Garlic Bread Grilled Cheese
- October 23, 2026
- 0 Comments
- Lunch
I didn’t grow up eating grilled cheese with tomato soup, but once I tried it, it became an instant classic in my repertoire. But of course, I wanted to put my own spin on things. I’m obsessed with garlic (you’ll see it pop up everywhere in my cookbook), so I decided that the best way to sneak more garlic in here was to use garlic bread as the base for my grilled cheese. But the garlic is hidden inside the sandwich, rather than on the outside, so when you take a bite you get this garlicky surprise. Plus, it just looks so much cleaner with all the garlic and basil tucked away inside instead of all over the outside.
Then come two kinds of Cheddar, so it’s SO gooey in the middle, and it gets toasted low and slow until it’s golden and crispy on the outside.
It’s made for dunking into a bowl of my Creamy Tomato Soup! This recipe is from my cookbook, I Sleep in My Kitchen.
Few Tips ᝰ.ᐟ
- The garlic butter goes on the inside of the sandwich, not the outside! It just looks so much cleaner with all the garlic and basil tucked away inside instead of all over the outside.
- Make sure your butter is at room temperature so it mixes easily with the garlic and basil and spreads generously on the bread.
- Don’t skip baking the bread first. Toasting the garlic-butter side in the oven cooks the garlic and turns it into real garlic bread before the sandwich even hits the pan.
- We’re using two cheeses: mild Cheddar slices for that gooey, melty middle, and extra-sharp Cheddar for flavor. Grate the extra-sharp yourself if you can, since freshly grated cheese melts so much smoother than pre-shredded.
- Mayo on the outside is my secret for the most golden, crispy crust. It browns so evenly, and you won’t taste it, I promise!
- Low heat and a lid are key. Covering the pan traps the heat so the cheese melts all the way through before the bread gets too dark. Keep a close eye on it, because it can still burn, even on low heat!
Garlic Bread Grilled Cheese Process ✮⋆˙
Garlic Bread Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes plus more as needed
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- 12 (1/2-inch) slices of your preferred bread (such as white or sourdough)
- 12 slices nice-quality mild Cheddar cheese
- 8 ounces freshly grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese (about 2 cups)
- Mayonnaise for spreading on bread slices
- Butter or cooking spray for the pan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a small bowl, stir together the butter, garlic, fresh basil, pepper flakes, and salt.
- Generously spread the garlic-butter mixture on one side of each slice of bread. Arrange the slices of bread on a sheet pan, garlic butter–side up, and bake until golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven.
- Top the garlic-butter side of each of six slices of bread with two slices mild Cheddar and a generous portion of extra-sharp Cheddar. Close the sandwich with the other slices of bread, buttered-side down. Spread a thin layer of mayo on both unbuttered sides of the sandwiches.
- Heat a medium skillet over low heat. Lightly grease the pan with a small amount of butter or cooking spray. Working in batches, add the sandwiches to the pan. Cover the pan with a lid and toast until the first side is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip the sandwiches, cover the pan, and toast the other side until golden and the cheese is thoroughly melted, about 3 minutes more. Keep a close eye on things—the sandwich can burn, even on low heat!
- Cut the sandwiches as desired, ladle the tomato soup into bowls, drizzle with some heavy cream, and garnish with fresh basil leaves. Serve with the grilled cheese on the side—dipping in the soup is encouraged!
