Author Tasia Malakasis refers to this stack of ooey, gooey, insane richness as a Three-Cheese Grilled Cheese—with a Little Soul. We’re not arguing.–Renee Schettler
LC Comme a Croque Monsieur Note
This confluence of three cheeses has an effect that’s pleasantly reminiscent of a Croque Monsieur, that French icon of lunchtime loveliness. There’s an essential difference, however. The classic entails a somewhat time-consuming white sauce, while this rendition requires no such fuss. It does, however, all but require a glass of something lovely and red as accompaniment. We’re thinking something along the lines of a Côtes du Rhône, although feel free to pour whatever you wish, so long as you let us know what you chose.
Three-Cheese Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 slices baguette, cut on the diagonal (each about 1/3 inch [8-mm] thick and 3 inches [8-cm] from end to end)
- 1 cup packed, shredded whole-milk mozzarella
- 4 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced (optional)
- 8 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
- 4 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese
- 4 thin slices smoked ham
- 4 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Arrange 4 slices bread on a work surface. Top each with 1/4 cup mozzarella, 1 teaspoon thyme (if using), 2 tablespoons Parmesan, 1 tablespoon goat cheese, and 1 ham slice. Top each with another bread slice.
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add 2 sandwiches to the skillet. Cover the pan and cook until the bread is golden and the cheeses have melted, about 2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet. Flip the sandwiches and cook, uncovered, until the second side of the bread is golden, about 2 minutes longer. If the cheese isn’t melted yet, flip the sandwich again and cook, covered, for 2 minutes more.
- Move the sandwiches to plates (or to waiting hands) and repeat with the remaining butter and sandwiches.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This is a splendidly grown-up version of grilled cheese. The goat cheese adds a nice tang and the thyme gives the sandwich a little earthiness. The baguettes at my local store are a little on the large size, so I was able to have enough slices for 6 sandwiches plus 2 ends for something else. I’d asked my butcher to shave the ham to get it as thin as possible for the sandwiches, and grating the Parmesan and Mozzarella helped them to melt much more quickly than usual. Even though I’m not a fan of goat cheese I’d do this recipe again. This made for a nice, light Sunday supper with a green salad. (One of my diners can’t tolerate goat cheese so I substituted a little Boursin on 1 sandwich and it was almost as good as those made with goat cheese.)
We enjoy grilled cheese sandwiches in many forms and this one with a little soul was very good as well. Since it was only hubby and I for supper, I made 2 sandwiches, but this recipe is easy to adapt for 4 or 6 or however many sandwiches you need. This was a perfect, easy work-night supper that warms your soul on a cold night. We enjoyed ours with some tomato soup. I’d never grilled a cheese sandwich with a lid on the pan, but it worked well to help the mound of cheese melt. The addition of ham helps bump the sandwich up a notch.
A very easy recipe that took almost no time to prepare and was simply delicious. The baguette was perfect for making exactly 6 sandwiches. I added a bit more of each ingredient, and I’d absolutely advise you to use the thyme, as in my opinion it’s what brought this grilled cheese to a different level. The end result was nice and gooey yet not overpowering. Will keep this recipe for nights when we don’t have much time to cook.
Yum! This is a delicious recipe. Don’t leave out the thyme! I do declare it is not optional. To confess, I had to lighten up the recipe a wee bit. I snuck in part-skim mozzarella, and I don’t think I missed out. Here’s a hint: Take the cheese mixture and form it into 4 logs as long as your bread slices. There should be enough moisture from the goat cheese to make everything stick loosely together. Using cheese logs made the assembly and cooking much easier. As the cheese melts, it spreads and covers the bread nicely without oozing out haphazardly.
I’d happily pay someone a tidy sum to make this eye-rollingly-good grilled cheese sandwich for me, but thankfully, I have a recipe. Please add the thyme, if you have it. I made a single tiny tweak when I was building the sandwiches—I mixed the cheeses together, put half on the bottom slice, topped it with the ham, then added the remaining cheeses and the top slice. That way, the cheese glues the whole shebang together. The baguette I used was rather skinny, so I made cocktail-size sandwiches, which would be perfect for a light lunch with tomato soup or a salad.
This sandwich was a hit! I barely got 8 slices out of my baguette to make 4 sandwiches. I was concerned the ingredients may fall out when I flipped the sandwiches, but it was no problem since the cheese melted so quickly. The flavors complemented each other perfectly, and everyone gave this two thumbs up. They’re not very big sandwiches, so plan on more than one for those with a hearty appetite. Perfect with a bowl of tomato soup.
If you’re looking for the cheesiest of grilled cheeses, I think this might be your winner. After a few minutes in the pan, the bread has a great golden color and the cheese is nicely melted. The ham is a nice touch, too. Serve with some tomato soup, and you’ve got a quick lunch or dinner.
One cheese which I ALWAYS include in my grilled cheeses is brie. It’s the best and most meltiest.
Loooooooooove that, Delaney. Simply love that. I once had potato gratin made with brie and darn if that didn’t ruin every other gratin for me for life!
I’m loving this completely divine recipe. I have got to make this as soon as possible!!
And we’re looking forward to hearing what you think when you do, Rachael….