A grilled cheese sandwich cut into cubes of grilled cheese croutons.
Quentin Bacon
1 of 13

Ina Garten’s Grilled Cheese Croutons

These are very easy to make if you have an electric panini grill but, of course, you can always make them the traditional way in a frying pan.
Recipe
Two Hog Island grilled cheese sandwiches in a skillet with some cheese melting from them.
Maren Caruso
2 of 13

Hog Island Grilled Cheese

Hog Island grilled cheese is unlike any other you’ve had. Four kinds of cheese—fromage blanc, Gruyère, Havarti, and Cheddar piled blissfully high on hearty sourdough bread. What are you waiting for?
Recipe
Two waffle iron grilled cheese sandwiches on a wooden cutting board with a knife and a waffle iron nearby.
Gentl & Hyers
3 of 13

Waffle Iron Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Waffle iron grilled cheese sandwich means no standing at the skillet carefully tending grilled cheese in a skillet so it doesn’t burn. Nope. Just slap some cheese on buttered bread, toss it on this underutilized piece of kitchen equipment, and dinner is as good as done.
Recipe
Two halved grilled cheese with onion jam on a wooden cutting board alongside a dish of onion jam and a butter knife.
Steve Painter
4 of 13

Grilled Cheese with Onion Jam

These grilled cheese with onion jam, made with sharp Cheddar and a sweet and tangy red onion jam, still have all of the nostalgic comfort of traditional grilled cheese but feel a lot more special.
Recipe
A veggie grilled cheese sandwich sliced in half on a glass platter
KIM+PHIL Photography
5 of 13

Veggie Grilled Cheese Sandwich

This veggie grilled cheese sandwich adds mushrooms, onions, tomato, avocado, hot sauce, and basil to the comfort food staple that we all know and love.
Recipe
A patty melt sandwich filled with ground beef, caramelized onions and cheese.
Kristoffer Brearton
6 of 13

Classic Patty Melt

The classic patty melt on rye bread is unbelievably satiating and surprisingly easy to slap one together at home. Think of it as one of the most indulgent cheeseburgers ever. Here’s how to make it.
Recipe
A challah grilled cheese sandwich with pastrami jam torn in half, still connected by melted cheese.
Maren Caruso
7 of 13

Challah Grilled Cheese

This challah grilled cheese is made with plenty of melty Cheddar and Gruyère cheeses and a schmear of savory pastrami jam, all nestled between slices of toasted challah.
Recipe
A cheese crusted grilled cheese sandwich in a skillet.
Christina Lane
8 of 13

Cheese-Crusted Grilled Cheese

Cheese-crusted grilled cheese is just like what its name implies. It’s a grilled cheese sandwich whose insides are oozing with your favorite cheese while the outside is coated with a crisp, crunchy Parmesan crust. Sigh.
Recipe
Three pulled pork grilled cheese sandwiches stacked on top of each other and secured with a wooden skewer.
Time Inc. Books
9 of 13

Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese

Don’t stop short with just a pork sandwich. Instead, load a pile of smoked pork on a bun, sandwiched between a few slices of American cheese. Over cast-iron, with a lovely dose of butter, the whole thing melds together into the most perfect food imaginable.
Recipe
A black metal skillet with a spatula ready to flip a Welsh rarebit grilled cheese sandwich.
Steve Painter
10 of 13

Welsh Rarebit Grilled Cheese

This Welsh rarebit grilled cheese is a grown-up take on our favorite gooey, melty open-face sandwich. It’s made with mustard, ale, and sharp Cheddar and comes together oh so smoothly.
Recipe
A grilled ham and cheese sandwich on a wooden cutting board.
Matt Armendariz
11 of 13

Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwich

For this grilled ham and cheese sandwich, a simple substitution of Gruyère for American cheese and a slather of French mustard is all it takes to turn the ordinary into something extraordinary.
Recipe
A grilled mac and cheese sandwich cut into four squares on a wooden board with pickle slices beside it.
Antonis Achilleos
12 of 13

Grilled Mac and Cheese Sandwich

Grilled cheese and mac and cheese collide in this glorious sandwich.
Recipe
A grilled vegetable and goat cheese sandwich, made with grilled onion, eggplant, and squash on a cutting board being drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette.
Steve Freeman
13 of 13

Grilled Vegetable and Goat Cheese Sandwiches

These grilled vegetable and goat cheese sandwiches have everything going for them. Toasted ciabatta bread, tender grilled vegetables, creamy goat cheese, and a tangy balsamic vinaigrette.
Recipe



About David Leite

I count myself lucky to have received three James Beard Awards for my writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. My work has also appeared in The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and more.


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