Take grilled cheese to the next level with these mouthwatering combos

We’ve officially declared this week Grilled Cheese Week. Why? Mainly because we just really love grilled cheese. To celebrate, we’re covering everything from top tips to leveled-up ingredients. Join us for toasty comfort and plenty of melty cheese. Ah, grilled cheese! Grab two slices of white bread, slap a couple of pieces of American cheese between ’em, toss into a frying pan, and there you have it: grilled cheese. Want to go gourmet? Add a slice of tomato. WOW. Hopefully you’ve realized by now that the above paragraph is entirely tongue in cheek. While I can enjoy a classic white-bread grilled cheese — it does have a certain nostalgic pull — these days I’m using a lot more imagination in my bread-cheese pairings. While many think of the bread in grilled cheese simply as the vehicle for transporting delicious cheesiness to your mouth, in reality bread can be an equal partner in the experience. Pair the right bread with your favorite cheese, and you’ve created a sandwich that’s much more than the sum of its parts. I’ve done a lot of thinking (and tasting!) coming up with some of my own favorite bread-and-cheese combos. I hope the following will inspire you to think beyond the simple yellow cheese and white bread grilled sandwiches of your youth. Liz Neily An American classic: The Ham and Cheese Is there any American sandwich more iconic than ham and cheese? Griddling it simply kicks it up a notch. Make it mild (boiled ham, American cheese, and yellow mustard) or maximize flavor with aged Virginia ham, crumbly Vermont cheddar, and Dijon. Rick Holbrook Continental: The Grilled French Onion Based on France’s famed onion soup, with its crusty crouton crown and thick pool of melted Gruyère cheese, this sandwich is just the ticket on a chilly winter or early spring day. Liz Neily A nod to Great Britain: The Ploughman’s Lunch Britain’s favorite pub lunch, the Ploughman’s, features crusty brown bread, pickled onions, sharp cheddar cheese, and Branston pickle (a sweet, chutney-like mélange of pickled vegetables). PJ Hamel Cheese and more cheese: The Pizza Grill Inspired by the cheesy glory of pizza, this sandwich features cheese, cheese, and more cheese, from its cheese-studded, cheese-crusted bread to its cheese-of-your-choice interior — enhanced with pepperoni, of course! PJ Hamel PJ Hamel Sandwich with a story: The Patty Melt Legend has it the Patty Melt started in a California restaurant chain back in the 1940s as a minimal-meat cheeseburger: a thin hamburger patty, fried onions, and Swiss cheese on grilled rye, with Thousand Island dressing on the side. Whatever its origin, the Patty Melt has been served at the Friendly’s restaurant chain at least since the 1960s — which is when I fell in love it. And while I still occasionally grill myself up an Original, these days I’m more likely to substitute smoked salmon for the beef and lightly pickled red onions for fried. PJ Hamel Sweet and salty: The Fruit and Blue Sweet dried fruit, toasty nuts, and aromatic blue cheese: Put them together in a grilled sandwich and suddenly you’re enjoying your own personal cheese-and-fruit board! PJ Hamel PJ Hamel Kristin Teig Bonus! Our 2022 Recipe of the Year, Ultimate Sandwich Bagels, is easily transformed into all kinds of sandwiches featuring melted cheese. Check out this selection of some of our favorites to use on a bagel or in a more traditional grilled cheese sandwich: I especially like Breakfast in Koreatown! Because you can never read too much about grilled cheese, see our top tips: How to make your best grilled cheese yet. Cover photo (the Grilled French Onion) by Rick Holbrook.