Sometimes, the most basic thing inspires you, and that’s exactly what happened to me last week when I picked my daughter up from school and asked if she wanted a quick beverage from Dunkin. As we pulled up to the order window, I asked what she wanted and she said she wanted the tomato pesto grilled cheese sandwich.
After we laughed about that NOT being a drink, we picked up the order at the window and she dug into the meal. She said it was “good” and at that exact moment, I knew I could make it better!
We decided to throw a few together tonight. I knew they shouldn’t take long and so we started by reviewing the Dunkin description. The first thing it said was “roasted tomato” - uh oh.
Roasting tomatoes is not a joke. It can easily take an hour. I could have chosen to fry them, or use them cold or throw them under the broiler, but I committed to “better,” so roasting It was.
I cut a plum tomato in 1/4” slices, drizzled garlic oil over them, sprinkled salt, pepper, dried basil and parsley on them and threw them into a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes. This was really the most difficult step.
Dunkin then said the sandwich contained pesto ✔️, white cheddar ✔️ (I had a triple cheddar blend) and sourdough bread - uh oh again!
I didn’t have sourdough but I did have some hearty rye- good enough! As the tomatoes roasted, I slathered pesto on the bread and melted some butter on low heat in a pan. I got the bread into the pan, layered on a big handful of cheese, and put the lid on the pan to slowly toast the bread and melt the cheese.
I had time since I was waiting for the tomatoes, so I cooked two sandwiches slowly. They we’re both ready when the tomatoes came out of the oven. I layered a few slices of deli sliced roasted chicken (Dunkin has no meat on their sandwich, but being dinner, I wanted to bulk it up) and the tomatoes. I put the bread together and gave it a cut.
And dinner was served. I put out a handful of Cracked Black Pepper and Salt Potato Chips. It was a great little meal and more interesting than a regular grilled cheese. Both of us thought it may be great with a few slices of bacon, too.
So if you’re looking for a different meal, try this. And don’t be afraid to take inspiration from various sources!
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