Rainbow grilled cheese with beets, goat cheese, and caramelized onions

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This grilled cheese is a fancy twist on the classic grilled cheese we all know and love! It’s filled with veggies and bold flavors that pair perfectly with melted cheese for a healthy and nutritious meal.

Who wants a fancy rainbow grilled cheese?! I’m talking a goat cheese and pesto grilled cheese with caramelized onions, beets, carrots, and kale, all cooked in a honey balsamic sauce!

This ooey gooey bite of deliciousness will leave you wondering why you ever settled for the classic! And if you can sneak a couple veggies in there, even better right? This grilled cheese comes together in less than 30 minutes, so if you’re looking for a quick and healthy lunch or dinner that everyone will enjoy, this one’s for you.

What makes my grilled cheese a healthier alternative?

This grilled cheese boasts plenty of health benefits, packed with vitamins and minerals from the veggies to keep you feeling your best! In addition, I’ve used whole wheat bread to get more fiber and protein into this meal. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with indulging in a classic grilled cheese from time to time (I’m all about balance) but by adding some vegetables and increasing the fiber content, you’re giving your body the nutrients it needs to maintain long-lasting energy throughout the day.

Let’s break down what makes this grilled cheese a healthier alternative.

• Veggies
  • We’ve got every color of the rainbow covered in this grilled cheese! This ensures that you’re getting a diverse array of phytonutrients from the vegetables that each play a unique role in helping to fight disease in the body.
• The bread
  • The bread I use in this recipe is a 100% whole wheat bread. The USDA’s dietary recommendation is that half of our daily intake of grains should come from whole grain sources! This means that the first ingredient listed should be 100% whole wheat bread. Whole grains are unrefined and contain much more fiber and protein than white breads, aiding in digestion and feeding our gut microbiome with powerful nutrients!
• Cheese
  • In this recipe we use goat cheese and manchego cheese. While cheese can be a healthy component of a well-balanced diet, providing essential fat, calcium, and protein, not all cheeses are the same!
  • Goat cheese is healthier than other cheeses because it contains more medium chain fatty acids than cow’s milk. This type of fat is more readily absorbed by our bodies and is less likely to be stored as fat! Since manchego cheese is made from sheep’s milk, both goat and manchego cheese are much lower in lactose than cow’s milk, so if you’re like me and are sensitive to lactose, this is a much gentler option for our stomachs.
  • If you’re looking for cheeses that are lower in lactose it might help to know that the more aged the cheese is, the lower its lactose content!
  • If you don’t have manchego or goat cheese, feel free to substitute cheddar cheese, swiss cheese, or any cheese of your choice!

The Ingredients

• Onion
• Beets
• Carrots
• Kale
• Honey
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Cheese
• Whole wheat bread
• Pesto
• Hummus
• Butter

The Flavors

There’s something about a crispy piece of buttered toast on a grilled cheese that you just can’t leave out! Along with the warming textures and flavors of the bread, the filling is an explosion of flavor you won’t want to miss.

When I was experimenting with different ingredients I could use to make this grilled cheese really stand out, I turned to ingredients like carrots and beets. When cooked down, beets give off a vibrant and earthy flavor that I wanted to highlight in my recipe. I added some caramelized onions that were cooked until sweet and golden brown to add an even greater depth of flavor.

I like to say that the sauce and seasonings in a dish are the star of the show, and this recipe is no exception. I cooked the vegetables in a sauce made of honey and balsamic vinegar to bring out all of the flavors and juices and give it that fancy touch! My mouth is watering as I type this because it was THAT GOOD.

Two different types of cheese are used elevate this to a whole new level, and did I mention the pesto and hummus we layered in?!! It may seem like a lot of ingredients, and you may be skeptical about these flavor combos, but I promise this recipe will become a household favorite! Just one bite and you’ll be hooked.

The Process

• First, we start by heating a frying pan with olive oil and adding thinly sliced strips of onion to the pan, cooking on medium low heat until golden brown and caramelized.
• Next, we thinly slice beets and carrots into thin ribbons using a grater and add them to the pan, cooking for a few minutes. Add in the kale until it begins to wilt.
• Time for the sauce! Add to the pan 2 teaspoons of honey and and 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and cook the veggies in the sauce for 5 minutes on low heat.
• Grate the goat cheese and manchego cheese and set aside.
• Butter one side of each slice of bread and heat a skillet on medium heat. Place the bottom pieces of bread, butter side down on the skillet.
• Spread a thin layer of hummus and pesto and layer on the cheese! Add a scoop of your veggies and place the top pieces of bread on, keeping a pot or heavy lid on top of the sandwiches while they are cooking to get the cheese to melt and the bread to crisp up!

I hope you guys love this easy and healthy grilled cheese recipe as much as I do! Let me know if you make it and leave a rating if you can:)

Happy cooking everyone!

If you want more healthy lunch and dinner recipes, I’ve got you covered! Check out my latest recipes!

• Chipotle Black Bean and Kale Tacos
• Sweet Potato Pesto Cauliflower Gnocchi Bowl
• Rainbow grilled cheese with beets, goat cheese, and caramelized onions