Nothing in life is more satisfying than a good grilled cheese. Bold statement? I know. It’s okay. You know what else is bold? The flavor in this grilled cheese with onion jam with tons of melty cheese, some zesty parsley, and perfectly grilled bread.

It was a snow day (the bomb cyclone snowstorm of early 2018) and I was working from home and Dan had off. We ended up with 4-5 inches of snow, and crazy strong, freezing cold winds. During the day, I had two work calls with just about 45 minutes in-between and no lunch plan. Our kitchen was unusually bare, since it was just a few days after the holidays. We were surviving on leftovers, but I knew we had bread, a few assorted block of cheese, and leftover salad.

My lightbulb moment: grilled cheese using this amazing garlic and onion jam.

It’s ambitious to try and come up with a recipe, make it, photograph it, and eat it in 45 minutes. But it is possible, and this delicious sandwich is here to prove it.

I’m happy to say this lunch option came together in less than 20 minutes, meaning Dan and I had a minute to sit down and enjoy lunch together on a Thursday. I can’t remember the last time that happened!

On the side, we had a leftover salad with shaved brussels sprouts and kale, cara cara oranges (my favorite!), toasted walnuts, and a balsamic dressing.

Seriously, I can’t remember the last time I had a lunch that was this tasty and this healthy. Whenever I’m not eating last night’s dinner leftovers, I’m typically having a frozen Trader Joe’s pasta. I know, I could do better.