Because I add spinach to everything. I keep frozen spinach on hand so I can toss a handful into whatever I’m cooking and spinach felt like such a natural addition to my usual grilled cheese. I also added a little feta cheese for a tangy punch, a few spicy flakes of red pepper, and toasted it up on some good bread. The result was something truly spectacular. This Spinach Feta Grilled Cheese only takes a few minutes more than regular grilled cheese, and it’s SO worth the extra effort. No joke, you’ll pay about $8 for something like this at your local cafe, but not at home!
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Is This a Melt or a Grilled Cheese?
Okay, so technically this type of sandwich is called a “melt.” A melt is a grilled cheese that has other ingredients added, like vegetables or meat, whereas a grilled cheese is a cheese-only grilled sandwich. While the difference between a melt and a grilled cheese often sparks heated debates, I want people to be able to find this recipe on the internet and the data shows that people are searching for “spinach and feta grilled cheese,” not “spinach and feta melt”. The English language is fluid, and the use of the term “melt” is declining. So here we are!
What Kind of Bread is Best for Grilled Cheese
I originally used ciabatta bread for this recipe, but it wasn’t available this time around so I chose a nice sourdough bread instead. Homemade focaccia would also be nice. Because the ingredients in this recipe are a little more hearty than your everyday grilled cheese sandwich, I would suggest using any sturdy bread that can hold up to the filling ingredients. Skip the soft white bread for this one. ;)
What Kind of Spinach to Use
I used frozen spinach for this recipe because it’s easy to keep on hand without worrying about it spoiling, but you could absolutely use fresh spinach if you have it. Just sauté it down until most of the moisture is gone, just as I did below with the frozen spinach.
As far as frozen spinach goes, you’ll want to buy the kind that comes loose in a bag rather than the type that is frozen into a block. That will allow you to thaw just enough for this recipe while leaving the rest in the freezer for your next cooking adventure.
What to Serve with Spinach and Feta Grilled Cheese
As with any grilled cheese sandwich, this spinach and feta version goes great with a cup of tomato soup. But you could also serve it with a little dish of pasta sauce or pizza sauce for dipping!
What Else Can I Add?
Oh, there are so many delicious possibilities for add-ins here: olives, artichokes, red onion, parmesan cheese… I’d not be against putting an egg on there, too. ;)
Spinach and Feta Grilled Cheese
Servings 2 1 sandwich eachIngredients
- 1/2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.08)
- 1 clove garlic, minced ($0.08)
- 1/4 lb. frozen chopped spinach ($0.42)
- 1 pinch salt and pepper ($0.05)
- 4 slices bread ($1.00)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.20)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella ($1.15)
- 1 oz. feta ($0.62)
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper ($0.02)
Instructions
- Add the olive oil and minced garlic to a skillet. Sauté over medium heat for about one minute, then add the frozen spinach (no need to thaw), and a pinch of salt and pepper. Continue to sauté over medium until most of the moisture has evaporated from the skillet.
- Spread butter over one side of each of the slices of bread. Flip the bread over so the buttered side is facing down as you build the sandwiches.
- Divide half of the shredded mozzarella between two slices of bread. Top the mozzarella with the crumbled feta.
- Divide the cooked spinach between the two sandwiches, then top with the remaining shredded mozzarella and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. Top each sandwich with the second slice of bread, buttered side facing out.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-low. Once hot, add the sandwiches and cook on each side until golden brown and crispy on the outside and warm and gooey on the inside.
- Cut the sandwiches in half and serve!
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Nutrition
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How to Make Spinach and Feta Grilled Cheese – Step by Step Photos
Add a 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and one minced clove of garlic to a small skillet. Cook the garlic for about a minute, then add ¼ lb. frozen spinach (you can just estimate ¼ of a one pound bag, or ⅓ of a 12oz. bag). Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and continue to sauté over medium until most of the moisture has evaporated.
Spread about ½ Tbsp butter over one side of each slice of bread (four slices).
Flip the bread over so the unbuttered sides are facing up. Add about ¼ cup shredded mozzarella to two of the slices. Top each with a little crumbled feta.
Add the cooked spinach on top of the mozzarella and feta.
Add another ¼ cup shredded mozzarella to each along with a pinch of crushedred pepper. Top with the second piece of bread, butter side facing out.
Heat a large skillet over medium-low. Once hot, add the sandwiches. Cook for about five minutes on each side, or until golden brown and crispy on the outside and melty and hot on the inside.
Slice the sandwiches in half and serve!
Ooohhhh yesssssss.
OMG, this was amazing! Made better only by the addition of mushrooms, which I love to add to just about everything. I only had fresh spinach, and not frozen, so I don’t know if it would have tasted even better, but it was pretty amazing with fresh too. I will definitely be making this often!
Way too easy, yet flavorful! Made 6 mini grilled cheeses for mom, husband and myself and we all enjoyed them very much. This and the spinach artichoke grilled cheese are my new favorite quick bite recipes.
ETA rating!
These sandwiches were delicious. The mozz and feta were so oozy when the sandwich was warm. I thought I would miss the cheddar, but I didn’t. The addition of spinach was an extra treat, too. Paired these with the Roasted Red Pepper Soup. Delicious combination. It’s a blustery October night in WI. Soup was the tickwet.
So simple and absolutely delicious!!
These were fabulous! We had a Mediterranean herb feta on hand, and used it. Talk about delicious! We will make this again soon!
I was genuinely shocked at how incredible these were for how simple the recipe was. The red pepper flakes delivered the perfect kick. The feta was tangy and paired marvelously with the mozzarella. I feel like the spinach could have used a tad more flavor but that’s my personal taste. Great recipe!
Great idea with the improvised panini-press Beth. Thanks!!
Holy cow! That was better than it should have been. Genius. We served it with tomato soup and my kids actually didn’t complain about the spinach. thanks for a great recipe!
I will try this one for sure
These were scrumptious
I’ve been meaning to hop on here FOREVER and mention that I use this recipe every couple of weeks for an easy lunch for my wife and me. The only change I’ve made is we use naan instead of the ciabatta – I layer naan, cheese, spinach and cheese, then another slice of naan, spray both sides down with just a -tiny- bit of cooking spray, and then pop it in the oven @ 350 for about 15 minutes, flipping over halfway through. Great fast lunch that I can let cook with minimal checking while I get back to work. Thanks!
hello, i just find your website and i am in love. I am a college student in Greece and this year I am trying to create a meal plan.But because, you know grocery shopping when you want to make something unique and healthy every day can be really expensive. The problem is that I am a foodie and I like big variety and balanced meals and thats not always in by bugdet. I really liked your recipes and once I try them I’ll send you a picture on Instagram !!! Have a nice day
Thank you!! :)
Made this about 3 times now husband loved it ! :) is very delicious with red onion
was pretty good think im gonna try fresh spinach next time and less cheese . I acidentally put too much cheese.
I wanna try this at home. This looks perfect for breakfast and snack for kids.
Excellent sandwich. Used fresh spinach and pretzel rolls because store was out of ciabatta rolls but the flavor was delicious. Will be making these again.
I’m eating these right now, no joke. LOVE them, super quick and tasty!
I made these last night, and they were awesome! So much better than a standard grilled cheese!
I used the Foreman grill to press them, which worked OK, but I’ll try the method listed in the recipe instead next time.
Oh wow, these were absolutely amazing! The best ever. I am new to your site and have made my meal plans this week based mostly on your recipes! This is so, so good! I used fresh spinach and we only eat eziekiel bread in this house. I halfed the recipe and made one sandwich for myself, but when I finished eating it I was deeply regretting not making two!
OMG! After this, I think I will troll the discount bakery rack for ciabatta rolls every time I am at the grocery store!
This looks soooo goooood! I want to make every recipe and eat it all at once, but I think I will start with this one.
The consensus of the house was these are the BEST sandwiches I’ve ever made! Thanks for making me look good!
made this using fresh spinach leaves. Soooo yummy!!
This is a tasty, but the textures not well suited between a thick crisp ciabatta filled with a ‘slippery’ spinach and slimy mozzarella. Needs something more, or a different type of bread. Perhaps more suited on a flat crispy tortilla, melted in the oven.
I just tried this recipe this afternoon – soooo delicious! I didn’t have feta cheese so I just used mozzarella and parmesan/romano that I had around the house and mixed in some petite diced tomatoes as well. We also had Campbel’s tomato soup on the side. I’d definitely makes these again :)
great recipe … beth will you marry me
WHAT A TASTY SANDWICH. i HAD A QUESTION , DO YOU THINK I COULD AN ACTUAL PANINI GRILL? THANKS IN ADV
Yes :)
Made this with mini ciabata rolls and ended up with 5 sandwiches instead of 2. Absolutely fantastic.
Look for Greek feta, it’s made from sheep/goat milk, has a unique taste and comes in anywhere at about $6-$9 a pound in the US, depending on location and brand. You won’t need to use as much Greek feta, so no sense in getting a domestic feta that’s priced the same and made from cow milk, unless of course you really like the taste of the domestic feta you used.
This sandwich is so GOOD!!! I was able to find ciabiatta bread and feta cheese for $2.99 inside the deli section at the grocery store. Since I cooked too much spinach, I’m going to make this sandwich again for breakfast tomorrow. This is my first time making this recipe from Budgetbytes. Thank you Beth for this recipe. :-)
I made these tonight for 4, tripled the garlic, used 2bags of fresh spinach, so very good, used my bread master too
Yum! I made this for dinner tonight along with a chunky homemade tomato soup and it’s just a grown-up comfort food. Loved it!
I don’t even like grilled cheese and I LOVE this. The weighted pan makes the roll so nice and crispy!
These are very good (isn’t all warm gooey cheese?), but my favorite part of this dish was Beth’s Thick and Rich Pizza Sauce I made for the dippin’ sauce. That is the best pizza sauce EVER!
Where is the recipe for the pizza sauce?
You could really use any marinara or pizza sauce, but here is the recipe for my Thick & Rich Pizza Sauce.
I used the homemade rolls and since I had some leftover roast lamb I added that. Delicious!! Love the flavors, a great change from regular grilled cheese :)
This was amazing. I made the whole recipe not realizing it was for two but now I have another amazing sandwich waiting for me. Definitely is amazing with the marinara. Had leftover spaghetti sauce that I used and definitely complements the flavor. Such a great website to find!
Hi Beth,
Thank you so much for this recipe!
Since I’ve been eating waaay too much cheese lately I wanted to make it a bit ‘healthier’. So I decided to use cottage cheese instead of mozzarella. It’s more filling, lower on calories and where I live it’s also a lot cheaper!
Thanks so much for the inspiration, they were delish!
I like cottage cheese. I think I ll try it with it
Loved it! Definitely a winner . Next time I’ll add artichoke to the spinach mix :)
Love the idea for this as an easy dinner when my classes run late! Think pita would work as well as ciabatta?
Yep, you could do that. Or, you could even put it between a tortilla and make it into a quesadilla! :)
I made a version of these but didn’t have any mozz so just used feta and fresh spinach because that was all I had. I used some hot sauce instead of the pepper flakes and it was extremely delicious. Thanks!
Shut the door! This is like those greek treats, but ciabatta bread instead of phyllo dough! Can’t wait to make this!! Thanks for sharing! (LOVE the panini hack – awesome!)
I just made this and it is soooo good! Such a great idea. Love the panini hack idea, I always wanted to make them and now I know that I can without having to buy a panini press. Love this blog so much it’s my new favourite, thanks for all of the great recipes!
Wow! Just made these along with your Vegan Lentil Soup for dinner tonight (Meatless Monday) and had to force myself to stop after one! Tastes like a Spanikopita Sandwich — yum! Two thumbs up from hubby too!
I made these for dinner tonight and OH MY GOD. Seriously so good. I ended up using my mini griddle which is basically a small panini press. Worked like a charm!
I made these last night and added sun dried tomatoes…so yummy, but one side of the bread got burnt and turned black…did I leave it on the stove too long? I used your focaccia recipe for the bread. Also, love the new book!!
Yes, you may have left it too long or just had the heat slightly too high. Grilled cheeses are one of those things that you just have to get a feel for. :) It will be different depending on the thickness of your skillet, too.
I love this, Got to try it!!!!
These were delicious! All eight of us loved them–thanks for a great idea!
I just made these with cheddar instead of mozzarella and used small pitas because that’s what I had.
My press was an iron skillet which made them pretty flat and messy, but they were SO yummy.
Thanks, Beth!
This recipe is awesome, my husband is in love with it!
Lovely easy recipe, thank-you. The world becomes a better place when you add bacon, and the same is true for this. Crispy diced bacon gave it some texture, taste and saltiness.
Great site Beth.
This has become my new favorite grilled cheese. I have to substitute swiss for the feta and mozzarella, but it still tastes fantastic. Trying to make a no sodium version of your focaccia rolls so I can have these be low sodium to have with tomato soup.
I made this for my roommates the other night. Besides adding a bit more garlic I followed the recipe exactly and LOVED IT! Despite the humble amount of ingredients they all synergize well making a delicious dish with strong flavor.
This looks incredible. I am going to have to give it a try!
Tried this recipe today very yummy! I used French bread instead of the chibatta.
This was DELICIOUS. I would highly recommend this to anyone. Easy, fast, affordable! YUM.
I couldn’t agree more!
These were great, thanks! Added some lightly sauteed red onions and shrooms.
Oops, sorry, forgot to rate ;)
Made them last night and they were great. They remind me of the spinach rolls they sell at the local pizzeria.
I love this- especially the panini press hack. And of course, working on my night cheese. Thanks for sharing!
Grilled cheese sandwiches are pretty much all that I eat recently because my girlfriend is outta town for vacation and I have to cook for myself. My first sandwiches were really ugly and disgusting but these guys taught me how to do it right http://wowmp3.net/watch/GaxyzK2mHqw/You-re-Doing-It-All-Wrong-How-to-Make-a-Grilled-Cheese-Sandwich Anyways I think I’m ready for a change… This recipe looks great and I’m sure I can handle it. Plus, it’s always good to add some veggies to your daily menu. Cheers!
I just made this, and it was incredible. I had to use some buttered slices of Italian bread since we didn’t have any cibata on hand. But I did have fresh mozzarella and fresh spinach on hand, so I couldn’t resist trying it. I bet this would be great for a party too, perhaps get a long loaf of bread and load it up with the fillings and throw it on a grill or bake it in the oven, then slice it up.
Yesss! This looks SO good. I’ve never thought of dipping grilled cheese in tomato sauce like that, such a great idea!!
love the garlicky spinach in there! toasted cheese sandwiches are so decadently delicious, but i always feel i need to try to slip in some tomato slices or something green, so the guilt doesn’t destroy the treat. and raw veg just makes them wet–ugh. this will be awesome with the focaccia rolls, which i’m making tonight (again–because we aren’t allowed to run out of them at my house).
1) I love the 30 rock reference!
2) This looks too easy and I can’t wait to try it out soon!
These look ridiculously gorgeous. Thanks for the ideas!
Sophie x
oh my goodness. you may be a genuis! this looks so good.
Made this tonight using reduced fat mozzarella and crumbled goat cheese. SO YUMMY! Perfect sandwich for a lazy Saturday.
Oh wow this looks so good! I love how few ingredients this one includes as well, adding it to my menu list for this upcoming week.
I was so excited when this recipe popped up on my feed this morning. I was even more excited when I realized I had everything on hand that I needed to make these. I made them for lunch, and my husband and I both loved them. Simple, and delicious. Thank you for sharing!
Yum, this looks fantastic! I love spinach and feta, and putting it in a grilled cheese is genius!
I LOVE the panini press hack. I’m going to have to try it soon :)
This looks amazing.
I always end up with a little bit of fresh spinach at the end of a bag of salad, and this will be an awesome way to use that up! I think Bacon or Prociutto will also be an awesome add in here (I mean when is it not). Definitely going to try this for my next “Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup” craving.
looks amazing must try thank u so much same as always u did ur best