Grilled Apple, Ham, and Swiss Cheese Sandwich
This Grilled Apple, Ham, and Swiss Cheese Sandwich is a fun and easy way add more apples to your diet. Everyone loves this sandwich–even kids, as surprising as that seems.
Apples are “nutritional powerhouses”, jam packed with vitamin C to boost your immune system, vitamin B to keep your nervous system healthy, and lots of dietary fiber to regulate cholesterol and blood sugar.
Which one is the healthiest? Red delicious or Pink Lady take home the gold medal in that category. Red delicious are usually the least expensive, so they’re easy on the wallet but in my opinion may not always be the tastiest (I like to mix them with a Granny Smith). Of note, most of the nutrition is in the RED peel so NO peeling. I find if I slice them really thin, kids don’t mind the peeling as much.
Which apple do kids like best? Recently I had a group of teens taste test 8 varieties. The Jazz apple was the hands down favorite, with Honeycrisp a close second.
I’m using Granny Smiths in this recipe. Interestingly recent studies show that they are not only healthy for the reasons I’ve already mentioned, but they can play an important part in helping to fight obesity.
Apples contain almost no fat, sodium or cholesterol. They’re low in calories (about 95 for one) and high in fiber (3-4 g and we need at least 25 g for women, 38 for men) so they keep your digestive system healthy and fill you up–perfect for helping dieters and kids avoid unhealthy snacks when hunger pangs attack.
Making the Sandwich
A favorite recipe I’ve tried with kids and teens is this delicious Grilled Apple, Ham, and Swiss Cheese Sandwich with the addition of just a little bit of spinach. The sandwich starts with whole grain bread (high in fiber). Then Swiss cheese (high in calcium and lower in fat), thinly sliced ham (protein) and Granny Smiths apples are added.
- Brush one side of each bread slice with olive oil, placing one slice on the grill (oil side down).
- Then layer the ingredients–apples, ham, spinach and cheese.
- Spread mustard on the remaining slice of bread, the non-oiled side.
- Top the sandwich, mustard side down. Grill on side for a couple of minutes.
- Flip and grill the other side until cheese is melty.
Notes and Hints
I carefully use a mandolin to slice the apples really really thin, being extremely careful not to slice my fingers in the process (It’s been known to happen). This sandwich can be made on a George Foreman grill so it’s also perfect for dorm life.
Any variety of apple can be used for the Grilled Apple, Ham, Swiss Cheese Sandwich recipe, but I chose to use Granny Smith.
And for a meatless meal, feel free to leave the meat out of this recipe. It still tastes really good without it, especially with an extra slice of Swiss.
Other Favorite Recipes
Grilled Caesar-Style Chicken Sandwich
Cuban-Style Pork Sandwich (Cubano)
Grilled Apple, Ham and Swiss Cheese Sandwich
Ingredients
- 2 slices whole wheat bread
- 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil
- ½ Granny Smith apple cored and very thinly sliced
- 1 slice Swiss cheese
- 1 slice deli ham thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard or honey mustard
- ½ cup spinach leaves or to taste (optional)
Instructions
- PREHEAT a grill pan, skillet or George Foreman Grill over medium heat.
- BRUSH one side of each slice of bread with the olive oil. PLACE 1 slice of bread, olive oil side down into the pan. ARRANGE the apple slices evenly over the top. TOP with slice of ham, spinach if you're using it and Swiss cheese. SPREAD mustard on other slice of bread then place it on top of the sandwich in pan, mustard side down, olive oil side up.
- GRILL until the bread is golden brown and then FLIP the sandwich over. COOK until the other side is golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 1 to 2 more minutes.
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