The best grilled cheese sandwich recipe ever!! Loaded with three different kinds of cheese plus garlic and herbs, it’s the perfect comfort food.
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It’s probably safe to say that we are kind of soup fanatics around here! During the cooler months, soup typically appears on our menu several times a week.
Not only is it perfect comfort food during chilly weather, but it’s also frugal and helps us stay within our grocery budget
Something that we love even more than soup though is cheese! During the winter months I always feel like our taste buds get to have a party since cheese is the perfect pairing for soup, and as a result, we enjoy them together quite frequently.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS WHITE PIZZA GRILLED CHEESE RECIPE
- Easy to Make. Who doesn’t love a simple recipe that comes together quickly?
- Goes Well with Soup. Because the flavors aren’t overpowering, these sandwiches pair well with most soups. If you need some recipe ideas, here are some of my favorite soups!
- Flavorful. The blend of cheeses and herbs adds a nice twist to the traditional grilled cheese recipe.
- Hearty. Because of the protein in all of the different cheeses, you can easily serve this as a lunch or light, easy dinner.
- Kid Friendly. Always a favorite with kids!
Watch Video: Learn How to Make this Recipe
THE BEST GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH INGREDIENTS
Cottage cheese. Small curd cottage cheese works best, but you can blend the large curd and use it as well. Ricotta cheese is also a great substitute.
Oil. I recommend olive or canola.
Garlic. Mince your own clove or use jarred minced garlic. You can also use 1/4 tsp. granulated garlic instead.
Basil, Oregano, Salt and Pepper.
Parmesan cheese. I use the grated Parmesan that comes in a can. I think it probably melts a bit better than shredded Parmesan.
Mozzarella cheese.
Bread. I love to use sourdough, but really any sandwich bread will work well.
HOW TO MAKE A PIZZA GRILLED CHEESE
STEP 1: If the cottage cheese you are using is large curd, start by blending it until it’s mostly smooth.
STEP 2: Combine the cottage cheese (or ricotta if using) with oil and stir.
STEP 3: Add the minced garlic, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese. Then mix well.
STEP 4: Stir in the shredded mozzarella cheese.
STEP 5: Butter each slice of bread and place them buttered side down in the skillet.
STEP 6: Spread the cheese mixture onto each bread slice in the skillet and top with another piece of bread, leaving the butter side up.
STEP 7: Brown over medium heat then flip and cook until the other side is lightly browned and the cheese has melted.
VARIATIONS & EXPERT TIPS FOR MAKING PERFECT GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES
Leftovers. Reheat any leftovers in a lightly buttered skillet, over low heat. Flip the sandwiches halfway through reheating so both sides get a bit crispy again. Heat until the filling is warm.
Large Batches. If you need to make a bunch of these sandwiches, you can make them on a large griddle to save some time.
Panini. Grilled cheese are great on a panini press if you have one.
Air fryer. Cook these in an air fryer- you may need to add a couple of toothpicks to hold the bread down.
Pepperoni Grilled Cheeses. To add protein or more of a traditional pizza flavor, place several pieces of pepperoni on each sandwich before adding the top piece of bread.
Veggies. You can also add more pizza toppings if you would like such as onions, peppers, spinach, and olives.
More Flavor. If you have the time, make the cheese mixture a couple of hours in advance for a fuller flavor.
Appetizers. Cut pizza sandwiches into bite-size squares or long “fingers” for an easy appetizer idea. You could also use a small fun shaped cookie cutter!
MORE EASY RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Super Easy Pepperoni Pizza Quesadillas
- Salsa Ranch Chicken Wraps
- Easy Beef and Macaroni Skillet (Homemade Beefaroni)
- Easy John Wayne Casserole
- Hamburger Zucchini Bake
Perfect White Pizza Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Ingredients
- ½ c. cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
- 1 tsp. olive or canola oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- ½ tsp. dried oregano
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1/16 tsp. black pepper (if you like pepper, go ahead and add 1/8 tsp.)
- ¼ c. grated Parmesan cheese
- 8 oz. mozzarella shredded cheese (2 cups)
- 10 to 14 slices of bread (depends on how big your bread is)
- butter, softened (about 2 tbsp)
Instructions
- If using large curd cottage cheese, blend until mostly smooth.
- Combine cottage or ricotta cheese with olive oil.
- Add garlic, basil, oregano, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese; mix well.
- Add Mozzarella cheese and combine thoroughly.*
- Lightly butter each slice of bread. Place half of the slices, buttered side down in a skillet or griddle.
- Divide cheese mixture evenly between the slices in the skillet.** Top with remaining slices of bread, making sure to leave the buttered side up.
- Cook over medium heat until bread is lightly browned. Flip, and cook remaining side until lightly brown and cheese is melted.
Notes
- ¼ tsp. granulated garlic can be substituted for the clove of minced garlic
- For a fuller flavor, mix up the sandwich filling several hours ahead of time, and refrigerate until ready to make sandwiches.
- You want the cheese mixture to nicely cover the surface of the bread, but don’t pile it too high, because you’ll end up having a hard time keeping the sandwiches together once the cheese melts.
- Leftovers taste best if you reheat them in a lightly buttered skillet, over low heat. Flip the sandwiches halfway through reheating so both sides get a bit crispy again.
Jaime
What is your favorite soup pairing for these?
Lydia Beiler
My favorite is an old-fashioned cream of tomato soup that I make. But this Tomato Basil Soup with Parmesan is also delicious too.
Pat
This looks so good, but I would have to do something other than the cottage cheese. I couldn’t ‘go’ that.
ThriftyFrugalMom
You might surprise yourself, Pat! I’m not a big cottage cheese fan, but I actually love it in these sandwiches. So you never know! 🙂
Laura
I made this the other day and my house guest and I both loved it! It’s a simple recipe (simple is important) for grilled cheese on steroids.🙂 Thanks!
Lydia Beiler
So glad you both enjoyed the recipe, Laura! And totally agree with you that simple is important.😉
Cristina
Oh, yum! This looks amazing! I love grilled cheese and can’t wait to try this. Have a great week!
ThriftyFrugalMom
Thanks, Cristina!
Jelica
Oh my! This is a great idea. It looks absolutely delicious!
ThriftyFrugalMom
I have to admit, it is pretty yummy, Jelica! 🙂
Kendra
I want to try this but done need 5 sandwiches. Could I freeze them?
ThriftyFrugalMom
Kendra, I’ve never tried freezing them so I’m not sure how it would work. I’d be a little nervous that the bread might get soggy as they thaw since freezing cottage cheese tends to make it a bit more watery. If you don’t want to make the full amount at one time, you could either half the amount of ingredients used (which would make you half the amount of sandwiches) or if you want to make the full amount, I’d recommend just freezing the leftover filling. It should freeze pretty well, although it might get a tad thinner once it’s thawed due to the cottage cheese issue I mentioned above. But I don’t think it would make a difference for your sandwiches. Hope that helps!
Kendra
Thanks for the response! I’ll half the recipe. Can’t wait to taste them!
Julie
Looks absolutely delicious! Love creative grilled cheese sandwiches.
ThriftyFrugalMom
Thanks, Julie! And since I created these I’m suddenly seeing all sorts of other great creative grilled cheese sandwich recipes that I want to try too. Who knew that grilled cheese could be so much fun? 😉