Oh my! This sandwich was better than we ever expected. It was so good that my daughter Anjali kept saying “I want to have more cause its so yummy, but I’m getting full.”

So unexpected given that this grilled cheese is made with kale. Seriously though, the combination of kale, leeks and gruyere cheese in a grilled cheese sandwich is just phenomenal!

The Inspiration

The inspiration for this grilled cheese sandwich was two fold – one was from a cookbook called On Toast where the authors Ryland Peters and Small had a recipe for leek and gruyere toasted sandwich with mustard spread. The second inspo was a bunch of kale waiting to be used. Fortunately my kids never complain when I cook with greens, and so I decided to add hefty kale in a grilled cheese.

The recipe

I first cooked kale with leeks, then slathered Dijon mustard and gruyere on good farm bread, and grilled it with butter. The result is this over the top grilled cheese sandwich. It’s gooey, buttery, mustardy, with lots of flavor from the leeks and kale.

Use Kale

It’s the kale folks that gives this sandwich its amazing flavor. Kale has a chewy hefty texture that’s perfect in this grilled cheese. When cooked with leeks, kale adds a nice bite that works in perfect harmony with gruyere.

Why not spinach or chard? Honestly both these greens get too soft when cooked, and will make the sandwich soft and mushy inside. Stick with kale, it’ll taste amazing and your sandwich will be a nice big buxom sandwich.

Kale and Leek Grilled Cheese Sandwich
makes 4 grilled cheese sandwiches

Ingredients:

1 bunch of kale ribs removed and finely chopped (about 4 cups)
2-3 leeks light green and white parts finely chopped
2 cups grated gruyere cheese
Olive oil
Butter
Dijon Mustard
Salt and pepper
8 slices of farm bread or sourdough

Directions:

In a saute pan warm 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the leeks and cook for about 3 minutes until tender. Then add the kale and cook for 3 minutes until the kale is tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside

Get ready to assemble the sandwiches: Spread mustard on slices of bread. On the reverse side spread butter on the slices. Place butter side down. To the mustard pile on grated gruyere then add a generous amount of kale leek mixture. Cover with another slice with mustard side down. Get ready to toast the sandwiches on the stove top.

Warm an omelette pan. Toast the sandwich on the stovetop until both sides are golden and cheese is melted.

Cut the sandwiches in half and serve right away.

Bon Appetit!