There’s nothing quite as comforting as a grilled cheese sandwich on a cold day. This vegetarian version pairs gooey, melted Brie cheese with sweet pears, toasted hazelnuts and arugula.
Whenever I make a grilled cheese sandwich, I get a sudden craving for a bowl of soup, preferably tomato. This certainly is born straight from the lunches that my mum and I shared together at The Avenue Grill in Vancouver when I was a kid. It changed hands many years ago, but when we frequented the little restaurant, it was a dingy hole-in-the-wall that served simple diner food. It was the perfect place to nestle into a booth and chat over bowls of soup and golden brown grilled sandwiches.
This sandwich is certainly fancier than what they served at The Avenue Grill, but it takes mere minutes to put together. Pile the country-style whole wheat bread with slices of Brie cheese, sweet pear, toasted hazelnuts, peppery arugula and a drizzle of honey. When the bread is golden brown and the Brie cheese is melting down the sides, the sandwich is ready.
The recipe:
On 4 slices of bread, lay the Brie cheese, pear, honey, hazelnuts and arugula, dividing evenly between the slices.
Lay the remaining 4 slices of bread on top to form sandwiches.
Preheat a cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Brush the top slices of bread with olive oil.
Place the sandwiches top-side down in the preheated skillet. Brush the other slices of bread (now the top) with the remaining olive oil.
Cook until the bottom slice of bread is golden brown. Flip over the sandwiches and cook until the other side of the sandwich is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
Cut the sandwiches in half and serve.
More grilled sandwich recipes:
Cookin’ Canuck’s Grilled Italian Panini with Zucchini, Summer Squash & Basil
Cookin’ Canuck’s Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Jarlsberg Fondue, Ham & Tomato
Panini Kathy’s Wild Mushroom Melt Panini
Heo Yeah Yum’s Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Tomato-Onion Jam & Arugula
Food Wanderings in Asia’s Raspberry Chipotle Barbecue Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich
From the kitchen of Cookin Canuck. www.cookincanuck.com
Ingredients
- 8 slices country-style whole wheat bread
- 4 oz. Brie cheese, sliced
- 1 medium ripe pear, sliced
- 4 tsp honey or agave nectar
- 4 tsp chopped hazelnuts, lightly toasted
- 1 cup (packed) arugula leaves
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- On 4 slices of bread, lay the Brie cheese, pear, honey, hazelnuts and arugula, dividing evenly between the slices.
- Lay the remaining 4 slices of bread on top to form sandwiches.
- Preheat a cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat.
- Brush the top slices of bread with olive oil.
- Place the sandwiches top-side down in the preheated skillet. Brush the other slices of bread (now the top) with the remaining olive oil.
- Cook until the bottom slice of bread is golden brown. Flip over the sandwiches and cook until the other side of the sandwich is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
- Cut the sandwiches in half and serve.























{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
You had me at every single one of these ingredients!! XO
Gorgeous, Dara! Grilled cheese is the ultimate in comfort food. Brie can be so rich, the arugula and apple are a great touch!
Y- ES.
Splendid use of ingredients, Dara! Mrs. W. will be completely enamored by this sandwich. Thak you for sharing the recipe.
I’m a fool for grilled cheese and you have outdone yourself with the brie, pear and hazelnut combo. Love this Dara!
You had me at Brie and lost me at hazelnuts. But, then I thought … you can use pecans. Wow! What a comination!
Even my husband – who doesn’t like people messing with his basic process cheese trilled cheese sandwich – approved.
Brie and pear is my fav fruit and cheese combo. The grilled cheese sandwich with them and walnuts – oh yes, I’m sold!!!
Love the addition of hazelnuts for a nice crunch. Not the biggest brie fan (I know, something is wrong with me!) but I would do this with goat cheese or old cheddar. Yum!
I love trying new and different combinations in my grilled cheese. This one sounds absolutely fabulous.
I loooove this recipe!
I so wish I had all the ingredients to make this for lunch today, this sandwich looks divine!
Love these flavors for a grilled cheese!
Now that’s my kind of grilled cheese! Lovely flavor combinations.
Yummo! These ingredients are PERFECT for each other.
Grilled cheese sandwiches are a great comfort food, I agree! I still haven’t tried one all dolled up with different cheeses and fruit so I’m excited to try the brie and pear combo! Looks tasty and addicting!
I am a brie fanatic – this sandwich was made for me!!
This is the ultimate grilled cheese for me!
I am a first time visiter to your blog and I can hardly sit still after seeing your post. I want to run right out and buy the ingredients to make the cool grilled cheese sandwich. I am vegetarian, so what a pleasant surprise to see this. I have puppies to feed and exercising to do, all things I love as much as food, really. But, when I go shopping tomorrow I will be armed and ready.
I also love your website and the recipe section just for me. Sweet!
I looooove soup and sandwich this time of year. I had grilled cheese (sprouted grain bread, provolone cheese and banana peppers, with garlic, yummy!) and tomato soup (organic tomato or black bean) every day last week. Still love it!
Thanks again. I’ll be back for sure!!
UM. YUM! I think I am going to go and make this right now… it’s 8 am… perfect time for a grilled cheese sandwich!
It helps that I always have hazelnuts and brie on hand. Pears, too!!
Scrumptious! I’ll swap out the honey for some homemade chutney, sneak in a slice or two of turkey or Westphalian ham and smile with every bite of this delicious sandwich.
I love grilled cheese with pear or apple. Sweet and savory!
If there was any brie to be had within 50 miles of here, I would make this for lunch, beautiful!
Now that is one nice looking grilled cheese sandwich!
I definitely want to try this out… I bought some brie coated in herbs the other day and I’m sure it would taste amazing this way.
I’ve been getting into all kinds of grilled cheese lately, and you certainly can’t go wrong with Brie!