Apple and French Onion Grilled Cheese

Apple and French Onion Grilled Cheese is a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich prepared with cheddar, caramelized onions and some delicious cooked apples, perfectly seasoned with herbs. A great cozy sandwich for chilly days.

I have a slight obsession with caramelized onions and I do believe they make everything taste better. They’re sweet, tender, a melt-in-your-mouth kind of bite, and they pair beautifully with cheese. Hence this French onion grilled cheese that will remind you of the French onion soup!

For this recipe, I used some large slices of walnut bread and garnished them generously with cheddar cheese, sweet caramelized red onions, and some cooked apples. I seasoned it with some thyme to bring some refreshing flavors too. And just like that, you’ve upgraded your classic grilled cheese to a gourmet version that is absolutely irresistible.

What goes into apple and French onion grilled cheese?

• Bread. Choose a bread of quality, ideally a plain sourdough bread or like I did here a walnut sourdough bread, and slice it thick.
• Cheddar. You can go for white or orange cheddar, or a mix of both, grated. Alternatively, you can use Havarti, Fontina, Gooda, Gruyère or Monterey Jack.
• Onions. I recommend yellow onions for this recipe, but you could also use red onions if desired.
• Apples. Any kind will do, so just use your favorite ones (I used Ambrosia apples).
• Butter. This recipe is very generous with butter, as you need some to butter the bread, to cook the onions, and also to cook the apples.
• Balsamic vinegar. You need a splash of balsamic vinegar to caramelize the onions and bring some additional sweetness.
• Fresh thyme. Don’t skip it, it is what makes the whole difference between a good and a great French onion grilled cheese sandwich. You could also use sage, or a mix of sage and thyme.

Key steps of the recipe

For the full recipe instructions and quantities, head to the recipe card below. This grilled cheese is a very simple recipe that you can easily scale. The quantity of ingredients for each sandwich is also up to your liking, whether you like more or less cheese, etc. Find below the key steps to keep in mind:

1. Cook the caramelized onions with butter and balsamic vinegar until soft and tender. Sprinkle with fresh thyme.
2. Cook the apples separately with butter, until soft.
3. Butter and assemble the sandwich with layers of grated cheese, caramelized onions, and apples.
4. Cook the grilled cheese in a large pan with butter, until cheese is melted. Slice in half, and enjoy!

Pro tips for a perfect grilled cheese

• Choose the bread carefully, ideally a sourdough bread.
• Use the right cheese. I used white cheddar, but Havarti, Fontina, Gooda, Gruyère or Monterey Jack are other cheese options that do great in a grilled cheese.
• Spread butter on both sides of the bread slices to ensure a nice golden color when cooking.
• Press the mixture gently on each half of the sandwich, and make sure to not overload it.
• Cook your grilled cheese on medium-low heat and adjust it as you cook, ensuring that the bread toasts at the same rate that the cheese melts. This is extremely important, I myself tend to burn the grilled cheese every so often! You can also finish up the cooking in a warm oven (this will prevent bread from browning and allow cheese to be fully melted).

Can I make a healthier version of this grilled cheese?

Let’s be honest here, this is not a healthy recipe. Grilled cheese is usually prepared with a lot of butter and cheese, which makes it rich. It doesn’t mean that you should not enjoy it once in a while, cozy recipes are indeed perfect for fall and winter.

To make this apple and French onion grilled cheese healthier, you can cook it in the oven. This way, you will use far less butter (no need to butter the bread on both sides, or to use butter for cooking). You can also steam the apple rather than cooking them in butter.

What to serve with French onion grilled cheese?

You can serve your grilled cheese on its own, with a side of lettuce, or also with a warm bowl of soup for those chilly days ahead of us. Find below a few soup recipe ideas to serve with your sandwich:

• Parsnip Apple Soup
• Roasted Pumpkin Soup
• Creamy Mushroom Soup

Other sandwiches you may like:

• Curried Cauliflower Grilled Cheese Sandwich (personal favorite)
• Grilled Goat Cheese Sandwich
• Pumpkin, Walnut and Blue Cheese Bruschetta
• Caprese Croissant Breakfast Sandwich
• Portobello Mushroom Burger with Caramelized Onions

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