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This Grilled Cheese Florentine is a hearty vegetarian sandwich filled with baby spinach, diced tomatoes, red onion, and shredded mozzarella.
This Grilled Cheese Florentine is a hearty vegetarian sandwich filled with tender baby spinach, juicy fresh tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, and shredded mozzarella. And best of all, there’s no need to stand over the stove since this sandwich is baked in the oven. It’s a no-fuss dish that can serve as the main course or pair easily with your favorite sandwich sides.
Saturday lunches at our home are usually very casual, throw-together-whatever’s-in-the-fridge kinds of meals. More often than not, that means sandwiches. Sandwiches with lots of cold cuts and cheese.
But sometimes I just want something different. Something quick and easy, and out of the ordinary.
This sandwich perfectly fits that description. It’s different from our usual cold cut laden fare and piled so high with good-for-you and good-tasting ingredients that you might not even realize it’s vegetarian. It’s honestly one of the best grilled cheese sandwiches I’ve ever made.
And if you have eaters who want a more protein heavy sandwich, you could easily add a little sliced leftover rotisserie chicken. Yum.
How to Make Grilled Cheese Florentine
Start by combining the spinach, red onion, diced tomato, garlic, and mozzarella in a large bowl. Toss it all together until it’s well combined. Drizzle on the olive oil, add a little salt and pepper and toss again.
Now, spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and line up your bread. Top two of the slices with half each of the mixture. Really pile it up high and don’t leave anything in the bowl!
Top those with the other two slices of bread and pop it in the oven for between 7 and 9 minutes or until the spinach has started wilting and the bread is browning.
Flip the sandwiches over and cook for another 3 or 4 minutes or until the second piece of bread has toasted.
Transfer each sandwich to a plate. Be sure to scoop up any of the filling that might have escaped while in the oven and put that alongside.
You’ll want to serve these sandwiches with a knife and fork.
Add cooked meats such as rotisserie chicken or ham
Try substituting kale for the spinach
What’s the best bread to use?
For this sandwich, I chose a hearty whole wheat bread. You’ll need something substantial such as sourdough, rye, or pumpernickel. Soft breads such as white sandwich bread won’t quite stand up to the filling.
Can I use another type of cheese?
Of course. Select a cheese that melts easily and grate it yourself. The pre-grated cheeses are great for some applications, but they contain a starchy coating that doesn’t work well in this recipe. Monterey Jack or a sharp white Cheddar would be great as would any type of Swiss such as Gruyere. A tablespoon or two of grated Parmesan added to the filling would be nice.
Any suggestions for side dishes to go with grilled cheese?
I’d serve this with any type of soup (tomato, chicken noodle, vegetable), a fruit salad, a tossed green salad, or even French fries or tater tots.
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This Grilled Cheese Florentine is a hearty vegetarian sandwich filled with baby spinach, diced tomatoes, red onion, and shredded mozzarella.
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 13 minutes
Total Time: 23 minutes
Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark
2 cups baby spinach packed, washed and dried
¼ medium red onion sliced very thinly
1 tomato diced (juices reserved)
1 small garlic clove minced finely
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
4 slices whole grain bread
Preheat the oven to 425.
Combine the spinach, onion, tomato (and juices), garlic and mozzarella in a large bowl. Toss to combine.
Drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss again.
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray (or line with parchment). Place two slices of bread on the cookie sheet and top each with half the spinach mixture. Place the second slice of bread on top.
Bake for 7-9 minutes or until the spinach is wilted and the bread is toasted. Flip and cook another 3-4 minutes until toasted on the second side.
Transfer to a plate and include any of the filling that has fallen out.
Serve this delicious sandwich with a knife and fork.
Add cooked meats such as rotisserie chicken or ham
Try substituting kale for the spinach
What’s the best bread to use? For this sandwich, I chose a hearty whole wheat bread. You’ll need something substantial such as sourdough, rye, or pumpernickel. Soft breads such as white sandwich bread won’t quite stand up to the filling.
Can I use another type of cheese? Of course. Select a cheese that melts easily and grate it yourself. The pre-grated cheeses are great for some applications, but they contain a starchy coating that doesn’t work well in this recipe. Monterey Jack or a sharp white Cheddar would be great as would any type of Swiss such as Gruyere. A tablespoon or two of grated Parmesan added to the filling would be nice.
Any suggestions for side dishes to go with grilled cheese? I’d serve this with any type of soup (tomato, chicken noodle, vegetable), a fruit salad, a tossed green salad, or even french fries or tater tots.
Serving: 1sandwich | Calories: 235kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 389mg | Potassium: 382mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 3704IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 325mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
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Lana Stuart is the cook, writer, and founder of Lana’s Cooking. Lana has been cooking since she was tall enough to reach the stove and started this blog in 2009 to share her delicious home cooking recipes. You'll find about 700 recipes here so there's sure to be something your family will like!
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Barbara | Creative Culinary says:
October 17, 2012 at 3:14 pm
Wow this looks good. Love every little bit and bite about it!
October 12, 2012 at 10:36 am
Just beautiful Lana – love this!
October 10, 2012 at 11:23 am
October 10, 2012 at 8:24 am
Lana, we’ve been really trying to eat healthier at our house, more fruits and veggies, less meat. This looks amazing! If I make it for our lunch, and my wife raves about how creative I am, can I just take credit and keep the brownie point all to myself?
October 10, 2012 at 8:29 am
Absolutely. I have no idea where you got the idea for that fabulous Grilled Cheese Florentine sandwich :-)
Gio of The Hungry Giant says:
October 10, 2012 at 8:08 am
This looks so good Lana! Do you think this will still work if the spinach mixture is cooked slightly in a pan?
October 10, 2012 at 8:28 am
I think it would, Gio. But don’t cook it very much because spinach wilts down to nothing really quickly.
October 10, 2012 at 4:41 am
I love a sandwich with a heaping helping of greens, Just gorgeous!
Thanks for being here!
I'm Lana Stuart, the cook, writer, and founder of Lana's Cooking. I'm a classic southern cook who's been in the kitchen since I was tall enough to reach the stove. I started this blog in 2009 so I could share my experience gained over the past 50 years of cooking southern recipes (and more!) with all of you. You'll find more than 700 recipes here so there's sure to be something your family will like!
More About Me >>
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