This is a sponsored post with Dairy Farmers of Canada, but, as always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that make Girl Heart Food possible and for helping me to continue to do what I love – cook and share delicious recipes! #CanadianCheese
Looking for an easy, satisfying dinner? Try a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich! This grilled cheese sandwich with pear and caramelized onions is sweet, savoury and utterly delicious! Grilled cheese is such an iconic childhood favourite for many and for good reason; you’re going to love this one!
Did you know that April is National Grilled Cheese Month? A whole month dedicated to grilled cheese? Now, that’s my kinda month.
Though it’s month end, better late than never I say to share this delicious recipe. Who doesn’t love a good grilled cheese sandwich? Certainly, not me.
I don’t know about you, but cheese and butter and bread runs through my veins (oh, and maybe wine). When I told my sister-in-law that I was approached to do a sponsored post where I would be talking about and creating delicious recipes with cheese, she thought it was the absolute perfect fit for me. So …
True story (as always), you know next to the picture of yourself in your high school year book where they have little factoids about yourself? Well there was a question about favourite food; I said ‘Almost anything, especially food with cheese … mmm cheese.’ Anyway, when they printed it, they left out the ‘mmm’ part. Good, but it took away from the quirky, funny intention that I was going for, ya know, basically me! Still, 17 year old me loved cheese even back then, way too many years ago.
If you know me, or follow this blog, you know that I’m no stranger to cheese, butter and all that good stuff. Nothing like it and I honestly haven’t met a cheese that I haven’t liked yet. Stinky? Sure, bring it on. Mild and gooey. Come to momma. Yep, that’s me.
I’ve tried so many cheeses and my fridge is always loaded with a bunch. I’m pretty sure I have about 6 varieties in there now. One cheese that I hadn’t tried before is Heidi. Of course, I was super intrigued when I was presented this cheese and wanted to try it right away.
Canadian Cheese
Heidi is a cheese made in British Columbia and aged for a minimum of 8 months. It’s similar to Gruyère and wickedly melty, which means it’s a perfect fit for grilled cheese sandwiches, mac-n-cheese or the super cheesy top (my favourite part) of French onion soup. It’s a firm cheese and you know what I love about it (besides the taste)? The first ingredient is organic cow’s milk. Good stuff.
Making a Caramelized Onion Grilled Cheese Sandwich
The ingredients for this sandwich are pretty simple and I’m all about that!
The caramelized onions take a little bit of time, but so worth it. The rest of this grilled cheese is easy and you know that the star of the show is, of course, the cheese.
To assemble this goodness, make sure you liberally butter a good quality bread (twist my arm on that one, LOL). Top with the prepared onions, thinly sliced pear (for that sweet and fresh touch), and copious amounts of cheese. Then, it’s just a matter of grilling your sandwich. Easy!
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To get those gorgeous grill marks (we eat with our eyes first, don’t we?), I heated a griddle cast-iron pan over medium-low and grilled the sandwiches for about 3 minutes per side until golden brown and the cheese was melty and screaming to be eaten.
To make this a substantial dinner, I added oven baked fries to the mix (totally optional, of course).
I paired this meal with a Merlot and it hit the spot. It’s easy enough for a weeknight dinner, but special enough to have a little date night with your sweetie. Oh, I also served this with a big Kosher pickle (you’re welcome hubby). He has to have one of those with his sandwich!
More Easy Sandwich Recipes
- Mortadella Sandwich Recipe
- Ham & Brie Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Turkey and Cranberry Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Curry Chicken Salad Sandwich
Hope you love this cheesy caramelized onion sandwich as much as we do!
If you try this caramelized onion grilled cheese sandwich, be sure to leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed!
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Caramelized Onion Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Ingredients
Caramelized Onions
- 3 cups onions , thinly sliced (about 2 onions)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup water , approximately
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Heidi
- 4 slices sandwich bread (your favourite variety)
- 3 to 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¾ cup shredded Heidi cheese , shredded or sliced into strips (or your favourite melting cheese)
- 1 pear , thinly sliced
Instructions
Caramelized Onions
- Heat butter and olive oil in a cast-iron pan over low heat.
- Add onions. Cook, stirring every couple of minutes or so ensuring that are turning golden brown and tender and not crisping. Every so often, stir in a little water (about ¼ cup at a time), scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan and incorporating into the onions. The whole process for this amount of onions will take about 30 minutes. Once done, stir in a pinch each of salt, pepper and the thyme.
Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Butter both sides of all four slices of bread. Distribute Heidi cheese over two slices of bread. Top cheese with prepared caramelized onions and pear and then top with other bread slices to form your sandwiches.
- Heat a griddle cast-iron pan (or regular cast-iron pan or non-stick pan) over medium-low heat.
- Add the sandwiches to the pan. Cook the sandwiches for about 2 to 3 minutes on one side.
- Flip the sandwiches to the other side and continue to cook for another 2 to 3 minutes or until they're golden and crispy on the outside and the cheese is melted inside. Enjoy!
Nutrition estimate (if provided) is based on 1 Serving.
Nutrition information (if provided) is provided as a courtesy and should be considered an estimate only. Ingredients can vary and Girl Heart Food makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are guidelines only.
