DIY Oven Grilled Cheese
This oven grilled cheese recipe can easily be scaled up to feed a crowd (or it can be halved if you’re only feeding a couple people!). Instead of having to tend to individual sandwiches on the stovetop, you can cook an entire sheet pan of sandwiches at the same time. You can either keep things simple with just cheese, or you can make gourmet grilled cheeses by stuffing them with different fillings, such as roasted mushrooms, deli meats or sautéed greens. For a fun build-your-own dinner or party, set out all the add-ins and let your family and friends design their own sandwiches. You can also cut the sandwiches into quarters for an easy appetizer that everybody will love. If you prefer your grilled cheeses extra cheesy, go for another slice (or two!) of cheese.
Servings: 5 people
Ingredients
- Cooking spray for pan
- 10 slices bread, regular or gluten-free
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened
- 10 slices of cheese (such as cheddar, Emmentaler, Gruyere, Provolone or American), or more to taste
- Optional add-ins: tomato slices, fresh herbs, sautéed greens, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, chopped roasted red peppers, chopped artichoke hearts, roasted mushrooms, thinly sliced ham or turkey, sauerkraut
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to broil with a rack in the upper third. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it lightly with cooking spray.
- Spread butter over one side of each piece of bread. Place 5 slices of bread, buttered sides down, in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Place a slice of cheese on each piece of bread. Arrange any add-ins you’re using over the cheese. Top each sandwich with another piece of cheese (if you like it extra cheesy, opt for 2 slices on top), followed by the remaining slices of bread, buttered sides up. Press down on each sandwich lightly.
- Broil the sandwiches on the prepared rack, rotating the pan halfway through, until they’re golden and toasted, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, flip the sandwiches over, then continue broiling until the sandwiches are toasted on the other side, about 2-3 minutes longer.
Notes
Tips:
- Broiler temperatures differ from oven to oven, so keep an eye on the sandwiches until you get the hang of your oven. Also, white bread tends to toast up faster than whole wheat or gluten-free.
- You’ll need a cookie sheet for this recipe. I prefer a heavy, rimmed baking sheet like this.
- If you forget to leave out the butter to soften, microwave it in 5 second intervals, checking after each, until it’s just soft enough to spread.
- You can use any melty cheese you like. I prefer cheddar or an Alpine style cheese, such as Emmentaler, Gruyere or Comté, but American works as well!
- For other build-your-own dinner ideas, check out my book, Build-a-Bowl!
- There's nothing better than grilled cheese with soup, and I have a ton of Soup Recipes that are perfect for dunking, including a Blender Tomato Soup, Easy Sweet Potato Soup, Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup in Under an Hour, Creamy Vegetable Potage, and more!