A grilled cheese sandwich cut into cubes of grilled cheese croutons.
Quentin Bacon
1 of 21

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 21

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 21

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 21

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 21

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 grilled cheese sandwich with peppers is cut in half and stacked on a china plate with a jar of pepper jelly on the side
Ellen Silverman
6 of 21

Grilled Cheese with Peppers

There's nothing conventional about this grilled cheese sandwich with peppers. And trust us, that's a very good thing.
Recipe
A patty melt sandwich filled with ground beef, caramelized onions and cheese.
Kristoffer Brearton
7 of 21

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
Four pieces of Cheddar, bacon, apple grilled cheese sandwiches stacked on top of each other.
Christopher Hirsheimer
8 of 21

Cheddar and Bacon Grilled Cheese Sandwich

These satisfying Cheddar, bacon, and apple grilled cheese sandwiches serve double-duty as easy comfort food or perfect party nibble.
Recipe
Two grilled cheese with caramelized butternut squash and kale on a pice of white paper with a green smoothie in the background.
Tom Regester
9 of 21

Grilled Cheese with Caramelized Butternut Squash and Kale

This grilled cheese with caramelized butternut squash and kale is an incredibly satisfying sandwich filled with gooey melted goat cheese, sweet roasted squash, and kale.
A classic grilled cheese sandwich--buttered grilled bread and oozing Cheddar cheese
Akiko Ida | Pierre Javelle
10 of 21

Classic Grilled Cheese Sandwich

This classic grilled cheese sandwich, just like what mom made or you got at the corner diner, is just as cheesy and comforting as it was when you were six years old. Nothing but gooey melted cheese between slices of buttery toasted bread.
Recipe
A challah grilled cheese sandwich with pastrami jam torn in half, still connected by melted cheese.
Maren Caruso
11 of 21

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
Three turkey reuben patty melts - one in a cast-iron skillet, and two on a dark surface, one sliced diagonally.
Matt Armendariz
12 of 21

Turkey Reuben Patty Melts

These turkey reuben patty melts are hearty rye bread sandwiches stuffed with lean turkey patties, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing. Comfort food with a healthy-ish twist.
Recipe
A cheese crusted grilled cheese sandwich in a skillet.
Christina Lane
13 of 21

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
14 of 21

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
Four quarters of a grilled cheese with everything sandwich lined up next to each other.
Antonis Achilleos
15 of 21

Grilled Cheese with Everything

This grilled cheese recipe with everything came into existence when one day a line cook wondered what would happen if he put literally everything on a sandwich. Spectacularness ensued.
Recipe
A black metal skillet with a spatula ready to flip a Welsh rarebit grilled cheese sandwich.
Steve Painter
16 of 21

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
Two halves of grilled cheddar jalapeno popper sandwich stacked on top of each other
Sam Folan
17 of 21

Grilled Cheddar-Jalapeño Popper Sandwich

This grilled Cheddar and jalapeño popper sandwich is stuffed with cream cheese, chile pepper, garlic, cumin, sharp Cheddar, and bacon. Just like those irresistible poppers you down with beer except in an over-the-top rich and gooey sandwich sorta way.
Recipe
Grilled Cheddar cheese sandwich cut in half, on a wooden cutting board.
Aimee Herring
18 of 21

Grilled Cheddar Cheese Sandwich

Sharp New York Cheddar cheese is layered between sourdough bread and smeared with a tomato-chipotle spread to kick up these grilled cheese sandwiches.
Recipe
A grilled ham and cheese sandwich on a wooden cutting board.
Matt Armendariz
19 of 21

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
20 of 21

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
21 of 21

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

David Leite has received three James Beard Awards for his writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. His work has 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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