I love giving past-time classics a little grown-up flare.

A week or so ago, I had a friend of mine ask me if I had any good recipes for college students on a budget. I couldn’t help but immediately think of a grilled cheese sandwich. Who doesn’t love grilled cheese? Gooey melted cheese holding together two pieces of buttery toasted bread – it’s a nostalgic meal that is so easy to make while being super friendly to the wallet.

However, there comes a time when what you ate as a kid requires a little “revamping”. Yes, you can absolutely still enjoy the classic, but it doesn’t hurt to add some nutritious and delicious ingredients that will turn this kiddie favorite into something you’d find on the menu at a gourmet restaurant.

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 slices of whole grain bread (or any bread of your choice)

2 slices of cheddar cheese

1 half of an apple, sliced very thin 

About 1 cup of raw spinach leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a small non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Build your sandwich by first placing a slice of bread in the pan with a slice of cheese on top. Layer the thinly sliced apples over the cheese. The cheese will hold the apples in the sandwich after it melts.

Next, create a bed of spinach on top of the apples and sprinkle with a dash of salt and pepper.

Lastly, place your last slice of cheese and bread on top of the spinach and lightly press the sandwich down before flipping to the other side. Toast the sandwich in the pan on each side for about 3-4 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the bread is crisped to a golden brown.

The heat from the pan will soften the apples and slightly wilt the spinach which makes this sandwich gooey, crunchy, sweet, and savory. The saltiness from the cheese (I like to use extra-sharp cheddar) pairs perfectly with the sweet crunch from the apples. Be sure to leave the skin on the apples when you slice them for some extra vitamins that you can’t get from the flesh alone.

I like to dip my sandwich in yellow mustard. Try dipping in light ranch, honey mustard, balsamic vinegar, or keep it simple by eating it plain. Either way, it’s absolutely delicious – you should definitely try it out.