Grilled Cheese Pita Sandwich
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure.This grilled cheese pita sandwich is like everything you love about a traditional grilled cheese, with a Mediterranean twist! Whole wheat pita bread is stuffed with fresh veggies and gooey cheese, then grilled to perfection for a comfort food classic the whole family will love! The best part – they’re ready in under 30 minutes!
Healthy recipes that taste super decadent are one of my favorite things to make. A good grilled cheese is one of my favorite recipes, so I decided to change things up and make it healthier and even more flavorful than the original version!
These grilled cheese pita sandwiches are going to become your new favorite lunch or light dinner. They’re gooey on the inside, crispy on the outside, and totally delicious!
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These cheese pitas make for an easy recipe. It’s a great recipe to make with the kids, or an easy weeknight meal you can pull together in minutes. Use this recipe to create pita pockets, or stuffed pitas. It’s just as easy as a grilled cheese sandwich, but full of fresh vegetables making it much healthier!
👩🏽🍳 Why This Recipe Works
- Super simple recipe
- Quick and easy meal
- Kid-friendly
- Gluten free option, easy to make vegan friendly
- Less than 30 minutes of total time
- Healthy sandwich option
- Best Mediterranean grilled cheese pita ever!
🥘 Ingredients
This pita grilled cheese recipe calls for just a handful of simple ingredients, easily found at most grocery stores! For detailed ingredient amounts and nutrition facts, see the recipe card below.
- Whole Wheat Pitas: Use whole wheat pita bread for increased fiber and whole grains.
- Cheese: Because you can’t make cheesy pita bread without cheese! Mozzarella cheese and feta cheese combine to get that melty, gooey texture of grilled cheese but with more complex flavor thanks to the tangy-ness of the feta.
- Veggies: I used a combination of baby spinach leaves, roasted red peppers and kalamata olives, but you can use any fresh vegetables you like!
- Herbs & Olive Oil: Garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, salt and pepper help to put a Middle Eastern take on the classic grilled cheese sandwich.
📖 Variations
- Halloumi Pita Flatbreads: Use halloumi cheese instead of the feta! You can also make a hummus grilled cheese by spreading hummus inside of the pita before adding the cheese!
- Za’atar Grilled Cheese Recipe: To make a za’atar sandwich, sprinkle 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp za’atar inside of the cheese pita bread sandwich before you grill it.
- Gluten Free: use a gluten-free pita instead of regular whole wheat for these pita bread grilled cheese sandwiches.
- Vegan: Simply omit the cheese or replace with a vegan variety.
- Different Cheeses: Swap out the goat cheese for mozzarella, swiss, parmesan or any other shredded cheese if you want a milder taste.
- Pita Pies: If you want to make a big batch of these all at once, cut open your pita rounds and lay one half them flat on a baking sheet. Top with cheese, veggies, and the other half. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, flip, and bake for another 10 minutes until golden brown.
- Optional Additions: Try some crushed red pepper, other fresh herbs like fresh basil or fresh oregano, or even green onions or pine nuts for some crunch in this grilled pita sandwich!
🔪 How To Make Cheese Pita Sandwiches
Cook Spinach: Heat the oil over a medium heat and sauté the baby spinach until wilted. Add the garlic and onion powder and dried oregano. Toss to coat and set aside.
Prepare Pita: Slice the pita pockets in half.
Stuff Pita: Stuff the each pita half with the veggie mixture and cheese filling.
Cook Sandwiches: Lightly spray a grill pan or large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Place the stuffed pita pockets onto the hot pan and cook for 5 minutes, until you see the cheese melt.
Finish Cooking And Serve: Turn the grilled cheese pita bread over, and cook for another 5 minutes – until lightly golden brown. Remove and serve immediately.
❓Recipe FAQs
Whole Wheat Pita: Refined white flour, this Greek pita sandwich is made with whole wheat pita. This adds fiber to the dish which helps with digestion, regulating blood sugar, and and lowering cholesterol.
Low In Fat And Calories: This pita melt is made with a light amount of feta and mozzarella cheese which is naturally lower in fat and calories. There’s also a small amount of cheese used compared to traditional grilled cheese. Using thin crust whole wheat pita also reduces the total fat and calories.
Fresh Veggies: Baby spinach, peppers, and olives add flavor as well as vitamins and nutrients.
The answer is – it depends! If you are comparing white pita bread to sprouted wheat bread, then that type of pita bread would not be healthier than whole grain sandwich bread. However, whole wheat pita is also good source of fiber and protein, with minimal fat. And one whole wheat pita will normally have less calories than two slices of bread, making it slightly healthier!
Yes you can! Certain cheeses melt better than others, and using a combination of cheeses allows for more complex flavor in your sandwich.
For a classic grilled cheese, I love using a combination of cheddar and gouda or Monterey Jack cheese, but you could use American cheese, Havarti, goat cheese, shredded parmesan cheese, or even brie! Different types of cheeses melt differently – so if you’re going to use a cheese like parmesan or feta which doesn’t melt as well, I recommend pairing it with a super melty cheese like cheddar or jack cheese.
This Greek cheese pita recipe is best made and served fresh. To save time, I recommend preparing the filling ingredients in advance, storing them in the fridge, and then stuffing & grilling the pitas when you’re ready to eat.
If you have leftovers, store the vegetables and herbs in separate containers in the fridge. Wrap the pita bread in plastic wrap and store at room temperature. You can also store any unused pita bread in the freezer – it will keep for up to 3 months.
💭 Expert Tips
- Be sure to use whole wheat pita with around 3-4 grams of fiber.
- When it comes to toppings, less can be more. Overloading the pita with toppings makes it too heavy to hold and the cheese stuffed pita bread will fall apart when you try to eat it.
- Don’t forget to season your veggies with a bit of salt and pepper.
- For a complete meal, serve this grilled cheese pita sandwich with this Creamy Asparagus Soup, or a fresh salad such as this Keto Greek Salad.
- Nutrition information is an estimate and may vary depending on the brand of pita bread you use!
🥪 More Delicious Grilled Cheese Recipes!
- Garlic Bread Grilled Cheese
- Goat Cheese Grilled Cheese
- Grilled Cheese With Pickles
- Sourdough Grilled Cheese
- Cheddar Cheese Buns
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📋 Recipe Card
🎥 Watch How to Make It
Cheese Pita
Ingredients
- 2 tsp Olive Oil
- 2 cups Baby Spinach Leaves
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Onion Powder
- ½ tsp Dried Oregano
- ¼ cup Kalamata Olives Halved
- 1 cup Fresh Mozzarella, Sliced
- 1 Roasted Red Bell Pepper Peeled And Sliced
- ¼ cup Crumbled Feta Cheese
- 2 Whole Wheat Pita Pockets
- Olive Oil Cooking Spray
Instructions
- Heat the oil over a medium heat and sauté the baby spinach until wilted. Add the garlic and onion powder and dried oregano. Toss to coat and set aside.
- Slice the pita pockets in half.
- Stuff the pita bread with fillings.
- Lightly spray a grill pan with spray oil and heat.
- Place the stuffed pita pockets onto the heated pan and cook for 5 minutes, turn and cook for another 5 minutes, making sure not to burn.
- Remove and serve immediately.
Notes
- Fillings can be cooked and prepared ahead of time. When you’re ready to serve, stuff the pita pockets and grill to order.
- You can toast the pita pockets either in a panini sandwich press or on the grill pan, just use whichever one you have!
You took grilled cheese to a whole new level. The addition of veggies with the melted cheese is amazing.
Yay!! Thanks Gina! 🙂
This is such a great way to enjoy grilled cheese! Especially when you like putting a lot of things on it. Much less mess 🙂
Totally right?? I love how easy it is to stuff the pitas before you grill them!
This recipe was so perfect for my kids. They are now huge fans of the idea.
Awesome! My kids love this recipe too!
Perfect lunch! We had some homemade sourdough pita bread leftover from last night and decided to make your recipe for lunch today! Lovely! Both myself and my husband enjoyed it and it took us right back to Mediterranean holidays!
Aw yay! I’m so happy to hear that Ieva!
This pizza looks so delicious! What a superbly healthy take on the classic pizza recipe.
Thank you! Enjoy!
Goat cheese on pizza in so good. Love how easy these are to make. Perfect for a busy weeknight dinner.
We make this during the week all the time for dinner – it’s fast, easy and healthy too!
Love how easy this is and I’m a big fan of goat cheese so can imagine it tastes yummy in there.
Thanks Caroline! You will love this recipe!
Using pita bread is a great way to may personal size pizza. Definitely great if you are preparing this for just one or two people. 🙂
Totally!! It makes the prep and cleanup so much easier too!
Fantastic pita pizza with some of my favorite toppings. The amount of verggies in it is just perfect!
Hooray! So happy to hear that Mahy!
Beautiful recipe And photos! I’m going to make this next week using some vegan cashew feta cheese.
Thank you so much Monique!! Love the idea of using cashew cheese for a vegan option too!
Made these for a girls’ wine and cheese night and my friends were totally impressed! Super simple to make, and you can taste the flavors of all the ingredients. They look pretty when they are done, and taste even better!
Oh yay! I’m so glad to hear that Lauren! 🙂 I recently made these for a wine and cheese night too – they’re the perfect finger food!
This sounds insanely tasty…for one, I love goat cheese pizza too:)
Looks fantastic! I love goat cheese, too, so I may have to give these a try.
Oh my gosh, this looks ridonkulously good! I’m a huge fan of goat cheese and pizzas are a great vehicle for them!