Basil Pesto and Brie Grilled cheese with Charred Broccoli and Chili Honey: Fresh and tangy basil pesto, creamy brie, smoky roasted broccoli and onions, and spicy honey come together to create one amazing grilled cheese sandwich.
Monday calls for something healthy, but just the slightest bit indulgent to ease your way into the work week, don’t you think?
This basil pesto, brie, and roasted broccoli pesto with chili-spiced honey is just the thing. I’m not one to make bold claims or toot my own horn, but I will say that this is one of the best sandwiches I have had in a long time. There’s something magical about how the luxurious basil pesto compliments the creamy brie, along with the roasted, almost charred broccoli and onion. The idea for the hot honey popped into my head at the last minute, and I’m so glad that I added it. Spicy honey and cheese are a match made in heaven. The sweetness adds that extra layer of complexity to these sandwiches. It might seem like an afterthought, but it really is essential, in my opinion!
These grilled cheese sandwiches are much more sophisticated than your standard grilled cheese, but they are not too challenging to make. You just need to roast up some broccoli and red onion and make a basil pesto, which will take under 30 minutes. From there, assemble the sandwiches and cook them on a skillet for a few minutes per side, until the bread is browned and the cheese has melted.
The perfect side to these decadent sandwiches? This arugula, pea, beet, and avocado salad with creamy hemp goddess dressing.
ingredients you’ll need
For the charred broccoli and red onion, you’ll need broccoli, red onion, extra virgin olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper.
For the basil pesto, you’ll need raw cashews, extra virgin olive oil, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, pepper, basil, and garlic.
For the sandwiches, you’ll need hearty sourdough bread, brie, butter, honey, and red pepper flakes.
the method
Roast the broccoli and onion: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the broccoli florets and onion on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with oregano, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast for 22-25 minutes, until slightly charred in some spots.
Meanwhile, make the basil pesto: Place the cashews in a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade and process until coarsely ground. Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth.
Warm the honey and red pepper flakes in a small pot over low heat.
Finally, make the sandwiches: Spread the outside of each slice of bread with butter. On the inside, spread desired amount of pesto (around 2 tablespoons is a nice amount), followed by some charred broccoli, a drizzle of honey, and a few slices of brie. Top with the second slice of bread.
Warm a skillet (I highly recommend cast iron) over medium heat. Once hot, add the sandwiches (you can only cook one or two at a time, depending on the size of your sandwiches and skillet) and cook for 3-5 minutes per side, until golden and crispy.
Slice and enjoy immediately! If you have any left over, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat in a skillet for a couple minutes per side.
A few final thoughts
This sandwich can also be made with baked tofu in place of the brie for a vegan version. Or use your favourite vegan “brie” cheese.
If you don’t feel like making a sandwich, make a pesto power bowl with the charred broccoli, pesto, chickpeas, and quinoa or roasted potatoes instead. 🙂
more sandwich recipes
- Moroccan Breakfast Sandwiches with Egg, Harissa and Mint Tahini Sauce
- Smashed Chickpea Avocado Dill Pickle Sandwiches
- Vegan Tempeh BLT Sandwiches
And that’s all I have to say about these Basil Pesto + Brie Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Charred Broccoli and Chili Honey! If you make them, let me know how you enjoyed them, and if you post a photo to Instagram, be sure to tag it @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen. I love seeing what you have made!
Enjoy!
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Basil Pesto + Brie Grilled Cheese with Charred Broccoli and Chili Honey
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 3 sandwiches 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A touch more sophisticated than your average grilled cheese sandwich, this version combines basil pesto, charred broccoli and red onion, brie, and hot honey for a very flavourful and healthy meal.
Ingredients
Charred Broccoli and Red Onion
- 4 cups broccoli florets (from 1 bunch of broccoli)
- ½ of a large red onion, sliced
- 1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Pinch each sea salt and pepper
Basil Pesto (makes extra)
- ½ cup raw cashews
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast or Parmesan
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, or to taste
- ¼–½ teaspoon sea salt (to taste)
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 cups fresh basil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
For the sandwiches
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 6 slices whole grain sourdough bread
- 3 tablespoons organic butter
- Sliced brie, enough to cover the bread slices
Instructions
- Roast the broccoli and onion: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the broccoli florets and onion on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with oregano, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast for 22-25 minutes, until slightly charred in some spots.
- Meanwhile, make the basil pesto: Place the cashews in a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade and process until coarsely ground. Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth.
- Warm the honey and red pepper flakes in a small pot over low heat, so that it becomes a bit runny and easier to drizzle.
- Finally, make the sandwiches: Spread the outside of each slice of bread with butter. On the inside, spread desired amount of pesto (around 2 tablespoons is a nice amount), followed by some charred broccoli, a drizzle of honey, and a few slices of brie. Top with the second slice of bread.
- Warm a skillet (I highly recommend cast iron) over medium heat. Once hot, add the sandwiches (you can only cook one or two at a time, depending on the size of your sandwiches and skillet) and cook for 3-5 minutes per side, until golden and crispy.
- Slice and enjoy immediately! If you have any left over, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat in a skillet for a couple minutes per side.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Course
Fiona says
This was a perfect meal for our first anniversary picnic! That you for this.
Allison says
Aww, I love that! Glad you enjoyed it and Happy Anniversary!