10 Delicious Fillings for Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Grilled cheese is one of the most popular sandwiches. It scores high in terms of convenience, taste, and overall status as a comfort food. When you think "grilled cheese," you're probably envisioning white bread, a bit of butter, and a slice or two of Kraft Singles. 

While these ingredients are heavenly when combined, you can mix up a few other ingredients to create a grownup version of your favorite sandwich. Given below are some delicious fillings for grilled cheese sandwiches.

A crowd-pleasing and slightly earthy flavored cheddar which melts evenly makes it one of the favorite choices for grilled sandwiches. Use a sharp white cheddar to enhance the flavor and add a tang, or experiment with flavored cheddars like spicy jalapeno.

To spice up the Cheddar cheese filling, you may add mustard, chutney, cranberry sauce, or pickles to it. For a fruity addition, use sliced apples. For meat, use bacon or turkey.

A salty, faintly sweet, and mild flavored American cheese is a fantastic option for grilled sandwiches. It has a creamy and smooth texture.

Sandwiches with the American cheese filling can be served with tomato soup.

The best known French cheese, Brie works perfectly fine in a grilled cheese sandwich due to its richness and mild flavor. It has a soft and creamy interior, a buttery flavor and creamy texture.

Fruit spreads, avocado, turkey, sauteed mushrooms, olive tapenade, pesto, and sliced apples pair well with Brie.

To give a slightly different taste to the sandwiches, use two complementary cheese types for the filling. If you aren't sure which types work well together, ask an expert at a local gourmet cheese shop.

For example, you may combine cheddar with a cheese having a smoother melting texture such as Comte, Gruyere, or Fontina.

The savory flavors of cheese, bread, and butter can't be beaten but they can definitely be enhanced! When purchasing the cheese, ask which fruit complements it best. For instance, brie works well with apples and raspberries.

Blackberries, strawberries, apples, and pears are among the good choices of fruit that can be used in grilled cheese sandwich fillings.

Adding chicken along with golden raisins, slivered almonds, and chopped celery to the sandwich filling, makes it protein-rich and also adds an extra flavor to it.

A combination of chicken, bacon, BBQ sauce, and cheddar cheese makes a grilled sandwich taste great.

Adding roasted beef and caramelized onions fills the sandwich with a sweet and earthy goodness.

Tilapia, a mild and flaky white fish can be added to a grilled cheese sandwich filling to make the sandwich more creamy and buttery. Cheddar, feta, or goat cheese may not work well with this fish.

Another good choice of the filling is a healthy and tasty salad. For example, you may use caprese, an Italian salad made using sliced fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil.

Salads made using zucchini, spinach and artichoke, French onion, steak and potatoes, tomatoes, and balsamic brussels sprouts are some other good options for sandwich fillings.

An important thing to consider while making a grilled cheese sandwich is the bread. Breads like sour dough, shepherd's bread, rye bread, wheat or sprouted bread, pumpernickel, artisan bread, asiago bread, Italian ciabatta, or French boule can add a great flavor and texture to the sandwiches.

For the ultimate grilled cheese, choose an asiago bread, or another loaf that has a baked cheese crust. For a healthier version, take the whole grain route.

The bread should be light, crispy, and toasty on the outside with a moist and soft inside, and thick enough so that the cheese doesn't seep through the pores, but also melts on the grill.

Texture is an important player in the sandwich game, and changing the type of bread you use, can certainly alter the sandwich entirely. Any bread you use, it should leave you with a nice golden-brown crunch on the outside and a softer texture on the inside.

It is best to cover the sandwich while cooking on the first side to melt the cheese sufficiently. The second side should brown faster. So remember to check it sooner than the other side.