Grown-Up Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

A new take on a familiar favorite pairs grilled cheese with a BLT for a luscious veggie-packed sandwich that feels like an indulgence. Serve with zesty dill pickle spears. If you have extra room in your budget, pair with a sweet-tart hard cider.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 sandwich)

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1 cup vertically sliced red onion
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp white cheddar cheese (such as Cracker Barrel)
• 8 (1 1/2-ounce) slices hearty white bread (such as Pepperidge Farm)
• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves
• 8 (1/4-inch-thick) slices tomato
• 6 slices center-cut bacon, cooked

Preparation

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add 1 cup onion and garlic; cook for 10 minutes or until tender and golden brown, stirring occasionally.

2. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheese over each of 4 bread slices. Top each slice with 1/2 cup spinach, 2 tomato slices, 2 tablespoons onion mixture, and 1 1/2 bacon slices. Sprinkle each with 2 tablespoons cheese; top with the remaining 4 bread slices.

3. Heat skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Place sandwiches in pan, and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cheese melts.

Nutritional Information

Calories:376

Fat:11g (sat 5.3g,mono 4.8g,poly 0.6g)

Protein:20.2g

Carbohydrate:50.3g

Fiber:3.3g

Cholesterol:24mg

Iron:2.9mg

Sodium:876mg

Calcium:308mg

**We all loved these sandwiches! I couldn't believe how tasty they were despite not having any sauce, condiments on them. The onions were very flavorful and sharp cheddar was definitely the way to go!