Parmigiano & Fig Grilled Cheese

parmigiano & fig grilled cheese / loveandlemons.com

A few weeks ago Whole Foods set out to break the Guinness World Record of number of Parmigiano Reggiano wheels cracked simultaneously. Jack and I were the “official” witnesses of Parmageddon at our Austin store. I know what you might be thinking… how does the lactose intolerant girl get herself into these things?

Well, first of all, Jack will not ever turn down an opportunity for free cheese. And second, in recent years I’ve learned that hard cheeses don’t have very much lactose, and that I don’t have as much of a problem with really high quality cheese. (ie. just say no to the processed Kraft green canister).

parmesan fig grilled cheese / loveandlemons.com

But what’s really special about this freshly cracked parm is that it’s so soft, light and buttery you could eat slivers of it all by itself. Or make fancy grilled cheese out of it like I did. I paired mine with sweet fig jam, a drizzle of balsamic, and some peppery arugula.

parmigiano & fig grilled cheese / loveandlemons.com

600 wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano were cracked that day throughout stores in the US, Canada and the UK, so you still have some time to go try it out yourself.

Special thanks to Whole Foods for partnering on this post.

parmesan & fig grilled cheese

 
Author:
Ingredients
  • sourdough bread slices
  • grated fresh parmesan cheese (or blend of parmesan & white cheddar)
  • fig jam
  • a few sprigs of arugula, per sandwich
  • butter or olive oil, for the pan
  • optional: drizzle of balsamic vinegar
Instructions
  1. Assemble sandwiches with cheese fig spread and (optional) a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
  2. Heat butter or oil in a pan or grill pan. Grill for a few minutes per side, pressing sandwiches down with the back side of a spatula. Or for a panini press effect (without the press), weigh them down by placing a heavier pan on top.

32 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it):  

  1. Rachel
    01.20.2015

    This was DELICIOUS! Just made this on a panini press (with a cup of roasted tomato soup). I found the fig spread in the produce section at Whole Foods. Thanks for the recipe!

    • jeanine
      01.21.2015

      so glad you liked it! Isn’t that fig spread from Whole Foods amazing?

  2. Loren from blogs.cetis.ac.uk
    05.24.2013

    What’s Taking place i’m new to this, I stumbled upon this I have found
    It positively helpful and it has helped me out loads.
    I am hoping to give a contribution & aid different customers like its helped
    me. Good job.

  3. Emily from rainbowdelicious.com
    04.24.2013

    Oh man, these were so amazing! For some reason I thought I would be the only one to like these in my family, but I was SO wrong! My husband and kids (ages 1 and 3) all loved them and I had to make a second batch for everyone 🙂 I shared this recipe in a recent meal plan on my blog, thank you!

  4. julia from beautyandsomebeef.com
    04.05.2013

    Oh my goodness – I’m not even such a fan of sandwiches generally but this one looks out of this world! I’ll definitely try it out tomorrow!

    Love all your recipes, I have you on the inspiration page of my blog.

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.