This margarita pizza grilled cheese has all the best elements of a pizza but much easier to knock together. Perfect for the days where you’re craving pizza but haven’t got the time or passion to make one from scratch.
I have a bit of an addiction to grilled cheese sandwiches, I could seriously eat them until I popped. Like Violet from the Chocolate Factory, only with bread and cheese instead of chewing gum. It’s a regular dinner headliner in our house, often accompanied by a piping hot bowl of soup. This Margarita Pizza Grilled Cheese needs no soup understudy, this guy is a star in its own right! A meal all in itself.
You know what I love even more than a grilled cheese sandwich? Pizza! That’s right, pizza is life. There’s nothing better than biting down on a slice of margarita pizza from your favourite Neapolitan joint (if you’re in Newcastle, you simply must visit Scream for Pizza!) Sadly recreating these beauties at home is near impossible, unless you’re fancy and have a pizza oven in your garden. No, I’m not jealous at all. That’s where these grilled cheese sandwiches really shine, all of the flavours of your favourite treat with none of the fuss.
These sandwiches are perfect for if you’re hosting a group of friends, just make the tomato sauce up to a day in advance and store it in the fridge until required. They’re such great Game Day snacks (I love that term, I wish we used it in England) or for a drunken movie night. I have a lot of those at my house, scary movies only. You should know me by now.
Tips for making Margarita Pizza Grilled Cheese:
- Butter your bread – This sounds weird but you need to butter the outsides of your slices of bread. This really helps make your grilled cheese super crisp and tasty. Some people use mayo in place of butter here, I’ve never tried it but if you fancy it, have a try!
- Fillings – Add your favourite pizza toppings to your grilled cheese. A few mushrooms, slices of pepperoni or olives can all work deliciously.
- Bread – You can use any kind of bread you like but a thicker slice works best to keep all the goodness inside.
- Cheese – I’d always advise using fresh mozzarella here, the pre grated stuff is just no good.
- Make in Advance – I wouldn’t recommend making the sandwiches in advance as they’ll go soggy but you can make up the tomato sauce a few days in advance and keep it in the fridge until needed.
- Make more – This recipe is easily doubled to make more sandwiches for a crowd.
Margarita Pizza Grilled Cheese
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 Sandwiches 1x
Description
This margarita pizza grilled cheese has all the best elements of a pizza but much easier to knock together. Perfect for the days where you’re craving pizza but haven’t got the time or passion to make one from scratch.
Ingredients
- 2tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 2tbsp tomato puree
- 1 400g tin of crushed tomatoes (I love Mutti)
- 1tsp mixed herbs
- 1 ball mozzarella, sliced thinly
- handful of basil leaves
- pinch of sugar
- 1tsp salt
- 1tsp pepper
- 4 slices of sourdough bread
- butter
Instructions
- In a small saucepan heat 1tbsp olive oil over a medium low heat. Once hot add the garlic and cook for around 1 minute until fragrant. Add the tomato puree and stir. Cook for a further minute.
- Add the crushed tomatoes to the pan, add the mixed herbs, a pinch of sugar and season with a little salt and pepper. Cook over a medium low heat for 10 minutes until thick and jammy. Set aside.
- Heat the remaining 1tbsp of oil in a large frying pan or a cast iron skillet over a medium heat. Butter one side of each slice of bread and place buttered side down on a cutting board. Spread a heaped spoonful of tomato sauce over the none buttered sides. Top 2 of the tomato breads with 4 slices of mozzarella each and top the other 2 slices with a few basil leaves. Season the mozzarella halves with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Carefully sandwich the mozzarella and basil slices together and using a spatular transfer the sandwich, butter side down into the hot frying pan. If your pan is big enough you can cook both sandwiches at the same time, if not work in batches. Fry until golden brown and crispy, flip over and do the same to the other side.
- Transfer sandwich back to a cutting board and cut in half.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: Grilled Cheese, Pizza, Margarita, Easy Meals, Sandwich, Simple
I could happily eat a grilled cheese for every meal. It’s honestly a problem. But I love this recipe because it takes a standard sandwich and makes it into something much more special!
On a separate note, your photography is incredible!
★★★★★
OMG, you must be a kindred spirit! Haha!!
Thank you so much, that’s so kind of you to say.
Katie xoxo
Wow! You had me from the first photo! Thank you for reminding me that a sandwich can be something so much more! With such simple ingredients, am def bookmarking this one.
★★★★★
Your photos are stunning! These sandwiches look absolutely mouthwatering!
★★★★★
This is exactly the kind of sandwich I needed after a busy day! It turned out perfectly and was SO delicious! Can’t wait to make it again! Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
I have a ‘thing’ for toasties and for sandwiches, in general. As I look back on my eating career, I can think of a handful of memorable sandwiches that rocked my world. This sandwich is of that caliber. Well done!
★★★★★
Wow, that is one amazing grilled sandwich. I have to make this asap.
★★★★★
YUM! Can’t wait to make this margarita pizza grilled cheese so we can taste it as a family!:) Love it. Thanks!:)
★★★★★
This pizza grilled cheese was so delicious! It was so easy to make and the whole family loved it!
★★★★★
Love every bite of this grilled cheese! So flavorful
★★★★★
OH MY GOD! This is like two of my favorite recipes in one. Drooling over here!
★★★★★