I've taken a whipped feta dip and used it as a sandwich filling, along with blistered cherry tomatoes and a touch of shredded mozzarella for a tasty gourmet grilled cheese you won't forget.
You can't make it far on Pinterest during the summer months without seeing a whipped feta recipe, often accompanied by tomatoes.
I wanted to do my own take on this trend and create a whipped feta grilled cheese with blistered tomatoes for July's Grilled Cheese of the Month. It's so crispy, creamy, smooth, flavorful, rich, and satisfying all at once!
I have to be honest though. While I'm SO in love with the sandwich itself, I'm not in love with the pictures I took. Not my best work. But we can get past that, right?
Now, here's what you'll need to make this whipped feta grilled cheese for yourself.
Whipped feta grilled cheese ingredients
- Thick, good quality crusty white bread
- Butter
- Feta cheese
- Cream cheese
- Olive oil
- Shredded mozzarella
- Butter
Making whipped feta
If this is your first time making whipped feta, don't skip this section!***
It's important to let your feta and cream cheese come to room temperature before "whipping" them. Otherwise, you'll have no luck getting that whipped, creamy texture you want.
I always use my mini KitchenAid food processor for making whipped feta and it works like a charm. If you don't have a food processor, you could beat the cream cheese, feta, and olive oil with a hand mixer or a stand mixer. OR, use some elbow grease to do it by hand.
Blistered cherry tomato ingredients
- Cherry tomatoes
- Minced garlic
- Fresh herbs: Basil is a must, but you can get creative with the rest. I just used fresh basil and rosemary.
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
There are a lot of recipes out there for cooking cherry tomatoes.
Some of them call for roasting them in the oven, but my favorite way to do it is in a cast iron skillet. It's WAY faster and so easy.
I'll include really specific instructions for blistering cherry tomatoes in the recipe box.
IMPORTANT
If you've read any of my other grilled cheese recipes before, you've seen me talk about this and it's worth mentioning each time: grilled cheese ingredient quantities really depend on the size of the bread you're using! Smaller slices of bread don't need as much butter, cheese, etc.
You'll notice my recipe makes quite a lot of whipped feta. You probably won't use all of it on your grilled cheese.
But I make these recipes with the BIGGEST slices of bread in mind. After all, it's better to have too much butter and cheese than not enough, if you ask me! But just go ahead and spread as much on as you'd like and save the rest for dipping veggies or chips into.
Whipped feta grilled cheese with blistered cherry tomatoes
📖 Recipe
Whipped Feta Grilled Cheese with Blistered Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients
For the Blistered Cherry Tomatoes
- 1 heaping cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- a small handful of basil and other fresh herbs Don't skip the fresh basil! Use at least 2 tbsp. or 1 teaspoon dried.
For the Whipped Feta Grilled Cheese
- 1 cup feta cheese* crumbled, room temperature
- ¼ cup cream cheese* room temperature
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 slices thick, crusty white bread
- ½ cup mozzarella shredded
- 4 tablespoon butter**
Instructions
For the Whipped Feta
- Add room temperature crumbled feta and cream cheese to your food processor, or a large mixing bowl. Slowly pour in one tablespoon of olive oil while you pulse the food processor or use your mixer. The cheeses will blend and create a whipped, creamy mixture. Remember: your cheeses must be room temperature or they won't blend.
Blistered Cherry Tomatoes
- Heat a heavy cast iron skillet on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add oil, then stir in minced garlic for about 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add the cherry tomatoes (watch for splashing!) and let sit for 2-3 minutes until they start to blister. Give them a quick stir and let them sit for about 2 more minutes. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, fresh torn basil, and any other herbs you're using. (I like to burst my tomatoes with the back of a spoon or else they'll explode when you bite into your sandwich!). Set aside.
Whipped Feta Grilled Cheese
- Melt four tablespoons of butter in the microwave. Spread or brush the melted butter on one side of each slide of bread. Spread the whipped feta** on the other halves, then top with shredded mozzarella and blistered tomatoes. Top with the other bread slices, buttered side out.
- Heat a sauce pan on medium heat. Once hot, place the buttered sides of the bread down. Cover, and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until your bread is golden brown. Carefully flip the sandwiches and cook on the other side until golden brown. Serve HOT! Don't forget the napkins–it can get messy!
Notes
Hope you love it!
If you're looking for other great summer meals, check these out:
- VEGETARIAN SUMMER SALAD WITH GARDEIN CRISPY TENDERS
- VEGETARIAN FISH SANDWICH WITH HOMEMADE TARTAR SAUCE
- ZUCCHINI FRITTERS WITH FETA, RED ONION, & DILL
XO - C
Kelsey
this sandwich was AMAZING. Added ham to my husbands and he loved it too. So decadent - will be making again!
chelseaxoandso
You made my day! Thanks Kels!