Vegetarian Recipe: Chocolate-Hazelnut and Goat Cheese Melt

Every week on the Good Food Blog we celebrate Meatless Monday by sharing a vegetarian recipe from our archives.

Laura Werlin is the author of Great Grilled Cheese: 50 Innovative Recipes for Stove Top, Grill, and Sandwich Maker and is an authority on American cheese. She first shared this recipe for Chocolate-Hazelnut and Goat Cheese Melt on April 18, 2009.

Keep reading for the full recipe…

Chocolate-Hazelnut and Goat Cheese Melt

You’ll love how quickly this elegant and rich dessert sandwich can be made. My faithful recipe tester Annette says it’s kind of like a chocolate-hazelnut cheesecake, only much simpler to make. Usually, it’s important to press grilled cheese sandwiches with a spatula to flatten them, but with this one, it’s important not to press it, or the filling can squirt out.

8 Tablespoons (about 1/2 cup) Nutella (or other hazelnut-chocolate spread)

4 oz fresh goat cheese, at room temperature

8 slices country white bread (1/4 inch thick)

2 Tablespoons butter, at room temperature

In a small bowl, stir the Nutella and cheese together.

To assemble: Butter one side of each slice of bread. Place 4 slices on your work surface, buttered side down. Spread the cheese mixture evenly over the 4 slices so that it is about 1/4 inch thick (if it’s any thicker, the sandwich will be too gooey). Place the remaining 4 bread slices on top, buttered side up. Cut off the crusts (this helps pinch the bread together to create a tight seal).

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Put the sandwiches in the skillet (in batches if necessary), cover, and cook for 2 minutes or until the undersides are golden brown and the cheese has begun to soften. Uncover, and turn the sandwiches with a spatula. Cook for 1 minute of until the undersides are golden brown Turn the sandwiches again, and cook for 30 seconds, or until the cheese is soft and creamy. Serve immediately.