Garlic Bread Grilled Cheese

Name: Garlic Bread Grilled Cheese Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (optional); 4 sourdough bread slices; 2-4 cheddar cheese slices; 2-4 provolone cheese slices; 2-4 tomato slices; pinch of salt and black pepper

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This easy garlic bread grilled cheese sandwich features a garlic butter spread, two gooey types of cheese, fresh tomato slices, and tangy sourdough bread. It's the ultimate comfort food!

Cheesy garlic grilled cheese with tomato slices.

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Rainy days always make me crave a good grilled cheese sandwich, like this fan favorite french onion grilled cheese. Something about the bubbling, gooey, melted cheese in a grilled sandwich is so satisfying when you are cold and wet.

I wanted to elevate the classic sandwich, so I created a recipe that is a marriage of your standard diner grilled cheese with cheesy garlic bread: enter this garlic bread grilled cheese! It features a garlic butter spread, two gooey types of sharp and nutty cheeses, fresh tomato slices, and tangy sourdough bread.

Rich, buttery, cheesy, garlicky, with slightly sweet tomatoes - it's the ultimate comfort food! Serve it with creamy cucumber avocado gazpacho in the summer and creamy roasted cauliflower soup during the colder months.

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⭐️ Why This Grilled Cheese Is The Best
🧀 Ingredient Notes
📝 Variations & Substitutions
🔪 How To Make Garlic Grilled Cheese
👩🏼‍🍳 Expert Tips
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
🥪 More Sandwich Recipes
Garlic Bread Grilled Cheese Recipe

⭐️ Why This Grilled Cheese Is The Best

Quick & easy recipe using 7 simple ingredients and ready in 10 Minutes

Gooey, bubbly, garlicky, buttery, and melted goodness

Kid-friendly

Great on-the-go lunch option

Instructions provided to make it in the oven

🧀 Ingredient Notes

Unsalted butter - Using unsalted butter lets you control the amount of salt in your dish.
Garlic - I highly recommend using fresh garlic, as it's one of the stars of the sandwich.
Fresh parsley - Adds fresh aromatics to our grilled cheese.
Sourdough bread - I prefer the tanginess of sourdough bread but you can use your favorite type of sandwich bread.
Cheddar cheese - Provides sharp flavor that pairs nicely with the richness of this sandwich.
Provolone cheese - Adds creaminess and a slight nutty flavor.
Tomato - Provides the sweet acidity that is necessary to cut through the richness of our grilled cheese.

📝 Variations & Substitutions

Garlic. Although I recommend using fresh garlic, you can also use jarred garlic or garlic powder.
Panini. If you want to go more of a grilled panini route, use chewy ciabatta rolls in place of sourdough.
Cheese. Use your favorite combination of cheese.
Greens. For a healthier sandwich, add a handful of fresh spinach, kale, or arugula.
Focaccia. Give it an Italian twist by using sourdough focaccia with rosemary.
Make sheet pan grilled cheese: Prefer making your grilled cheese in the oven? Here's how you do it: Preheat oven to 450 F. Follow recipe instructions below, but instead of placing bread (buttered side down) in a skillet, place it on a sheet pan. Bake for 5 minutes, then flip sandwiches and bake for another 5 minutes on the other side, or until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden brown.

Golden and crispy grilled cheese with garlic butter.

🔪 How To Make Garlic Grilled Cheese

In a small bowl, whisk together the butter, garlic, and parsley (if using). Set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spread garlic butter on one side of each slice of bread.

Garlic butter spread on two slices of sourdough bread on a cutting board.

Place two buttered bread slices (buttered side down) in skillet. Place 1-2 slices of cheddar, provolone, and tomato, along with pinch of salt and pepper, on top of bread, and top with remaining buttered sourdough (with buttered side facing up).

Cheddar and provolone cheese on two slices of sourdough.

Two tomato slices each on two slices of sourdough bread.

Cook for around 4-5 minutes or until bottom turns golden brown. Flip over sandwich and cook another 4-5 minutes, until other side is golden brown. Serve warm.

Grilled cheese being cooked until golden brown in a skillet.

👩🏼‍🍳 Expert Tips

Go low and slow. Be patient with your grilled cheese. If it looks like your cheese isn't melting after a few minutes, cover the pan for a minute or two to help it along.
How to reheat: I recommend reheating it in the toaster oven (or regular oven) to help re-crisp the bread. Place it in a 350 degree F oven for around 10 minutes. Reheating in the microwave may lead to soggy bread.
Use high-quality bread. I love the slight tang of sourdough, but use whatever your favorite loaf of bread is. Treat yourself to a nice loaf from your local bakery - it's worth it for this sandwich.
Use fresh garlic. Because this recipe features garlic butter, we want the garlic to shine. This means using fresh garlic if possible (not jarred garlic).
How to serve grilled cheese: Pair it with a light salad, like apple gorgonzola salad with mustard vinaigrette or citrus fennel salad. For dessert, serve marshmallow chocolate chip cookies or rice krispie treats with m&m's.

Three pieces of melty grilled cheese on cutting board with tomato and sourdough slices.

💬 Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best bread for grilled cheese?

Anything good quality is what works best. If you aren't into making homemade bread, treat yourself to a loaf from your local bakery. Freshly made bread makes a huge difference when you are making a simple sandwich with just a few ingredients.

How do you make garlic spread for sandwiches?

Making homemade garlic spread/butter is so easy. In this recipe, we combine fresh garlic, unsalted butter, and fresh parsley to make a mouth-watering garlic spread that can be used for endless sandwiches.

Is mayo or butter better for grilled cheese?

Both are delicious! If you use mayo (which adds a rich tanginess), make sure to cook your grilled cheese at a slightly lower temperature, as mayo has a higher smoke point than butter.

🥪 More Sandwich Recipes

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