Are you craving a hot sandwich that's pure comfort food? Try our pimento cheese sandwich recipe. The outside is crunchy, and the inside full of melted cheese.
If you love sandwiches, you'll definitely want to try these pulled pork sandwiches and these freezer breakfast sandwiches.
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Ingredients
- Cooked Vegetables: caramelized onions, collard greens, or fried green tomatoes
- Fresh Vegetables: tomato slices, lettuce
- Pickled Vegetables: dill pickle coins, jalapeños, giardiniera
- Meat: crispy bacon, fried chicken tenders
- Spicy/Smoky: chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- Jelly: pepper jelly
How to Make
Gather the four ingredients: homemade pimento cheese spread, bacon, butter, and sliced sourdough bread.
- Cook the bacon in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat until crispy, flipping with a fork when the first side is done. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and blot with another paper towel to remove extra grease.
- Butter the outside of a slice of sourdough bread, then spread 2 tablespoons of pimento cheese on top. Make sure not to spread it right to the edge; there needs to be some room for the pimento cheese to spread out when it is melted.
3. Add 2 or 3 slices of bacon on top of the spread.
4. Cover each sandwich with the top piece of bread, making sure it's buttered on the outside. Grill the sandwich in a buttered skillet over medium heat until golden brown, roughly 2 to 3 minutes. When ready, flip the sandwich over and cook on the other side.
5. Transfer the sandwich to a cutting board and allow it to cool for 5 minutes. Cut it in half with a sharp knife to make it easier to eat.
6. Enjoy this grilled pimento cheese while it's warm!
Recipe FAQs
What kind of bread is used?
- Use bread cut in ½ inch slices
- Sourdough bread
- Brioche bread
- Texas toast
How do you cut this sandwich?
- Let the grilled sandwich rest 5 minutes before cutting.
- Cut in half for a casual look.
- Cut in triangles, squares, or fingers for a fancier look.
Want to make this extra melty and hot?
- Place grilled sandwiches on a baking tray.
- Place them in a 350 F oven until the cheese melts more and the sandwiches are heated through.
How can I make this in bulk?
- Use mayo instead of butter; it spreads faster. Use 1 tablespoon per sandwich.
- Use two large rimmed baking sheets that are the same size.
- Preheat one of the baking sheets on the middle rack in a 450F oven.
- Place 6 sandwiches on the bottom (unheated) baking tray.
- Place the preheated baking sheet on top of the sandwiches.
- Bake on the middle rack in a 450 F oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve
- Soup: tomato
- Fried vegetables: okra, green tomatoes
- Pickled vegetables: pickle spears, jalapenos coins
- Cooked vegetables: collard greens
- Fresh vegetables: tomatoes
- Crunchy/Salty: potato chips
- Beverage: fresh brewed sweet tea
Store
Make Ahead: It's best to grill the sandwiches just before eating, but you can have the spread made ahead of time.
Reheating: Place the sandwich in a skillet over medium high heat for 30 seconds to one minute.
Freezing: It's not advisable to freeze the spread since the oil in the mayo will separate when frozen.
Variations
- Crostini: Spread this on a ciabatta loaf top with bacon crumbles. Bake on a baking sheet at 400 F for 2 minutes or until melted.
- English Muffin: Cut English muffins in half and spread pimento cheese on both halves. Bake under the broiler for 5 minutes.
- Don't want to use butter? Try spreading mayo on the outside of the bread before grilling.
- Want a different fat for grilling? Use bacon grease instead of butter.
- Want to use nuts as a topping? Try toasted chopped pecans.
- Need topping ideas? Try pickled jalapeños, pickled banana peppers, sliced tomatoes, or lettuce.
- Want to add cooked veggies? Try putting homemade collard greens, that are well drained, or fried green tomatoes on top of the bacon.
Expert Tips
- Want to save some calories? Don't spread butter on the outside of the bread; just toast it in a skillet with a little butter or bacon grease.
- Need a bread tip? Use bread that is thick enough, so it won't fall apart when flipped or picked up.
- When is it best to cut the sandwich? It cuts the best after it has rested for 5 minutes.
- Need to make lots of sandwiches? Keep them warm in a 350 F oven; it will also melt the pimento cheese more.
- Use homemade pimento cheese spread; it tastes better and is easy to make.
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Recipe
Grilled Pimento Cheese Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 6 slices bacon
- ½ cup pimento cheese spread
- 4 large slices sourdough bread
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat until crispy, flipping when needed to cook the other side. Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and blot off the excess grease.
- Spread 2 tablespoons of homemade pimento cheese spread on each slice of bread. Leave a small gap near the edges, because the pimento cheese will spread when it melts.
- Place two or three slices of bacon on top of the pimento cheese, then put the top slice of bread on each sandwich. Butter the outside of the bread, both top and bottom slices.
- Grill one sandwich at a time over medium low heat in a large skillet. Cook until golden brown, then carefully flip it over and grill the other side. Repeat with the other sandwich.
- To melt the cheese even more, transfer the sandwiches to a baking sheet and place in a 350 F oven until warmed through.
- Transfer to a cutting board and let the sandwiches rest for 5 minutes before cutting in half.
- Serve the hot sandwiches with pickle spears, pickled jalapenos, thick tomato slices, and sweet tea.
Notes
- Cut reduce the calories, don't spread butter on the outside of the bread; just toast it in a skillet with a little butter or bacon grease.
- To keep the sandwich together while flipping, use bread that is thick enough.
- Let it rest for 5 minutes before cutting.
- To help melt the pimento cheese more, keep them warm in a 350 F oven until all the sandwiches are done.
- For the best flavor, use homemade pimento cheese spread.
Alex
I love the gooey cheese and the crunchy and flavorful bacon. I like the soft delicious mouthwatering cheese, and the pimentos are nice and soft and red. 🍞🧀 Yummy!
Emma
Grilled pimento cheese sandwiches really are delicious! Thanks for your comment, Alex.