Open-Face Vegetable Melts with Pesto

The recipe and photography for this post was provided by Carolyn Hodges of The Dinner Shift.

Garlic toast meets grilled cheese in these quick and easy open-face sandwiches! Throw in some sautéed vegetables and basil pesto and you’ve got one totally satisfying dinner. While quicker cooking vegetables work best here (think bell peppers, mushrooms and zucchini), feel free to use any mix of vegetables you have on hand. This is also a great way to re-purpose leftover roasted or grilled vegetables.

To start, toast some sliced multigrain bread under the broiler for a few minutes. Then, rub the top of each slice with a halved garlic clove. Pile on the sautéed vegetables and finish with a slice of provolone cheese. Send them back to the broiler for a couple minutes (just until the cheese melts) and serve with a spoonful of basil pesto.

Open-Face Vegetable Melts with Pesto

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 4 cups chopped, quick-cooking vegetables (bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, etc.)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 loaf Heinen’s Multigrain Bread
• 2 whole peeled garlic cloves, halved
• 4 slices Heinen’s provolone cheese, halved
• ¼ cup Heinen’s Pesto Sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the vegetables and sauté for 10 minutes, or until tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper; remove from heat and set aside.
3. While the vegetables cook, slice the bread into 8 slices (1-inch thick) and arrange in a single layer on a sheet pan (you will have some bread leftover). Brush one side of each slice of bread with the remaining oil. Transfer sheet pan to the broiler to toast the bread for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges (keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn). Remove pan from oven and, once cool enough to handle, rub the tops of each bread slice with the halved garlic cloves.
4. Top each slice of bread with 1/8 of the vegetables, followed by half a slice of provolone. Return pan to broiler and toast for 2-3 minutes more, or until cheese melts. Serve topped with 1-2 teaspoons pesto sauce.

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