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Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Kale Artichoke Pumpkin Seed Pesto Recipe

March 6, 2013 by Jeanette 18 Comments

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Grilled Cheese with Kale Artichoke Pumpkin Seed Pesto © Jeanette's Healthy LivingI’m always trying to sneak in vegetables at snack time and meal time. Kale, being a power food, is one vegetable that I would like to incorporate into more of my kids’ meals. Although sauteed kale is not their favorite, I’ve found that they will eat it by the spoonfuls if I make pesto out of it. That’s where this Kale Artichoke Pumpkin Seed Pesto comes into play.

Recently, I spotted a recipe for Pumpkin Seed Pesto made with toasted pumpkin seeds and decided to give it a try. However, as I started making the recipe, I got the brilliant idea of bumping up the nutrition of this pesto even more by adding kale (high in fiber,  vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, and manganese) and artichoke hearts (high in fiber and vitamin C). I’ve made Kale Pesto before, but never with artichoke hearts and toasted pumpkin seeds.

I have to confess I ate a few spoonfuls of this straight out of the food processor, before spreading some on homemade whole grain naan chips. When my kids came home after school, they were starving (so what else is new?). What a great opportunity to try to pack (sneak) in some vegetables. That way, even if they’re not very hungry at dinnertime, I know that they’ve eaten something that’s healthier than most snacks. On the upside, my kids might even get a few extra servings of vegetables by the end of the day.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Kale Artichoke Pumpkin Seed Pesto © Jeanette's Healthy Living

One afternoon, I made a grilled cheese sandwich for my youngest son, with a few dollops of this Kale Artichoke Pumpkin Seed Pesto. He loved it and asked me what was in it. I hesitated to tell him that there was kale in it lest he decide he didn’t want it anymore. After he was done smacking his lips from devouring his grilled cheese, I told him.

I’ve been putting dollops of this kale pesto anywhere I can think of to boost nutrition in my kids’ after-school snacks and meals, including on top of mini pizzas and inside a baked vegetarian pasta the other night. They’ve loved all the different ways I’ve snuck in this kale pesto…actually, they have no idea that I’ve been doing this so please don’t tell.

Today, I’m participating in Food Network’s Comfort Food Feast where Grilled Cheese is being featured. Please be sure to check out what all my talented foodie friends made:

Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Grilled Cheese With Kale Artichoke Pumpkin Seed Pesto
Cooking With Elise: Inside-Out Grilled Cheese With Bacon
Red or Green?: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Red or Green-Style
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches
Weelicious: Kentucky Hot Brown Panini
Virtually Homemade: Grilled Cheddar, Apple and Arugula Sandwich
The Sensitive Epicure: Individual Goat Cheese Mac & Cheese (Gluten-Free, Lactose-Free)
Devour: Caramelized Onion Grilled Cheese
Thursday Night Dinner: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
The Heritage Cook: Open Faced Grilled Halloumi Sandwiches
Big Girls, Small Kitchen: Muhammara Grilled Cheese
Feed Me Phoebe: Mexi Grilled Cheese With Avocado, Pepper Jack and Refried Black Beans
Daily*Dishin: Grilled Jarlsberg and Black Forest Ham With a Surprise
FN Dish: Grilled Cheese Goes Beyond Cheese

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Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Kale Artichoke Pumpkin Seed Pesto

This Kale Artichoke Pumpkin Seed Pesto is a great way to sneak some vegetables into your kids' meals - put dollops of it on top of pizza, inside baked ziti or lasagna, tossed with pasta (use pasta water to thin it out).
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

Kale Artichoke Pumpkin Seed Pesto

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
  • 2 garlic cloves chopped
  • 6 cups kale leaves 5 ounces
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup water or more
  • 1 cup cooked artichoke hearts
  • 1 cup cilantro leaves
  • 2 scallions chopped
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

  • gluten free rolls or bread
  • olive oil
  • low-fat cheddar cheese shredded or sliced

Instructions

Kale Artichoke Pumpkin Seed Pesto

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add pumpkin seeds. Saute pumpkin seeds until they pop a little and puff up, about 4 minutes. They do not all have to be brown. Add one chopped garlic clove and cook for one minute. Transfer to a plate to cool.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add kale leaves and cook for a minute, until kale loses its chalky taste. Drain well. Place kale, one chopped garlic clove, salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil, water, artichoke hearts, cilantro leaves, scallions, and lemon juice. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides. Add a little more water if you like a thinner consistency.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

  1. Spread a generous amount of on one side of roll or slice of bread. Top with a slice of cheese or some shredded cheese. Lightly brush outside of roll or bread with olive oil. Grill on a panini press or in a cast iron skillet until nicely browned on both sides.

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Filed Under: dairy-free, dips and sauces, gluten-free, green leafy vegetables, healthy choices, lunch, snacks, vegetarian

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Comments

  1. Monet says

    March 6, 2013 at 1:58 pm

    I adore sandwiches, and kale is so very good for you! What a delicious pesto recipe. It would taste good on so many different things. Thank you for sharing, I’m glad I found your blog today!

    Reply
  2. Cut `n Clean Greens says

    March 6, 2013 at 2:56 pm

    How inventive! We love this!

    –Your friendly Southern California farmers at Cut ‘N Clean Greens
    https://www.facebook.com/Cut.n.Clean.Greens

    Reply
  3. Caroline @ chocolate & carrots says

    March 6, 2013 at 4:11 pm

    What a beautiful looking sandwich! I love all of the greens! 😀

    Reply
  4. Melanie @ Nutritious Eats says

    March 6, 2013 at 4:38 pm

    YUM! I love this recipe and I am all about fancy grilled cheese sandwiches.

    Reply
  5. foodwanderings says

    March 6, 2013 at 10:22 pm

    I would love this Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Kale Artichoke Pumpkin Seed Pesto for lunch. Yum!

    Reply
  6. Cookin' Canuck says

    March 6, 2013 at 11:37 pm

    Now this is the way to do a grilled cheese sandwich, Jeanette! I’d be tempted to eat some of that pesto straight, too.

    Reply
  7. Carolyn says

    March 7, 2013 at 7:22 am

    I am pretty sure my kids would still be suspicious of the green stuff in this, but I think it looks wonderful!

    Reply
  8. Brian @ A Thought For Food says

    March 7, 2013 at 8:46 am

    And I thought I’d tried every kind of pesto out there… I guess not! Pumpkin seeds? That’s kind of brilliant!

    Reply
  9. Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies says

    March 7, 2013 at 11:00 am

    This is going on my must-make list. It sounds absolutely incredible!

    Reply
  10. Em @ Love A Latte says

    March 7, 2013 at 12:33 pm

    Wow I’m loving grilled cheese this week and this looks delicious!

    Reply
  11. France @ Beyond The Peel says

    March 7, 2013 at 1:35 pm

    I love kale in pesto and the pumpkin seeds are a nice touch. I started my husband on kale this way and now he gobbles it up anyway I serve it. I think its just a matter of getting the taste buds used to it (its slightly bitter) and then its easy sailing. This pesto is great for newbies and kale oldies a like. Beautiful recipe Jeanette.

    Reply
  12. EA-The Spicy RD says

    March 7, 2013 at 2:42 pm

    This looks absolutely amazing Jeanette! My kids are still fickle about kale, but the do love grilled cheese and artichokes, so maybe…. 🙂

    Reply
  13. Sommer@ASpicyPerspective says

    March 8, 2013 at 10:33 am

    Ooo, pumpkin seed pesto sounds divine!

    Reply
  14. Cara says

    March 8, 2013 at 10:58 am

    If you could just send one my way, that would be awesome 🙂

    Reply
  15. Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) says

    March 9, 2013 at 9:41 am

    The green color might be a giveaway that there are vegetables in it, but this pesto looks wonderful and I look forward to trying it.

    Reply
  16. Kelly Senyei | Just a Taste says

    March 12, 2013 at 9:16 am

    I am a pesto enthusiast, but I’ve never thought to try this combo! It looks fantastic and so incredibly flavorful. Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply
  17. Kelly @ Life made Sweeter says

    March 15, 2013 at 9:56 pm

    This looks wonderful and fabulous for sneaking in some extra veggies for my son and hubby hehe. Thank you for the brilliant recipe and I love your blog!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      March 19, 2013 at 10:15 pm

      Thanks Kelly – I’m always looking for new ways to get my kids (and their friends) to eat more vegetables. Pesto is a great way to do this.

      Reply

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Hi! I'm Jeanette - welcome! Step into my kitchen, where you'll find healthy dishes packed with flavor and goodness.

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