Description
Gourmet sun-dried tomato bacon pesto grilled cheese elevates classic comfort food with bold Mediterranean flavors. Melted cheese, crispy bacon, and tangy pesto create an irresistible sandwich you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (100 g / 3.5 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup (100 g / 3.5 oz) shredded provolone or cheddar cheese
- 8 slices of cooked crispy bacon
- ½ cup (120 g / 4.2 oz) sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil), drained and chopped
- ½ cup (120 g / 4.2 oz) basil pesto (store-bought or homemade)
- 8 slices of thick-cut bread (sourdough, Italian, or ciabatta)
- 4 tbsps butter (softened)
- 2 tbsps mayonnaise (optional for extra crispiness)
Instructions
- Preparation: Lavishly coat bread slices’ exterior with butter, ensuring complete and even coverage for a perfectly crisp golden finish.
- Flavor Foundation: Spread a vibrant, aromatic pesto across the interior of each bread slice, creating a herbaceous base that enhances the sandwich’s overall taste profile.
- Protein and Texture Layer: Distribute crumbled bacon evenly over the pesto, followed by strategically placed sun-dried tomato pieces to introduce a tangy, concentrated flavor that complements the smoky meat.
- Cheese Integration: Carefully layer cheese to completely cover the bacon and tomato, maximizing melting potential and creating a cohesive flavor experience.
- Grilling Technique: Transfer the assembled sandwich to a preheated medium-low skillet, placing the buttered side down and cooking methodically to achieve an even, rich golden-brown exterior while allowing the cheese to melt thoroughly.
- Finishing Touch: Intermittently press the sandwich with a spatula to encourage uniform browning, flipping once the first side reaches a deep amber color and continuing until both sides display a perfect golden crispness and the cheese melts completely.
- Resting and Serving: Allow the grilled cheese to rest briefly, enabling ingredients to settle and cheese to stabilize before slicing and presenting the perfectly crafted sandwich.
Notes
- Butter Precision: Apply butter edge-to-edge on bread for guaranteed crispy, even golden-brown exterior without dry spots.
- Pesto Distribution: Spread pesto generously but thinly to prevent sogginess and maintain balanced flavor profile across sandwich.
- Heat Management: Maintain medium-low temperature to ensure slow, thorough cheese melting without burning bread surface or creating raw interior.
- Cheese Selection: Choose semi-soft cheeses like provolone or mild cheddar that melt smoothly and complement pesto’s herbal notes without overpowering other ingredients.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 650
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 1000 mg
- Fat: 38 g
- Saturated Fat: 18 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 46 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg