Grilled cheese should not be boring!
Do this–open your cheese drawer, shred up whatever’s left, and match it to some add-ins, and you’ve got an amazing dinner. Add a bowl of soup to the side–especially soups you make and freeze ahead–and you’ve got a full-on gourmet meal on the table for pennies.
The Greatest Grilled Cheese
INGREDIENTS
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Cheese
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add-ins
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bread
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butter or olive oil
DIRECTIONS
- Butter a cast-iron pan.
- Layer the bottom of your bread on the bottom. Add on cheese and mix ins.
- Layer on your add ins
- Top with the second piece of bread.
- Melt cheese completely, and brown the bread.
OPTIONS:
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Mix up the breads: Pumpernickel, rye, white, potato, sourdough.
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Make a dessert grilled cheese with cream cheese and jam.
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Recreate your favorite flavors… in a grilled cheese!
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Bleu cheese, sautéd mushrooms, caramelized onions
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Tomato & mozzarella
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Tomato & basil with garlic and mozzarella
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onions, cilantro, cheddar, tomato
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brie & tomato
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good old American cheese on white bread
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pastrami, swiss, sauerkraut
PRO TIP: Low and slow’s the key to this. Make a panini by putting a weight on top and squashing it. I use another cast iron pan. If you make a panini and are a chef, you can charge double. It’s not “just a grilled cheese” anymore.
COST: $–$$ This depends entirely on the cheeses, breads, and add-ins you use. I can make a grilled cheese for twenty cents or a really hard-core version for a million.
GLUTEN FREE: You can do this by sourcing gluten-free bread.
VEGETARIAN: Yes, with veggie ingredients.
VEGAN: Use olive oil to grease the pan and brown the sandwich and use vegan cheese.
KETO: Surprisingly, yes. Do this two ways. I have done this by making banting breadand using keto-friendly mixins. Or, if you’re really thinking out of the box: bread and fry slices of zucchini or eggplant. Then, put the cheese and mixins in there. GENIUS!