Mixing the wonderful ingredients of a grilled cheese and a BLT, the ultimate grilled cheese BLT brings together everything you love about the classic BLT, including crunchy bacon, fresh veggies, and juicy tomatoes.
It’s wonderful that layers of goodness come together in a way that you would expect from the finest restaurants. Comfort food is best when it’s a mix of a grilled cheese and a classic BLT. With chewy cheese, bacon, and fresh veggies topped off with grilled crispy bread, it’s something you won’t forget.
Ingredients
For the Sandwich:
- 4 slices of Rustic bread
- 6-8 strips of bacon
- 4 slices of sharp cheddar cheese
- 4 slices of Monterey Jack or Havarti cheese
- 1 large ripe tomato, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
- 2-3 leaves of fresh romaine or butter lettuce
- 3 tablespoons of room temperature butter
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Optional Add-ins:
- 1-2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
- 1 avocado cut into slices
- Dijon mustard
- Fresh basil leaves
Instructions
Cook the bacon
Put the bacon strips in a large skillet over moderate heat and cook for 6 to 8 minutes on one side until browned.
If it is the bacon is chewy, let it cook for a while, and if the bacon is bulging so it looks like a demon, you’re getting close.
The bacon is done when it is deeply golden and not burnt like a curled char.
Place the seared strips on a paper towel and let the bacon cool for a while.
It will soak up the greasy goodness from the bacon while also having the all done bacon to assemble.
Once the bacon cools, break the rectangle of fat and bacon in half, and it will be easy to layer the bacon on the sandwich.
Tomato and Lettuce Preparation
Once the bacon has sufficiently cooled down, take one tomato and begin cutting it into round slices of about a quarter-inch thickness.
Using paper towels, pat the cuts made on the tomato and dry them.
This step is to draw out excess moisture to keep the sandwich from becoming soggy.
Season the slices of tomato with a dash of salt and a dash of pepper.
Rinse the lettuce and dry it to complete the preparation, another step to keep excess moisture off the sandwich.
Finally, set everything to the side for later.
Prepare the Bread
Take your 4 slices of bread and get your butter out. First, take 4 slices of your bread and lay them out.
With each slice of bread, take the butter and spread a generous amount of butter on one side.
Make the spread butter side face down.
Keep in mind, the spread butter side of the bread is the outside of the sandwich, so don’t miss it.
If the butter is difficult, don’t be afraid to let it rest for a while so that it becomes easy to spread.
Assemble the Sandwiches
Grab two slices of bread and lay them on your work surface with the buttered side facing down.
On the unbuttered side, add one piece of cheddar cheese, then add 3-4 slices of bacon, or more if you want to be really indulgent.
Add the slices of tomato on top of the bacon, and then add one slice of Monterey Jack cheese.
The cheese being on the top is intentional to help hold the sandwich together and to help with melting the cheese on the bottom.
Then, add the remaining slices of bread to the top of the sandwich with the buttered side up.
Grill the Sandwiches
Put a large skillet or griddle on the stove on medium heat.
Once the skillet is warm, carefully place your complete sandwiches on top.
Let them sit for 3-4 minutes to allow the bread to get a nice golden brown and crisp crust on the bottom.
Once the bread crust is looking very golden brown with crisp edges, and the bottom of the sandwich moves easily off the pan
You can flip the sandwich and then let it set for another 3-4 minutes for the same to happen on the other side.
When the sandwiches start to get warm, use the spatula to very gently press down on the sandwiches to encourage the melting of the cheese.
Once everything is melted and the sandwiches are crusted brown on both sides, the sandwiches are ready to be taken off the skillet.
Add the Fresh Elements
This is the crucial piece that keeps a BLT at the heart of a heart BLT.
After the bread gains a nice crunch, golden brown color, and the cheese is fully melted (often to the point of a cheesy oozey goodness), remove the sandwiches from the heat.
With care, open each sandwich and tuck in some super crispy, hyperfresh lettuce leaves.
The residual heat will wilt the bread, and warm up the lettuce enough to provide that soft contrasting crunch.
With that, close the sandwiches back up and let them sit for about a minute or so.
Slice and Serve
Using a nice serrated knife, cut each sandwich in half a diagonally.
This makes them easy to eat.
Serve them nice and warm so the cheese is still melty, the bread is still crispy,
And the insides are still warm, so there is a noticeable difference.
That’s what makes the sandwich special.
How to Make the Best Ultimate BLT Grilled Cheese
Moisture Control
In order to avoid having a soggy sandwich, make sure to dry your tomatoes after washing them with a paper towel.
As a tip, you can let the sliced tomatoes sit with a bit of salt for 5 minutes; the salt will help absorb excess moisture.
Also, ensure your sandwich has dry lettuce.
Lettuce Addition Timing
Letting your lettuce stay fresh by adding it after the grilling process is complete.
If you put your lettuce in the sandwich while grilling, it will eventually wilt and lose its important crunch.
The lettuce opening technique works perfectly to avoid letting the sandwich cool down while heating the inside of the sandwich.
Gentle Pressing
Don’t forget to apply a small amount of pressure to form a seal on the sandwich; however, pressing is not necessary.
This way, the cheese can stick to all of the other ingredients instead of getting pressed out of the sides of the sandwich.
Ingredients Substitutes
Other bread types your sandwich can go well with include brioche for a slightly sweeter, rich sandwich, multigrain for a sandwich with a lift in nutritious value, and ciabatta, which brings in other cultures.
Also, using rye bread will increase the uniqueness of your sandwich with its earthy flavors.
Cheese flavors
Gruyere has that sophisticated nutty taste, and Pepper Jack has some heat.
American ups that classic grilled cheese stretch and melts really nicely.
Fontina has a nice creaminess and is mild with killer melting properties.
Alternatives to bacon
For a lighter option, turkey bacon is nice.
Leaner and with a different texture, is Canadian bacon.
For a vegetarian option, there is some coconut bacon or tempeh bacon, but be careful, their flavors are greatly different.
Options for mayo
For those who enjoy mayo with their BLT, a little smear and spread on the inside of the bread works wonders.
For an extra kick, mix some mayo with Dijon or garlic, and if you really want to take a trip, spread mayo on the outside instead of butter before you grill it.
Tomatoes
Instead of fresh winter tomatoes, sun-dried or roasted red peppers are awesome.
They won’t get the sandwich soggy and give it that extra kick.
Another great option is cherry tomatoes, which, halved and quickly sautéed, really work.
Other Vegetables
For creaminess, you can add sliced avocado, for a bite, try thin slices of red onion, and for herbiness, add fresh basil leaves.
For an extra peppery taste, swap arugula for lettuce.
How To Store Ultimate BLT Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Baking the Bacon
If you want, you can prepare the bacon for the sandwich up to 3 days ahead of time.
To keep it fresh, put it in the fridge in an airtight container.
When you start to put the sandwich together, take it out and warm it up in the microwave or a skillet.
If you want, you can just put it in the sandwich cold.
Timing of Assembly
To keep the sandwiches warm, you can prepare everything, and when you’re ready to eat, just quickly put it together.
For maximum cheese melt and the sandwich to be extra hot and crisp, the sandwiches shouldn’t be prepped or eaten until ready to be served hot.
Storing Leftover Sandwiches
If you were to keep leftover sandwiches, they will be able to be stored in the fridge for 24 hours.
When you reheat them, they will be not as crisp.
You can reheat them by putting them in a 350-degree preheated oven for about 10 minutes, or you can do it in a skillet that’s on low to medium heat.
You should not put them in the microwave, though, because that’s the quickest way to make a soggy sandwich.
Do not Recommend Freezing: We do not recommend freezing sandwiches because the lettuce and tomato do not freeze or defrost well.
Ultimate BLT Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Mixing the wonderful ingredients of a grilled cheese and a BLT, the ultimate grilled cheese BLT brings together everything you love about the classic BLT, including crunchy bacon, fresh veggies, and juicy tomatoes.
It's wonderful that layers of goodness come together in a way that you would expect from the finest restaurants. Comfort food is best when it's a mix of a grilled cheese and a classic BLT. With chewy cheese, bacon, and fresh veggies topped off with grilled crispy bread, it's something you won't forget.
Ingredients
- Ingredients
- For the Sandwich:
- 4 slices of Rustic bread
- 6-8 strips of bacon
- 4 slices of sharp cheddar cheese
- 4 slices of Monterey Jack or Havarti cheese
- 1 large ripe tomato, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
- 2-3 leaves of fresh romaine or butter lettuce
- 3 tablespoons of room temperature butter
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Optional Add-ins:
- 1-2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
- 1 avocado cut into slices
- Dijon mustard
- Fresh basil leaves
Instructions
Instructions
Cook the bacon
Put the bacon strips in a large skillet over moderate heat and cook for 6 to 8 minutes on one side until browned.
If it is the bacon is chewy, let it cook for a while, and if the bacon is bulging so it looks like a demon, you're getting close.
The bacon is done when it is deeply golden and not burnt like a curled char.
Place the seared strips on a paper towel and let the bacon cool for a while.
It will soak up the greasy goodness from the bacon while also having the all done bacon to assemble.
Once the bacon cools, break the rectangle of fat and bacon in half, and it will be easy to layer the bacon on the sandwich.
Tomato and Lettuce Preparation
Once the bacon has sufficiently cooled down, take one tomato and begin cutting it into round slices of about a quarter-inch thickness.
Using paper towels, pat the cuts made on the tomato and dry them.
This step is to draw out excess moisture to keep the sandwich from becoming soggy.
Season the slices of tomato with a dash of salt and a dash of pepper.
Rinse the lettuce and dry it to complete the preparation, another step to keep excess moisture off the sandwich.
Finally, set everything to the side for later.
Prepare the Bread
Take your 4 slices of bread and get your butter out. First, take 4 slices of your bread and lay them out.
With each slice of bread, take the butter and spread a generous amount of butter on one side.
Make the spread butter side face down.
Keep in mind, the spread butter side of the bread is the outside of the sandwich, so don't miss it.
If the butter is difficult, don't be afraid to let it rest for a while so that it becomes easy to spread.
Assemble the Sandwiches
Grab two slices of bread and lay them on your work surface with the buttered side facing down.
On the unbuttered side, add one piece of cheddar cheese, then add 3-4 slices of bacon, or more if you want to be really indulgent.
Add the slices of tomato on top of the bacon, and then add one slice of Monterey Jack cheese.
The cheese being on the top is intentional to help hold the sandwich together and to help with melting the cheese on the bottom.
Then, add the remaining slices of bread to the top of the sandwich with the buttered side up.
Grill the Sandwiches
Put a large skillet or griddle on the stove on medium heat.
Once the skillet is warm, carefully place your complete sandwiches on top.
Let them sit for 3-4 minutes to allow the bread to get a nice golden brown and crisp crust on the bottom.
Once the bread crust is looking very golden brown with crisp edges, and the bottom of the sandwich moves easily off the pan
You can flip the sandwich and then let it set for another 3-4 minutes for the same to happen on the other side.
When the sandwiches start to get warm, use the spatula to very gently press down on the sandwiches to encourage the melting of the cheese.
Once everything is melted and the sandwiches are crusted brown on both sides, the sandwiches are ready to be taken off the skillet.
Add the Fresh Elements
This is the crucial piece that keeps a BLT at the heart of a heart BLT.
After the bread gains a nice crunch, golden brown color, and the cheese is fully melted (often to the point of a cheesy oozey goodness), remove the sandwiches from the heat.
With care, open each sandwich and tuck in some super crispy, hyperfresh lettuce leaves.
The residual heat will wilt the bread, and warm up the lettuce enough to provide that soft contrasting crunch.
With that, close the sandwiches back up and let them sit for about a minute or so.
Slice and Serve
Using a nice serrated knife, cut each sandwich in half a diagonally.
This makes them easy to eat.
Serve them nice and warm so the cheese is still melty, the bread is still crispy,
And the insides are still warm, so there is a noticeable difference.
That's what makes the sandwich special.
Notes
How to Make the Best Ultimate BLT Grilled Cheese
Moisture Control
In order to avoid having a soggy sandwich, make sure to dry your tomatoes after washing them with a paper towel.
As a tip, you can let the sliced tomatoes sit with a bit of salt for 5 minutes; the salt will help absorb excess moisture.
Also, ensure your sandwich has dry lettuce.
Lettuce Addition Timing
Letting your lettuce stay fresh by adding it after the grilling process is complete.
If you put your lettuce in the sandwich while grilling, it will eventually wilt and lose its important crunch.
The lettuce opening technique works perfectly to avoid letting the sandwich cool down while heating the inside of the sandwich.
Gentle Pressing
Don't forget to apply a small amount of pressure to form a seal on the sandwich; however, pressing is not necessary.
This way, the cheese can stick to all of the other ingredients instead of getting pressed out of the sides of the sandwich.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2 servingsServing Size:
1 whole sandwichAmount Per Serving: Calories: 680 kcalTotal Fat: 45ggCholesterol: 110mgmgCarbohydrates: 38ggProtein: 32gg