzarella filling in between two buttery toasted pieces of bread.

This Spinach & Feta Grilled Cheese is a grown-up grilled cheese that actually features vegetables as the filling. That vegetable being…spinach no less, but don’t let that fool you! It makes a fantastic filling.

Frozen spinach gets mixed with feta which makes it tangy and creamy, then mozzarella gets added in to make it stringy, cheesier, and helps to hold the mixture all together. Then it’s lastly accented with flavors of red pepper flakes for a little spice and pungent raw garlic.

The flavor reminds me of Spanakopita which is a Greek appetizer made with a mixture of spinach and feta, tucked into phyllo dough sheets. The warm creamy filling in this grilled cheese is missing the heavy phyllo dough, but it contrasts with buttery toasted bread. It's half nostalgic, half Greek, but completely delicious. It also sneaks a full serving or two of vegetables where it wouldn’t otherwise be.

SPINACH FETA GRILLED CHEESE

What I love about this sandwich aside from the flavor, is that it’s a quick sandwich that takes less equipment than a panini (which needs a press). It’s not something I would normally make, and it mostly fills my spanakopita craving without the phyllo dough (this craving hits more often than you would guess).

Grilled cheese fanatics will appreciate that it’s still pretty cheesy in the middle and still has that buttery toasted bread outside. This sandwich takes the best of grilled cheese and adds to it.

There’s always going to be room for the same grilled cheese I ate as a kid, but I do like the more “adult” version here. Though, you can totally try these spinach grilled cheeses on a kid – if they aren’t too picky about green vegetables that is!

WEEKEND FAVORITE

I always plan out my weekday lunches and even prep them in advance, but the weekend is more of a free for all. The same structure of the workday doesn’t exist, and that lack of structure and predictable schedule when you have fitness goals can be daunting and can feel unorganized.

I’ve tried to impose the same regimen on the weekend so that my eating habits are more predictable, but to be honest, every day is different. So, instead, I’ve embraced the freedom. I like to have things that I can go to easily and I have this list on the side of my fridge. Planning your day will always be my top tip for staying on track.

That being said, grilled cheese is always on that list! And I love adding this Spinach & Feta Panini as another favorite for a weekend.

MAKING GRILLED CHEESE

Another plus of this recipe is that since it’s made with a filling, you can make a bigger batch of it ahead of time, store it in the fridge,  and make sandwiches whenever you’d like. It will keep for a few days like that too, otherwise you can freeze it in portions to have on hand whenever!

Some of the best tips for making grilled cheese are the obvious ones:

• Be patient and don’t flip until it’s ready
• Be patient and don’t raise the heat to cook faster, the bread will burn quicker than you think!
• Be really gentle flipping with all the filling stuffed in there
• Use room temp butter to easily spread on the bread

These tips are clearly me talking to myself from experience and telling my hangry self to be patient!

INGREDIENTS

Spinach – I used chopped frozen spinach to make this recipe nice and easy. You can use fresh spinach if you’d like, but I would chop it up a bit before mixing with the other ingredients.

Bread – To keep this sandwich macro friendly I used low calorie bread, but feel free to use whatever bread you like.

NUTRITION

Each sandwich contains 380 calories, 15 grams of protein, 27 grams or carbs, and 26 grams of fat.

AS ALWAYS, IF YOU MAKE THIS – PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW!

Print

Spinach and Feta Grilled Cheese

Course Main Course, Sandwich

Keyword Feta, Garlic, Grilled Cheese, Mozzarella, Spinach

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 2 Sandwiches

Ingredients

• 4 slices light bread white or whole wheat
• 1 package frozen spinach defrosted
• Salt & pepper to taste
• ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• Drizzle olive oil
• 4 tablespoons crumbled feta
• ¼ cup shredded skim mozzarella
• 2 tbsp whipped butter room temperature

Instructions

1. Heat a medium skillet on medium heat. Drizzle olive oil into the pan, sauté the garlic cloves until they’re fragrant.
2. Add the spinach to a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste, plus the crushed red pepper and stir to combine.
3. Add the spinach to the skillet and heat it all the way through, about 5 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat and stir in both cheese until they melt. Set aside.
5. Spread the butter on all the slices of bread. Heat a small skillet on medium heat and add one slice of bread, butter side down.
6. Add half of the spinach and cheese mixture to the bread, keeping it on the bread. Top it with a slice of bread, butter side up.
7. Once the bread has become golden brown (about 2-5 minutes), carefully flip to the other side. Toast for another 2-5 minutes, until its golden brown.
8. Remove from the pan and repeat with the other sandwich.

SHARE YOUR COOKING WITH ME!

If you make this recipe or any others on Bite your Cravings, I’d love to see and feature your delicious creations on my Instagram page! Post your recipes and tag @biteyourcravings so I can see them!