Hot giardiniera grilled cheese is crispy golden and stuffed with lots of cheddar and giardiniera. The secret to the hot giardiniera grilled cheese is the homemade mayo or aioli made from the oil in the giandiniera.

Welcome to the post that makes my favorite condiment shine.

I love giardiniera. For those of you not familiar, it is a pickled and spicy veggie condiment popular throughout the midwest.

I love to add it to pizzas, especially frozen pizzas, for a little kick.

It is great on beer brats and hot dogs.

Lucky for you guys I even have a recipe for homemade giardiniera on the blog already!

My family most commonly uses giardiniera as a topping for Italian beef sandwiches with a good schmear of pub cheese as well.

The key to using this condiment to its’ fullest it so balance the spice out with something fatty like cheese or a meat.

I usually add some giardiniera to Mike’s grilled cheeses when we have a soup and sandwich dinner.

Then I saw this article on the Takeout for alternative uses for leftover giardiniera oil.

I saw his version of the aioli and knew I had to do it!

Except I did it my way.

There is also a helpful video of the process over on Instagram. 

First, I blended together 1 cup of giardnieria oil with a little lemon juice, Dijon, salt, and one egg. There is your mayo/aioli.

It has all the spice you need and gives a perfect crisp to the grilled cheese.

If you do not like mayo on grilled cheese:

Give it a try!

Or if you have an egg allergy or are truly averse to eggs, just butter the bread and pour about a tablespoon of the hot giardiniera oil to a skillet when you make the grilled cheese.

The filling of the grilled cheese is shredded sharp cheddar and a little mozzarella mixed with chopped up giardiniera.

I like to add a big heaping tablespoon of the hot giardiniera aioli or mayo (whatever you call it) to the cheese and mix it together with the chopped giardiniera veggies.

Think of the filling to the grilled cheese as pimento cheese sort of.

Again, if you don’t like mayo or eggs, just add the cheese and veggies to the sandwich as it cooks.

A lot to take in inside this post.

A lot of work for a grilled cheese, I know.

But, if you love giardiniera as much as I do, then it is so worth it!

Hot Giardiniera Grilled Cheese

Yield: 2 sandwiches

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 7 minutes

Total Time: 17 minutes

Hot Giardiniera Grilled Cheese sandwich with gooey cheddar, mozzarella, and bits of giardiniera with a giardiniera aioli spread on the crust.

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Ingredients

• For the aioli:
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup giardiniera oil (or a mix of hot giardiniera oil and avocado oil if you don't have a full cup)
• juice from 1/2 a lemon
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• big pinch of salt
• For the sandwich:
• 4 slices Brioche Sandwich Bread
• 1/2 cup Hot Giardiniera Aioli
• 1 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella
• 1/2 cup chopped hot giardiniera

Instructions

1. To make the aioli, combine all the ingredients in a 16oz, wide- mouth jar. Use an immersion blender to blend everything until smooth, combined and a mayo consistency appears.
2. Spread equal amounts of aioli on each slide of bread. Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium/low heat.
3. Place the slices of bread aioli side down on the griddle/skillet. Top each slice with a little bit of the cheeses and the giardiniera.
4. Cook the bread until the cheese starts to melt, about 4-5 minutes. Flip one slice over the next slice. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 4 more minutes until golden. If you see the bread getting too dark, reduce the heat.
5. Let the sandwiches rest for a few minutes on a plate or cutting board before slicing and serving.

Notes

If you want more giardiniera flavor, add a heaping tbsp of the aioli to a bowl along with both cheeses and the giardiniera veggies. Mix to combine and then top the bread with the mixture.

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  Lodge Cast Iron Skillet, Pre-Seasoned and Ready for Stove Top or Oven Use, 10.25", Black