Loaded Pizza Grilled Cheese

A crispy, buttery sourdough grilled cheese loaded with pizza sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, mushrooms, peppers, onion and olives. Ready in under 20 minutes.

4.9 from 7 votes

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 8

Total Time 18

Course Main Course, Main dishes

Cuisine American

Servings sandwiches

Calories 835 kcal

Ingredients

4 large slices sourdough bread cut about ½ inch thick from a sourdough round
2 tablespoon butter softened
½ cup pizza sauce plus more warm sauce for dipping, if desired
6 Mozzarella cheese slices about 6 oz; provolone also works
16 slices Pepperoni about 1 oz
½ cup Mushrooms thinly sliced
¼ cup yellow bell pepper finely diced
¼ cup red onion thinly sliced
2 tablespoon sliced black olives
¼ cup Diced tomatoes canned, well drained
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning optional

Instructions

Heat a panini press to medium, or heat a large skillet or grill pan over medium-low heat.
Spread the softened butter evenly over one side of each bread slice. Place 2 slices butter-side down on a cutting board and spread each with 2 tablespoons of pizza sauce.
Top each sauced slice with 1 ½ slices of mozzarella. Divide the pepperoni, mushrooms, bell pepper, red onion, black olives and diced tomatoes between the two sandwiches, sprinkle with Italian seasoning if using, and finish with the remaining mozzarella.
Spread the remaining pizza sauce on the unbuttered side of the last 2 bread slices and set them on top, sauce-side down and butter-side up.
In a panini press, cook for 4 to 6 minutes, until the bread is golden and the cheese is melted. In a skillet, cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, pressing gently with a spatula; cover the pan while the first side cooks to help the cheese melt.
Let the sandwiches rest for 1 minute, then slice in half and serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping.

Notes

For softer vegetables, sauté the mushrooms, pepper and onion in 1 teaspoon of oil for 2 to 3 minutes before building the sandwiches. Drain the diced tomatoes well so the bread doesn't get soggy.

Nutrition

Calories: 835kcalCarbohydrates: 77gProtein: 38gFat: 42gSaturated Fat: 22gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 113mgSodium: 2107mgPotassium: 655mgFiber: 5gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 1302IUVitamin C: 43mgCalcium: 540mgIron: 7mg

Nutrition details are an estimate, per serving.