Pesto Mozzarella Grilled Cheese Waffle Sandwiches. (With a Paleo or Gluten Free/Vegan Option)

by Brittany on August 9, 2013

Post image for Pesto Mozzarella Grilled Cheese Waffle Sandwiches. (With a Paleo or Gluten Free/Vegan Option)

Wow that title is a mouthful, but let me tell you, these sandwiches are amazing. I was on a pretty huge waffle kick for almost a week and decided to make sandwiches with some of the leftovers I had. The result: pure cheesy,gooey heaven!

Waffles are a great substitute for bread in this recipe, because unlike bread, which can be difficult to find if you have a lot of food allergies, waffles are a little more forgiving. They’re pretty easy to find in store or make on your own!

Since I didn’t want ANYONE to miss out on this recipe (and the waffle sandwich recipes I have to come in the next week)  I created and posted 3  extra crispy basic waffle recipes:

A Paleo Recipe

A Paleo /Egg Free Recipe

 Basic Gluten Free/Vegan Recipe  (for those with nut allergies).

imageedit_9_2691315591

Pesto Mozzarella Grilled Cheese Waffles.

 

  • 8-10 waffles (Using THIS recipe) or frozen waffles. 
  • 1 eggplant, peeled and sliced thinly

For each waffle sandwich:

  • 2 slices of mozzarella (dairy or nondairy) 
  • 1 Tablespoon pesto
  • 2 slices eggplant
  1. To prepare the eggplant, slice thinly and put in a colander with salt to sweat out moisture. Let them sit for 30 minutes and press with a paper towel to remove as much moisture as you can. 
  2. Line baking sheet with eggplant slices and cover with 2.5 Tablespoons of oil. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until slightly translucent and cooked through. Set aside.
  3. To assemble your waffle sandwich, put a slice of cheese on top of a waffle, cover with pesto, eggplant and another slice of cheese and put the other waffle piece on top.
  4. In a saute pan with a little butter (dairy or nondairy) or oil, cook the sandwich on medium-low, covered, until the cheese melts. Once the cheese starts melting you can turn the heat up to medium so that the waffles gets nice and crispy on the outside. Flip the sandwich and cook on the other side until crisp.

Recipe notes:

  • If using frozen store bought waffles- put them in the toaster once to thaw them and get them at least a little crispy before assembling them  into sandwiches (and then toast a second time in the pan as called for in the directions) .  My waffle recipes freeze really well, and should be treated in the same manner (toast first). Otherwise the frozen waffles won’t cook through enough.   If using freshly made waffles, then don’t worry about putting them in the toaster before assembling into sandwiches. 

-Brittany-

Be Sociable, Share!
  • Tweet

{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }

ticamom August 10, 2013 at 12:22 am

I can’t wait to try this! Couple of questions: (1) can you double the waffle recipe to make a bigger batch? (2) any brand pesto you recommend? Thanks!

Reply

Brittany August 10, 2013 at 12:32 am

Sure! You can double the recipe :)
And I just used trader joes pesto!

Reply

Erin W. August 15, 2013 at 10:18 pm

Thanks for posting! I just found your blog today and will be looking at and trying lots of your recipes, I can already tell!

I’m not a big fan of eggplant, but I would really like to try this recipe. What would you recommend using as a substitute? I’m sure it would still be delicious with a simple omission of the eggplant, but I bet it would be good with other things as well.

Reply

Brittany August 16, 2013 at 12:38 am

How about some roasted zucchini?? :) or maybe avocado slices with the pesto and cheese!

Reply

Erin W. August 16, 2013 at 4:06 pm

OMG… Avocado sounds YUMMY! So does the zucchini though. Looks like i’ll be making this a few times, at least. :) Thanks a lot!

Reply

Brittany August 16, 2013 at 4:13 pm

If your on instigram take pics and tag me!! I’d love to see :) ( I’m at brittany_angell )

Reply

Tisha August 24, 2013 at 5:05 am

Hi Brittany! You are amazing! You are a genius! I love how you think outside the box. Waffles for sandwiches! This will work when I don’t have time to make GF bread! You are a blessing to people like me searching for creative ways to make a gluten free meal! I used to bake A LOT using gluten (whole grains). But after going gluten free (and sugar free) I really felt at a loss. I have to say I don’t miss the gluten and I love the challenge of satisfying my family. I am a homeschooling mom with 5 wonderful children (8 years-8 months). I just don’t have to experiment like I used to. I like my kids to enjoy the things other kids do without the gluten and sugar. I figure they get enough of that when I am not around! So THANK YOU so much.

Reply

Leave a Comment

Previous post:

Next post: