4 Insanely Creative Grilled Cheese Recipes

Grilled cheese is a family favorite in many households, but Schar blogger Tamara Vetter of The Perplexing Palate shares some delicious recipes to take this classic sandwich to the next level!

Bet you didn’t know your grilled cheese could do THIS!

I didn’t know that the way I grew up eating grilled cheese sandwiches was strange until I made my husband one and he looked at me funny.

“What? You’ve never had powdered sugar on your grilled cheese before!?”

That’s right, folks. On my mother’s homemade bread with fresh cheese made in our town with milk from our friends’ dairy cows… we put powdered sugar on top. Terrible for you, but delicious.

So what do you say we take your grilled cheese into the Land of Oz and see things like we’ve never seen before? I promise it will be a delectable adventure.

1) The BAG: the Basil, Avocado and Gouda

This sandwich was born out of my husband’s love for avocado my goat gouda fixation.

           

Ingredients needed:

• 2 pieces of Schar gluten-free bread (get 4…you’ll want two sandwiches)
• Basil pesto
• Your favorite gouda (goat, cow, sheep, or non-dairy…all are delicious)
• Freshly sliced (NOT mashed) avocado
• Butter (or non dairy substitute)

Butter the outsides of the bread, and smear pesto on the insides. Place one piece into the medium heat pan, butter side down, with thin slices of gouda on it to start warming and melting. Add the avocado slices, salt and pepper lightly, and then the top piece of bread and flip when the bottom bread is nice and toasty. Depending on your stove, you may need it a little hotter or a little cooler so the cheese melts but the bread doesn’t scorch.

2) Southwest Torta

If you’re like my family, you love Tex-Mex food. What better than a Tex-Mex grilled cheese sandwich? In fact, Mexican cuisine has a sandwich called a “torta” that we’re going to riff on here.

Ingredients needed:

• 2 pieces of Schar gluten-free bread
• Chihuahua cheese (like a Mexican-style farmer cheese that melts incredibly well), pepper jack cheese, or non-dairy mozzarella or pepper jack style cheese
• Carnitas (shredded seasoned pork) or Chorizo or Grilled flank steak (carne asada) sliced very thinly against the grain (or a combo of all three)
• Refried beans, heated up
• Guacamole
• Butter (or non-dairy substitute)

Butter both sides of one slice, and just one side of the other. Toast one side of the twice-buttered slice in a medium heat pan, then flip over and top with the cheese, meat, and guacamole. While that’s heating up and melting, spread hot refried beans on the non-buttered side of the other slice of bread and close the sandwich. Flip it over, toast the other side, and you’re ready to chow down!

3) Caprese Grilled Cheese

One of my favorite sandwiches growing up was a garden fresh toasted tomato sandwich. The contrast of crunchy bread and juicy tomatoes is definitely a family staple, and this sandwich takes that concept a little further.

Ingredients needed:

• 2 pieces Schar gluten-free bread
• Fresh mozzarella balls, sliced into rounds, or your favorite non-dairy mozzarella style cheese
• Fresh basil leaves or homemade pesto
• Thinly sliced ripe tomatoes
• Butter (or non-dairy substitute) 

Butter the outsides of the bread, lay one slice into a medium heat pan and layer the mozzarella rounds, basil, and tomatoes, unless you’re using pesto, in which case, spread it onto the second slice of buttered bread (on the opposite side), and top the sandwich, pesto side in. Flip when toasty, and enjoy! For extra kick, sprinkle a little Italian seasoning on the tomatoes before adding them to the sandwich.

4) S’mores Remix

My husband and I are s’mores aficionados, and we’re always looking for new ways to try them. In fact, next time we go camping, I’m going to try this in my pudgy-pie iron!

Ingredients needed:

• 2 pieces Schar gluten-free bread
• Chocolate chips (works best with tiny chips)
• Cream cheese or mascarpone, with or without dairy
• Strawberries, at room temperature
• Balsamic vinegar
• Butter (or non-dairy substitute)

Slice the strawberries thinly and toss with a little of the balsamic vinegar. Butter the outsides of the bread, and smear cream cheese on the side of one slice of bread. Place the slice without cream cheese, butter side down in a medium heat pan. Sprinkle the chocolate chips generously, and allow to melt somewhat. You’ll see the melting happen when the chips start looking “shiny”. Once you can take a knife and spread the chocolate around somewhat, layer on the strawberries and top with the other slice of bread. Flip, and allow time for the cream cheese to warm up too. Top with a little powdered sugar and try to keep everyone else from stealing it!

Get your grilled cheese sandwiches started on tasty bread from the Schar bakery: