This Vegan Blackberry Pesto Grilled Cheese features layers of vegan mozzarella cheese, smashed blackberries and a homemade basil mint pesto stuffed between two pieces of grilled gluten-free, vegan bread for the perfect upgraded grilled cheese sandwich!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Little Northern Bakehouse. The opinions and text are all mine. The gluten-free, vegan bread used in this recipe was sent to me as a gift, thank you so much!
Say hello to a FULLY vegan and gluten-free grilled cheese sandwich! This isn’t the first appearance of vegan grilled cheese on the Healthy Little Vittles blog, you may have seen my Pea Pesto Grilled Cheese or my Kale + Baby Portabella Grilled Cheese, but this grilled cheese recipe not only looks gorgeous from the smashed blackberries, but it features a fully gluten-free, vegan bread from Little Northern Bakehouse!
I used to love real cheese paired with berries- it’s such a delicious combination with just the right amount of sweetness from the berries. Luckily dairy-free cheese has made some major strides in the food industry and the options are pretty great now!
What hasn’t been all too great, until now, is gluten-free vegan bread. There are some pretty great gluten-free breads, but most of them use eggs. Little Northern Bakehouse Organic Original Bread is not only certified gluten-free, but fully vegan, allergy-friendly and now has a certified organic option in three varieties: Organic Original, Organic Ancient Grain, and Organic Oatmeal! I try to buy organic whenever possible to ensure my family and I are getting limited exposure to synthetic herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers, or bioengineered genes (GMOs), and now thanks to Little Northern Bakehouse I am happy to add bread to that list!
So to go along with the stellar organic gluten-free, vegan bread, I decided to not only pair the blackberries with vegan mozzarella cheese, but I wanted to add some gorgeous green to this grilled cheese sandwich. Pesto is one of my favorite stuffing choices to pack in some added nutrients. In this particular pesto I’m using two herbs that pair so well with blackberries- basil and mint.
Despite how swanky this grilled cheese sandwich looks, it’s still super simple to make and changes things up a bit from the norm, again adding some other flavorful nutritional plant-based elements. And Little Northern Bakehouse Organic Original Bread really shines as it’s made with organic brown rice and oats, organic chickpea flour, organic psyllium husk, and organic ground flaxseed to add a great serving of fiber!
Not to mention you’ll get a serving of protein as well! I know that’s something that other gluten-free breads don’t provide 😉 Be sure to head to their website to locate a store that carries Little Northern Bakehouse and check out their other delicious products!
I would love to hear how you like this fancy schmancy grilled cheese sandwich, my hubby raved about it, so I’m pretty confident you’ll love it too! Be sure to leave a comment below, and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Facebook if you make these Vegan Blackberry Pesto Grilled Cheese!
Vegan Blackberry Pesto Grilled Cheese
This Vegan Blackberry Pesto Grilled Cheese features layers of vegan mozzarella cheese, smashed blackberries and a homemade basil mint pesto stuffed between two pieces of grilled gluten-free, vegan bread for the perfect upgraded grilled cheese sandwich!
Ingredients
- Gluten-free, Vegan Bread from Little Northern Bakehouse
- Vegan Mozzarella Cheese
Pesto
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/4 cup avocado/olive oil
- 3 tablespoons vegan parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup packed basil leaves
- 1 tablespoon packed mint leaves
- salt to taste
Smashed Blackberries
- 6 ounces blackberries, smashed
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- pinch salt
Instructions
- First, make the pesto. Blend all pesto ingredients together in your food processor/blender and set aside.
- Heat the skillet over medium heat.
- Next, place the washed blackberries, maple syrup, and salt into a bowl and smash them with a potato masher or fork.
- Place the vegan mozzarella cheese on a greased/oiled skillet to allow it to slightly melt.
- Butter 1 side of the bread then place onto the skillet, on top of the cheese. Allow the cheese to melt for another couple of minutes and then using a spatula, scoop under the melted cheese and flip the cheese and bread over to grill the bread.
- Add a spoonful of pesto on top of the cheese and then add a spoonful of smashed blackberries on top of the pesto. Top with another slice of bread with the outside of the bread buttered.
- When the underside of each sandwich is golden brown, gently flip the sandwich and grill the other side until golden. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
**Recipe developed for Little Northern Bakehouse
