Hey, you guys.  In the mood for a cherry bacon grilled cheese?

How to make the best grilled cheese around

Silly question, amiright?  I am ALWAYS in the mood for a grilled cheese.  It’s one of those meals I make when I don’t have much time to cook and/or I don’t have much for groceries in the house.

So that’s like, always, right?  I can usually find some grainy bread in the freezer and we almost always have some sort of cheese in fridge.  Bread + Cheese {and a little butter} = Best Meal Ever.

Plus, I had a few slices of bacon leftover in the fridge from last week, and had a hankerin’ for something bacon-y.  Like, one of those cravings that won’t shut up until you feed it…

Happens to me every now and then {or all the time}, and there is nothing that can stop me from running to the nearest market for the ingredient(s) and cooking it up.  I mean nothing.  And sometimes I even dream about it.

Bacon dreams, ya’ll….

Too much?  This doesn’t happen to you?

Either way, the bacon needs to go on the grilled cheese.  That’s a no brainer.

Why I love the cherry bacon grilled cheese

Then.  I came across a recipe for grilled cheese with cherries on it from Udi’s {which I can’t even find right now, otherwise I’d share their version}.  

CHERRY GRILLED CHEESE, you say?  Yes, you guys.  I know it sounds a little odd {maybe a lot}, but it’s time to remove that odd look of shock from your face.  Because I will never turn back. You can absolutely never go wrong with sweet + salty, right?  

Well, this is sweet and salty wrapped up in crispy, buttery bread with sweet, juicy cherries + melty Gouda + salty, smokey and crispy bacon + I couldn’t help but toss in some fresh basil because… basil.  

Weird or not, this grilled cheese is THE grilled cheese.

Seriously, look at the cheese!!!!!!

It’s just unsurpassable.  

I don’t think that’s a word, but who says I can’t make up words?  There are no rules here.  Because I just put cherries on a grilled cheese, people.

So, now I’m turning this over to you.  Remove any judgement or preconceived notions about the odd combination of this grilled cheese and just do it.  This bad boy hits all the right notes.

Cherry Bacon Grilled Cheese

Grilled cheese with crispy bacon, fresh berries and basil.

• Author: Julie Andrews
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 15 mins
• Yield: Makes 2 sandwiches 1x
• Category: Entree
• Method: Stove-Top
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 slices bacon
• 1–2 teaspoon butter
• 4 slices whole grain bread
• 2 slices Gouda or Havarti (or about 1/2 cup shredded)
• 6–8 sweet cherries, halved and pitted
• 2 tablespoons basil, chiffonade

Instructions

1. Cook bacon in a skillet set to medium until crispy, about 5-6 minutes, flipping once. Place cooked bacon slices on a piece of paper towel to soak up grease.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon of butter in a skillet over medium-low heat.
3. Build the sandwich with whole grain bread, 1 slice cheese, cherries, basil and bacon, then another slice of cheese.
4. Place in the hot skillet and cook until golden on the bottom, about 3-5 minutes, pushing down to condense the sandwich.
5. Flip, adding more butter to the pan if needed, and cook until the other side is golden and cheese is melted, about 3-5 more minutes.

Notes

Cooking Tip: Make sure the skillet is hot before adding the grilled cheese ingredients.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 sandwich
• Calories: 383
• Sugar: 5g
• Sodium: 340mg
• Fat: 18g
• Saturated Fat: 6g
• Unsaturated Fat: 12g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 41g
• Fiber: 7g
• Protein: 17g
• Cholesterol: 15mg

Keywords: sandwich, whole grain, easy, simple, healthy, tasty, from scratch, homemade, lunch

Mmm hmm.

And you guys, if you don’t have cherries and basil, just put some random veggies and herbs and fruit and whatever cheese you have on a grilled cheese – I’ll try it!  I mean, really, any excuse to make a grilled cheese works for me.