Gourmet Grilled Cheese
This gourmet grilled cheese is a spectacular celebration of comfort food loaded with tangy goat cheese, nutty, oozing Gruyere, sweet caramelized onions, tangy pickled beets and peppery arugula encased in buttery, golden, crispy, sourdough bread. It’s a mouthwatering mashup that’s easy to make at home for lunch, dinner, girl’s night, game night and every occasion in between. This grilled cheese recipe is versatile, prep ahead friendly, and always a rewarding hit. Prepare yourself for the best grilled cheese sandwich you’ve ever sunk your teeth into!
Servings 4 sandwiches
Ingredients
SANDWICHES
- 8 large slices of sourdough, sliced ½-inch thick
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise, more or less as needed
- 4 ounces fresh goat cheese/chevre, at room temperature
- 8 ounces shredded Gruyere cheese, at room temperature
- 1 jar Aunt Nellies Sliced Pickled Beets (about 8 beets per sandwich)
- 2 cups baby arugula (may sub spinach)
- 2 tablespoons butter for pan frying, divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil for pan frying, divided
CARAMELIZED ONIONS
- 3 large yellow onions, halved, sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/8 tsp EACH salt, pepper, red pepper flakes
OPTIONAL ADD-IN IDEAS
- bacon
- thinly sliced turkey, ham or chicken
- sliced avocado
Instructions
Caramelize onions
- Note: Assemble part of the sandwiches while the onions are caramelizing.
- Melt 3 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoon olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes then reduce the heat to medium.
- Continue to cook until the onions are caramelized and a rich, deeply golden brown, about 25 minutes. Toward the end of the cooking time, watch the onions carefully and stir more often so they don't burn. Be prepared to turn down the heat to medium-low and/or add 1-2 tablespoons of water at a time if the onions are dry or start to scorch before they are done caramelizing.
- Add sugar, balsamic, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and cook 1 additional minute. The onions should be very jammy and very darkly caramelized when done. Remove to a plate to cool.
Sandwiches
- Spread out 8 slices of bread on a flat surface. Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on one side of each slice of bread (the mayo will be on the outside of the sandwiches).
- Turn 4 slices of bread over and spread a generous layer of goat cheese on the plain side. Top the goat cheese with Gruyere, an even layer of beets, caramelized onions and arugula. Top with remaining bread, mayo side out. Secure with toothpicks if desired (makes them easier to flip).
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add 2 sandwiches, cover, and grill until the bottom of the bread is toasted, about 5-7 minutes and the cheese starts to melt, checking often to see that the bread is cooking nicely and doesn’t burn. Flip and continue to cook, uncovered, until the cheese is melted and the bottom bread is toasted.
- Repeat to make remaining sandwiches. Dig in!