Not Your Average Grilled Cheese

If you look up a list of staple, delicious, easy-to-make dishes, grilled cheese sandwiches will be at the top of that list. For so many of us, a grilled cheese sandwich evokes memories from our childhood. Those memories are why as adults, we continue to keep the grilled cheese sandwich tradition alive.

The average grilled cheese has just cheese, but the not so average grilled cheese has meats, vegetables and even fruits! You can rarely go wrong with a combination when cheese is involved, so we came up with three unique recipes with versatility in flavors that the entire family will love.

REUBEN GRILLED CHEESE

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 slices rye bread
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup Thousand Island dressing
• 16 slices Gruyere cheese
• 1 cup sauerkraut, drained
• 1 pound corned beef, sliced

Preparation

1. Preheat a skillet over low heat.
2. Butter one side of a slice of bread with half a tablespoon of butter and place the bread butter-side-down onto the skillet.
3. Spread the side of the bread facing up with 1/4 of the Thousand Island dressing.
4. Add 2 slices of cheese, half of the corned beef, 1/4 cup of the sauerkraut and 2 additional slices of cheese on top.
5. Butter one side of another slice of bread with half a tablespoon of butter and place the bread butter-side-up onto the sandwich.
6. Raise the temperature to medium heat and flip the sandwich.
7. Cook for 4-5 minutes, flipping once to each side until the cheese has melted and each side is golden brown in color.
8. Repeat the steps for the additional sandwiches.

PESTO PROVOLONE GRILLED CHEESE

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 slices pumpernickel bread
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 8 tablespoons pesto
• 4 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes
• 16 slices provolone cheese

Preparation

1. Preheat a skillet over low heat.
2. Butter one side of a slice of bread and place the bread butter-side-down onto the skillet.
3. Spread the side of the bread facing up with 1 tablespoon pesto and 1 tablespoon sun-dried tomatoes.
4. Add 2 slices of cheese and another tablespoon of pesto. Top it off with 2 more slices of cheese.
5. Butter one side of a slice of bread and place the bread butter-side-up onto the sandwich.
6. Raise the temperature to medium heat and flip the sandwich.
7. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the cheese has melted and the bread is crispy.
8. Repeat the steps for the additional sandwiches.

PEAR AND HONEY GRILLED CHEESE

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 slices Italian loaf bread
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 16 slices sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 ripe pears, cored and sliced

Preparation

1. Preheat a skillet over low heat.
2. Butter one side of a slice of bread with half a tablespoon of butter and place the bread butter-side-down onto the skillet.
3. Spread the side of the bread facing up with 1/4 of the honey.
4. Add 2 slices of cheese, 1/4 of the pears and top it off with 2 more slices of cheese.
5. Butter one side of a slice of bread and place the bread butter-side-up onto the sandwich.
6. Raise the temperature to medium heat and flip the sandwich.
7. Cook for 4-5 minutes, flipping once to each side until the cheese has melted and each side is golden brown in color.
8. Repeat the steps for the additional sandwiches.

Check out our other recipes for more mealtime inspiration.