Golden Grilled Cheese Zucchini Sandwich

By Phoebe Lapine and Cara Eisenpress of Big Girls Small Kitchens for GalTime.com
Golden Zucchini Sandwich
We believe there's a pretty fine art to grilled cheese sandwiches, one that you too can achieve mastery at by watching this video .

Look, they may seem simple: some bread, some butter, some cheese. But there are finer points. And then there are tweaks.

Once you move beyond the three necessary ingredients, you move into a kind of wonderland. You get to take your wildest dreams of potential flavor combinations, then pick a cheese, pick a bread, and turn the whole thing into a hot sandwich.

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I've always loved grating summer (or winter) squash and mixing it with angel hair or any other pasta to make a quick comfort meal that nonetheless features a hint of something healthful. I figured I'd try the same with a zucchini that was just chilling in my fridge. I cooked the grated zucchini down till it was almost a spread, then I planted it on the interior of my grilled cheese. The result was as good as my wildest dreams had figured it for.

From my kitchen, albeit, to yours,

Cara, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK

**Recipe**

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2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, 1 minced, 1 made into paste with 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large zucchini, grated
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped basil, tarragon, or other fresh herb (optional)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
4 slices good sourdough bread, lightly toasted
1 cup freshly grated white cheddar (from about 4 ounces cheese)

In a small frying pan, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is just barely golden, about 1 minute. Add the grated zucchini and a large pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is cooked down and all the moisture is evaporated, about 15 minutes. It should be an almost jam-like consistency. Add the fresh herbs if using, then taste for salt and adjust accordingly. Remove from the heat.

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Meanwhile, combine the garlic paste with the mayonnaise in a small bowl and mix to combine. Spread one side of each slice with the garlicky mayo. Top the un-mayo'ed sides with a quarter of the cheese, each, pressing down so it doesn't slide around.

Distribute the zucchini mixture on top of the cheese on two of the slices, then top with the remaining two. The mayo should be facing out on all sides.

If your frying pan is large enough to hold two sandwiches, rinse it out. Otherwise, find a pan that is and heat it for about 2 minutes over medium heat. (You can also of course make the sandwiches one at a time.) Place the sandwich(es) on the pan and cook 4 minutes on the first side side, until golden on the outside and gooey on the outside, then flip carefully and cook 3-4 minutes on the second side. Remove from the pan, cut in half if you wish, and eat immediately.

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