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This post has been sponsored by Sara Lee® and its affiliates. All opinions are my own.
These grilled cheese sandwiches are super easy to create. From classic to gourmet recipes, they are also kid-friendly so the whole family can enjoy them for lunch or dinner!
Who doesn’t love a gooey, velvety, grilled cheese sandwich?
Eating grilled cheese as the days get colder, while enjoying a good movie on the couch with the family is what I live for during the holidays!
And this year, the comfort foods are in high demand and well deserved. That is why I have taken the traditional grilled cheese sammie up a notch to make it gourmet, but still keep it kid-friendly.
The ingredients can be substituted to whatever your family prefers, but I’ve laid out some ideas below that you might enjoy.
How to Make the Best Grilled Cheese Sandwich
First, let’s start with the base. For these recipes, I partnered with Sara Lee® to use my son’s favorite bread – the Sara Lee® Artesano™ Potato Bakery Bread.
This bread is thick and has a touch of sea salt and butter, which makes it perfect for grilled cheese sandwiches. For kiddos, the crust is soft enough so that it doesn’t need to be cut off.
Then to make it super melty, I combined a variety of cheeses that can easily be found at the grocery store. The trick is to get a 3-4 cheeses of different melting points and also different cuts – shredded, slices, blocks.
Soft, young cheeses tend to melt better and cheeses like shredded mozzarella and cheddar provide the “cheese pull”.
Here are some options:
- Shredded Mozzarela
- Shredded Colby
- Havarti
- Monterrey Jack
- White and Yellow Cheddar
- Provolone
- Gruyere
- Raclette
- Brie
While I love Gruyere, Raclette and Brie cheeses and they melt gloriously, I know these products are sometimes hard to find, so I left them out of these recipes.
However, if you want to make a more grownup version of these sandwiches, I’d recommend trying it.
Lastly, to make the grilled cheese sandwiches variations, I added sliced deli meats, preserves and sauces. These additions make a traditional sandwich turn into gourmet heaven.
Feel free to substitute these for your family’s favorites and have fun creating your own grilled cheese gourmet sandwiches.
The 4 Cheese
Why settle for for one cheese when you can get 4?
This classic 4 cheese grilled sandwich can be enjoyed on its own, with a great tomato soup or salad.
It is the base for any gourmet creation your heart desires. Add tomato bacon jam, chutneys, caramelized onions, apple, etc. for a grown up version.
Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 slices Sara Lee Artesano Potato Bakery Bread
- 4 oz sliced Havarti Cheese
- 4 oz White Cheddar Cheese (block)
- 4 oz Monterey Jack Cheese (block)
- 4 oz shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 1 package Irish butter
Instructions
- Melt butter on a large and flat frying pan or griddle on medium low heat.
- Spread the butter around to coat the bottom of the pan. Melt more if necessary. Place 4 slices of bread or as many as it will fit on your pan. Grill it for 2-3 minutes or until medium golden color is achieved.
- Stack the bread to one side of the pan while you add more butter and melt it. Place ungrilled side down to toast. Proceed to the next step immediately.
- Add the cheese to 2 slices of the bread in the pan, starting with the Havarti, then cheddar, monterrey jack and finally the shredded mozzarella. Cover the pan and reduce heat to low setting. Make sure that the steam can vent and doesn't fall in the pan.
- When the cheese has melted and the bread has toasted on the underside, flip the two slices without cheese on top of the slices with cheese. Push the bread down gently to connect the bread with the cheese.
- Remove from heat and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Pizza Grilled Cheese
What kiddo does not like pizza? I have yet to meet one.
So in this version of a grilled cheese I kept it simple and authentic. Pizza sauce, mozzarella and pepperoni. I added Havarti for extra melt.
The best part of this sandwich is that you can make a batch in the oven to feed several people at once.
Pizza Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 slices Sara Lee Artesano Potato Bakery Bread
- 4 oz sliced Havarti Cheese
- 4 oz shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 1 package sliced pepperoni
- 1 can pizza sauce
- 1 package Irish butter
Instructions
- Melt butter on a large and flat frying pan or griddle on medium low heat.
- Spread the butter around to coat the bottom of the pan. Melt more if necessary. Place 4 slices of bread or as many as it will fit on your pan. Grill it for 2-3 minutes or until medium golden color is achieved.
- Stack the bread to one side of the pan while you add more butter and melt it. Place ungrilled side down to toast. Proceed to the next step immediately.
- Add the mozzarella cheese to all slices of the bread in the pan. Add a spoonfull of pizza sauce and several slices of pepperoni to half of the bread in the pan and 1 slice of havarti to the remaining slices of bread.
- Cover the pan and reduce heat to low setting. Cook until the cheese is melted 5-7 minutes, and make sure that the steam can vent and doesn't fall in the pan.
- Join the slices of bread that only have cheese to the ones that have pepperoni and push it gently down to create a bond. Remove from heat and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Turkey and Blackberry Jam
Now for kids who are foodies, this one is a hit! The sweetness of the blackberry jam cuts through the richness of cheese and makes it an amazing sandwich.
For a holiday version, use cranberry jam!
Another version of this sandwich is ham with orange preserves.
Turkey and Blackberry Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 slices Sara Lee Artesano Potato Bakery Bread
- 8 slices roasted turkey deli meat
- 4 oz sliced Havarti Cheese
- 4 oz shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 4 oz white cheddar cheese
- 1 jar blackberry jam
- 1 package Irish butter
Instructions
- Melt butter on a large and flat frying pan or griddle on medium low heat.
- Spread the butter around to coat the bottom of the pan. Melt more if necessary. Place 4 slices of bread or as many as it will fit on your pan. Grill it for 2-3 minutes or until medium golden color is achieved.
- Stack the bread to one side of the pan while you add more butter and melt it. Place ungrilled side down to toast. Proceed to the next step immediately.
- Layer the ingredients on top of half of the bread. Add the havarti cheese, a spoonfull of blackberry jam, 1-2 slices of turkey deli meat, white cheddar and mozzarella cheese.
- Cover the pan and reduce heat to low setting. Cook until the cheese is melted 5-7 minutes, and make sure that the steam can vent and doesn't fall in the pan.
- Join the slices of bread that don't have any cheese to the ones that do and push it gently down to create a bond. Remove from heat and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Tomato and Bacon
My kiddo loves tomatoes and bacon, so this grilled cheese variation is right up his alley. It’s also my attempt to include a vegetable to his meal.
If your kiddo loves another veggie better, feel free to substitute it and pair it with their favorite meat or a fried egg.
Tomato and Bacon Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 slices Sara Lee Artesano Potato Bakery Bread
- 8 slices cooked bacon
- 8 oz Cheddar Cheese
- 8 oz Colby Jack Cheese
- 2 roma tomatoes
- 1 package Irish butter
Instructions
- Melt butter on a large and flat frying pan or griddle on medium low heat.
- Spread the butter around to coat the bottom of the pan. Melt more if necessary. Place 4 slices of bread or as many as it will fit on your pan. Grill it for 2-3 minutes or until medium golden color is achieved.
- Stack the bread to one side of the pan while you add more butter and melt it. Place ungrilled side down to toast. Proceed to the next step immediately.
- Add the ingredients on half of the bread in this order: colby jack cheese, bacon strips, cheddar cheese, tomato slices, cheddar cheese and colby jack.
- Cover the pan and reduce heat to low setting. Make sure that the steam can vent and doesn't fall in the pan.
- When the cheese has melted and the bread has toasted on the underside, flip the two slices without cheese on top of the slices with cheese. Push the bread down gently to connect the bread with the cheese.
- Remove from heat and serve immediately.
Nutrition
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also enjoy these:
- Carne Asada Recipe
- Grilled Korean Pork Chops
- Philly Cheesesteak
- Best Tuna Salad
- Korean Fried Chicken
- Oven Baked Salmon with Honey, Ginger, Wasabi Glaze
If you liked this recipe, you might also like Beef Gyudon!
What recipe should I make next?
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This website contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and participant in other programs, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.
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