Do people always ask you this crazy question, “If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?” I hate when people ask me this, because it’s nearly impossible to pick one food. I mean, what would you pick? I think the furthest I could narrow it down would be to only eat bread and cheese for the rest of my life. It’s the diet of champions! But seriously, I love love love bread, and I love cheese. Put them together and it’s the best pairing ever. EVER. So as you can probably conclude, I love grilled cheese. Sometimes loading some cheese up and toasting it with the delicious bread is just enough, but other times you know that little cheese sandwich isn’t going to satisfy your hunger….in comes the additional ingredients.
For this {easy} grilled cheese I decided to caramelize some mushrooms and onions, and then toast it up with some delicious mild havarti cheese. I love havarti, but this combination would also be great with some other cheeses too. Have some Swiss or Colby cheese? Both would be great options. The most important thing when making this specific grilled cheese, is to take the time to let the mushrooms and onions caramelize. It’s easy, but you have to be patient. Put them together in a skillet with some butter, toss them around a couple times, and then just leave them on medium heat. Don’t touch them. I repeat, don’t touch them! After about 5-7 minutes you will notice the mushrooms ‘sweating’, little beads of water coming to the surface. Wait another minute and then toss around quickly, and leave them again. Wait about 5 more minutes. By this time their color should be turning a rich brown, and you can toss around a couple more times. Once they are a caramel color, they are done. This really shouldn’t take that long, and you could always cook these in advanced and then use later when you make your sandwiches.
- For 2 sandwiches
- 4 slices of good bread I like sourdough
- 4 slices havarti cheese
- 2 TBS butter
- 8 oz mushrooms roughly chopped
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced
- thyme dried or fresh
- salt & pepper
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1. Heat skillet on medium heat and melt 1 TBS of butter. Add onions and mushrooms to skillet. After about 5-7 minutes you will notice the mushrooms ‘sweating’, little beads of water coming to the surface. Wait another minute and then toss around quickly, and leave them again. Wait about 5 more minutes. By this time their color should be turning a rich brown, and you can toss around a couple more times. Once they are a caramel color, they are done. Sprinkle thyme and salt and pepper over mixture and stir.
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2. Using the remaining butter, evenly butter 1 side of each slice of bread. With the butter side facing down, place 1 slice of cheese on bread, then about 1/2 cup of mushroom mixture, then another slice of cheese, and then another slice of bread with the butter side up. Repeat for 2nd sandwich.
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3. Place the sandwiches into a skillet on medium heat (lower heat if your bread is browning, but cheese isn't melting enough). Let cook for 3-4 minutes and then flip carefully to other side. Cook an additional 3-4 minutes or until browned.
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4. Remove from skillet and serve cut in half.
*Do not cook sandwiches over high heat, this will toast the bread to quickly and not allow enough time for the cheese to melt. Slowly over medium head is the way to go. Check by lightly lighting with a spatula after a few minutes to make sure they aren't burning.
Thanks for visiting!
– Allyson
Kim says
Yum! This looks so delicious! 🙂
Allyson says
Thanks so much, Kim!
jessica says
i dont like mushrooms. what do you suggest in their place?
Allyson says
Maybe some steak? I don’t really know what else would go well with caramelized onions, but I am pretty sure steak would be a good option!
kelley @ Miss Information says
OMG this looks so good when are we getting together for lunch!
Allyson says
Haha, thanks Kelley! You can come over anytime 😉
Tristian says
I’m making this tonight since I bought a block of havarti at your suggestion. Can’t wait to try it.
Allyson says
Yum! Let me know how it turns out!!!
Tristian MacKinnon says
omg, it was so good! I think I might try some sauteed spinach next time to add more veggies to it. Justin asked me to make him another and Afton just had a havarti grilled cheesed. I was the best mom ever even for just a few minutes.
Allyson says
Yay! I am so happy y’all loved it! When I first made this recipe I was actually going to add spinach because I had some on hand, but I didn’t want it to be too much! I Would DEFINITELY give it a try, and let me know how it is!
nicole (thespicetrain.com) says
Oh, wow, I’ve got to try these, what a great idea!
jocieopc says
Happy Thanksgiving!! Just wanted to let you know this will be featured tonight on the blog – thanks so much for linking up!
Mushrooms Canada says
I go through spurts where all I crave is a good sandwich and this would be the perfect solution! Thanks for sharing…
-Shannon
Christine (CookTheStory) says
Cheese and bread work for me too. Yummy.