Grilled Cheese, Lightened Up
Who doesn’t love the ooey-gooey goodness of a grilled cheese sandwich? You can enjoy the scrumptious combo of toasted bread and melted cheese without throwing your healthy eating plan out the window.
Bread & Cheese
A typical grilled cheese can tip the scales at 700 calories per serving. When made with hefty amounts of cheese and butter, your sandwich’s saturated fat content skyrockets — not very heart-healthy!
Because the ingredients for this dish are minimal, you want them to be high quality and full of flavor (diet bread and fat-free cheese just won’t do!). Choose a whole-grain bread that has 110 calories or less per slice and match it up with a small amount — only 100 calories worth — of a really flavorful cheese such as Manchego, Swiss or goat cheese. Pre-sliced, low-fat cheeses usually have about 70 to 100 calories per slice — cheddar, Jarlsberg Lite, provolone or pepper jack are all yummy choices and as long as they’re low fat or part skim, you’ll still get the flavor.
Layering in the Flavor
Instead of just relying on cheese to bulk up your sandwich, add flavorful ingredients that are lower on the calorie scale. Spread on your favorite condiments and toss in just about any veggie you can think of or even a fruits such as green apple slices or a tart jam spread. You can also add in some hunger-fighting protein to keep your sandwich satisfying without the fat (though, yes, we know that is veering off from the classic).
- Here are some winning combinations:
- Turkey, Swiss and sundried tomatoes on whole-wheat bread
- Low-fat cheddar, honey mustard and granny smith apple slices on multi-grain bread
- Goat cheese, tomato and baby spinach in a whole-wheat pita
- Part-skim mozzarella, basil and roasted red pepper on whole-wheat bread
- Manchego, arugula and olive tapenade on an English muffin
- Jarlsberg Lite, grilled chicken breast and BBQ sauce on potato bread
- Low-fat cheddar, salsa and spinach on multi-grain bread
Heating It Up
When it comes to grilling your sandwich, pass on the butter or oily griddle. Use a nonstick pan or panini press along with some nonstick cooking spray. The cheese will be melty and the bread toasty without adding in additional calories and fat from gobs of butter.
- Recipes to Try:
- Grilled Blue Cheese and Fruit
- Easy, Spicy, Veggie Grilled Cheese (shown above)
- Light Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
- Herbed Goat Cheese Sandwiches
- Pressed Cheese Sandwiches
[Photo by Annacia / Recipezaar]
TELL US: How do you make grilled cheese?
haha – i just got finished eating a grilled cheese – wish I would've had this article before I ate it…it was the full fat version:( all of these sandwiches sound so good
Along with using healthier cheeses and whole grain breads, what we do is bake them in the oven on a cookie sheet @ 425° for about 4 minutes on each side (slightly longer if you like it toastier than that). I don't always, but sometimes I will spritz the outside of the bread with a dash of Parkay spray before baking- it is a bit tastier that way. Either way, it still hits the spot when we're craving that comfort food (especially with a cup of my husband's homemade tomato-basil soup), but with way less crap than the grilled cheeses we used to consume!
I pack a grilled cheese sandwich to school almost everyday. I use 1 slice of cheese and add bell pepper, tomato, onions, and/or spinach. I use a sandwich press (the kind that makes a diagonal mark on your sandwich) so there's no grease/butter used. It tastes and smells amazing!
Our new obsession is one you mentioned: "Low-fat cheddar, honey mustard and granny smith apple slices on multi-grain bread." We did ours off of a recipe in Clean Eating magazine. My husband, who is a purist when it comes to anything involving cheese, absolutely loves the new version.
I like to switch it up with some pizza sauce, part skim mozzarella, and mushrooms on whole-wheat bread…. tastes like a pizza hot pocket!
i love to use a sandwich maker….i use a thin slice of bread (usually wonderbread or some multigrain bread from t&t) that's worth slightly more than a 100 calories. I put a slightly heaping tablespoon of skim cheese (not processed ones
) and a slice of ham. The good thing is that you get a lot out of one tablespoon of cheese because it melts and the slice of bread isn't that big at all (just your regular slice of bread). I like it plain and simple – cheese and ham!!
I toast my bread in the toaster, top with cheese and melt in the microwave. We use what ever cheese we have on hand, sometimes a couple different ones, sometimes a slice of ham, sometimes sliced tomatoes. No fry pan or griddle required.
cheddar with turkey bacon and pears on whole wheat
I never thought of putting fruit on my sandwich and will try this.
2 slice of Natures Own double fiber wheat, 1 slice Jarlsburg Light Swiss, 2 oz low sodium turkey breast, 2 slice tomato, 1 tbsp new style coney island mustard… AMAZINGGGGGGGGGG
210 calories and incredibly filling
Sounds delicious ~healthy and flavoful. My kind of sandwich!
Most mornings for breakfast we have one slice of bread, what ever we are eating at the moment, with reduced fat white American done in the toaster oven – open faced. I prefer several thin slices to one thick on
May
I make an open face sandwich. Toast wholesome bread in the toaster, spread with light mayo, put any type of sliced cheese on top, very thinly sliced tomatoes, top with a sprinkle of chili powder. Put under broiler until cheese is melted. Yum! Great with tomato soup on a cold day.
Along with the cheddar cheese, I had two slices of Canadian Bacon to my grilled cheese! It packs on tons of protein and helps me to stay full longer!
A great breakfast or afternoon snack. I make an open faced sandwich. Toast your favorite healthy bread in the toaster and top with a couple of tablespoons of cottage cheese. Add a layer of thinly sliced apples, sprinkle with cinnamon and pop in the broiler til bubbly and hot.
The lowfat cheddar,salsa,spinach combo is yummy!
Vegan friendly version: http://www.fourgreensteps.com/community/recipes/s...
Grilled cheese with sliced tomato or lightly fried onions is also great.
Laughing Cow cheese is great on grilled cheese!!!
This article is exaggerating extremely. A typical Grilled cheese consists of 2 slices of bread (Wheat bread is usually 50 calories per slice white is usually 90) And two slices of american cheese which are 100 each. If you dont use a whole lot of butter or use I cant believe it's not butter spray which gives the same results and has no calories at all you would really only have a 300- 410 calorie sandwich. And those calorie counts are taken right off the packages. So everyone should be sure to add up the calories in their own recepie before jumping to believe this article in full.
Hi Aquamarine –
Thanks for your comment. It's very true that there can be a wide range of possible calorie counts for a dish like grilled cheese. We carefully check and analyze numerous recipes, restaurant menus and other documented calorie and fat information for the nutrition info in our articles. Since many grilled cheese recipes call for numerous slices or large chunks of cheese along with tablespoons of butter, the calories can easily top 700 calories per serving.
I use my George Forman grill–no need to buy a panini press to eliminate the butter when making grilled cheese. I have even added very thin slices of plain tofu to bulk up the sandwich and add protein without adding a different flavor–this works well with a very flavorful cheese and veggies.
There is a grilled cheese that is healthy an will make your body happy…… try advacado with tomatoes and baby swiss… low in calories. For best flavor dill rye bread no butter but grapeseed oil. Let me know what you think.
I agree with Aquamarine 100%!!! …. I mean a Big Mac from McDonalds doesnt even top 600 calories, so how on earth can 2 slices of bread with a some cheese and butter possibly top 700 calories, no way!!! … even with two slices of cheese and some extra butter!? … I dont agree with this article, and It is extremely exaggerated … But hey, everyone out there who wants to loose weight as much as I do, try the healthier ways of making a grilled cheese … Im sure it couldn't hurt to add some goodness to our diets!
http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/nutritionexchange/...