Grown-Up Grilled Cheese With Bacon and Tomato

Remember eating gooey grilled cheese sandwiches when growing up, typically with American cheese on white bread?  I think it’s time we grow up….well you’re welcome to keep eating the white bread kid version, it’s good, but why not change it up with delicious alternatives.  Try our grown-up grilled cheese with bacon and tomato.  Filled with cheddar cheese, mozzarella, bacon, tomato and green onion sandwiched between two slices of your favorite bread.

MMMM, MMMMM. Comfort food at it’s best.  Our grown-up grilled cheese with bacon and tomato takes the humble sandwich to new heights.  Ooey, gooey melty cheese with the juiciness of a fresh tomato and the bold taste of bacon and green onion.  Perfection!  I tasted this combination many years ago at a restaurant in the Emory area that is long gone, I think it was called The Coffee Bean.  I remember sitting outside on their patio on a warm spring day when my sister was visiting.  So Libby, this sandwich recipe is yours!

What’s The Secret To The Best Golden Grilled Cheese?

Mayonnaise, pure and simple.  Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise instead of butter on your bread to create a beautiful golden crust.  Some people think that sounds unhealthy, or at least less healthy than spreading butter.  I find that I use less mayonnaise than butter, thus less fat overall.  And the mayonnaise doesn’t burn as easily as butter does.  You’ll get the golden perfection we all seek in grilled cheese sandwiches by spreading mayo instead of butter with more melty cheese.

If you miss the butter taste, then butter the inside of each piece of bread.  That way you get more control with the mayo and the buttery taste that you love.

How To Make Grown-Up Grilled Cheese With Bacon and Tomato

Spread a layer of mayonnaise on the bread.  Lay the mayonnaise side of bread in a hot pan (medium-low heat).  Some people like to spread a little more mayonnaise on the inside of the bread as well.  Build your sandwich in the pan, be careful of the hot sides of the pan, or even better use a griddle.  Sprinkle with your shredded cheeses and sliced green onion.  Cut tomato slices in half to fit bread, layer sandwich with tomato slices and finally with cooked bacon.  Spread another slice of bread with a layer of mayonnaise and top your grown-up grilled cheese leaving the mayonnaise side up.

If you don’t want to make your grown-up grilled cheese in the hot pan, then make the sandwich as described above, but don’t spread the mayonnaise on the bottom piece of bread.  Meaning you’ll start with a dry piece of bread, build the sandwich, top with a slice of bread spread with mayonnaise with the mayo facing out.  Use both hands to flip the sandwich upside down and into the hot pan, you’ll get a little mayo on your hands. Then spread the top piece of bread with mayonnaise.  Personally I find it easier to build the sandwich in a hot pan, but do whatever you are most comfortable with.

Make sure to preheat your pan if you want to go faster, otherwise your first sandwich will take longer to cook.

Cook your grown-up grilled cheese with bacon and tomato sandwich for about 3-5 minutes until it is golden brown, then flip and continue grilling for about another minute or two until golden brown and the cheese is melting.  You can add a lid while cooking to help melt the cheese faster.

It’s better to go long and slow than speed up the process, otherwise you’re likely to have a burned grilled cheese toast and cheese that hasn’t fully melted.  Similar to the patience it takes to roast a beautiful golden marshmallow…….most of us don’t have the patience!  My marshmallow always ends up charred, I learned to like them that way.

“Walking” Grown-Up Grilled Cheese With Bacon and Tomato – Making The Grilled Cheese Portable and On The Go

Sandwiches are already portable and easy to eat on the go and make great grab and go meals.  But a grown-up grilled cheese makes for greasy hands, and well, greasy hands aren’t so grown-up.

You can use small paper bags like the one in the picture.  I use these ALL OF THE TIME.  The bags keep your hands clean, they also allow you to eat the sandwich without ever touching the bread with germy hands.  The paper bag pulls double duty!

If you don’t have paper bags then wrap the sandwich in parchment paper, wax paper or just a paper towel.  Think about a fast food restaurant and the way they wrap everything in paper, you’re doing the same thing.

Of course you can put it in a resealable baggie too.

Cutting the grilled cheese into 4 pieces makes the sandwich easier to eat to keep the ingredients from spilling out.

If you are taking the grown-up grilled cheese with bacon and tomato to eat later, then place in a rigid container so that the sandwich doesn’t get smooshed.  I still like to wrap the grilled cheese in some kind of paper to keep my hands clean and not transfer germs.

Substitutions and Additions for Grown-Up Grilled Cheese With Bacon and Tomato

Where to begin?  Grilled cheese is so versatile, you can switch out ingredients for almost anything.

Substitute green onion.  Sure, use any onion available, it can be sweet, yellow or red onion diced.  For a more mellow taste dice a shallot.

Substitute cheddar cheese and mozzarella.  I like this combination for the stronger taste of the cheddar and the ooey gooeyness of the mozzarella.  Use whatever cheese you like best.  Brie will give you a very rich taste and melts beautifully.  Swiss and Gruyere give a nutty characteristic to grilled cheese.

Substitute tomato.  Heirloom tomatoes have an incredible flavor and will bring this grown-up grilled cheese over the top.  If it’s wintertime you’re best using Roma tomatoes.  If all you have are cherry or grape tomatoes, those are fine, just slice them in half or dice them.

Substitute bacon.  My family likes some kind of meat on their grilled cheese sandwiches.  You can use deli ham or turkey, Canadian bacon or any leftover meat from a prior dinner.

When I make bacon on the weekends I’ll make extra and put the leftover pieces, if there are any, in a plastic bag and keep it in the refrigerator for the week.  It saves the hassle of refrying and you just need to heat up the bacon.

Want to add some green to your grown-up grilled cheese classic?  How about some arugula, romaine or iceberg lettuce?

Want the buttery taste?  You can use butter instead of mayonnaise but you’ll have to keep a closer watch on the grilled cheese because butter burns faster than mayonnaise.  Or use the mayonnaise on the outside pieces of bread that will come in contact with the hot pan and butter the inside of the bread slices.

Grown-Up Grilled Cheese With Bacon And Tomato As An Appetizer.  YUM!  Slice a baguette or French bread into 1/2″ slices and make the sandwiches that way.  Everyone will love these appetizers.  For the tomato use smaller varieties like Roma, cherry or grape tomatoes.

What Do You Eat With Grown-Up Grilled Cheese With Bacon and Tomato?

Chicken chili

Olive Garden Salad