This gourmet grilled cheese is loaded with herbed caramelized onions, gooey Gruyere and white cheddar cheeses, and is cooked in a savory rosemary butter!
One bite of this ultra savory and gourmet grilled cheese, and you’ll never want a regular grilled cheese again! The crispy bread, cooked in rosemary butter, surrounds the gooey cheeses and an inside layer of sweet herbed caramelized onion… sheer comfort food perfection!
Let me just tell you, this is quite possibly the best sandwich I’ve ever made. There’s nothing more satisfying and comforting than a crunchy, gooey, melty grilled cheese!
I have a weird thing about yellow cheeses, so I chose my absolute favorite, Gruyere. Of course I had to add some extra cheeses, so I also went with a bit of white cheddar and one thin slice of Muenster. If you’d prefer a different cheese blend, by all means, go for it!
The hardest thing about this gourmet grilled cheese, is maybe fitting into your pants after you’re done… because you won’t be able to have just one sandwich!
While I think a great sandwich is good all on it’s own… sometimes you just need something to dip it in. I highly recommend my Slow Cooker Creamy Tomato Basil Soup!
If you really want to kick this gourmet grilled cheese up a notch or two… add some prosciutto slices or crispy bacon. Talk about pure heaven!!
Check out the notes section below the recipe for a secret trick to make sure you have the perfect melted cheese!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 8 slices good quality bread I used thick cut Artisan bread
- Mayonnaise for spreading
- 12 oz Gruyere cheese sliced thinly OR grated, at room temperature
- 6 oz White cheddar cheese sliced thinly OR grated, at room temperature
- 4 slices thin Muenster cheese at room temperature
- 2 yellow onions diced
- 1 tsp fresh thyme minced
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary minced, divided
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 Tbsp butter divided
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Add 1 1/2 Tbsp butter and olive oil to a skillet and heat over MED-LOW heat. Add diced onions, salt, pepper, fresh thyme and 1 tsp of fresh rosemary to the hot skillet and saute, stirring often, until onions are soft and starting to brown, about 10 minutes.
- Stir brown sugar into the onions and cook another minute.
- Transfer onions to a plate.
- Spread one side of two pieces of bread with a little bit of mayonnaise.
- To the same skillet, add remaining butter and rosemary, and heat over MED heat. Swirl to coat the bottom of the skillet with the melted butter.
- Add both pieces of bread, mayonnaise side down, and cook until bread is golden brown and crunchy, about 2-3 minutes.
- As soon as you add the bread to the skillet, add a bit of cheese to the top of each piece of bread. Once it starts to melt a little, sprinkle a couple tablespoons of the caramelized onions over the top of one of the pieces of bread.
- When the bread is good and golden brown, sandwich the pieces of bread together and cook on LOW until cheese is fully melted.
- Transfer to a plate, repeat with remaining slices of bread and ingredients.
- Slice and enjoy!
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Chef Tips
Video
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Don DeFord says
I have been trying to recreate a brisket grilled cheese sandwich I had in Ohio years ago. This got me most of the way there! The mayo on the bread is great, even for some of our group who don’t usually like mayo (just try it once, you might be amazed), and the herbs on the bread really make a difference. The brown sugar in the onions gives just the right balance to the sharpness of the cheeses (a really good blend, by the way). I have made it twice now, and once added thin slices of brisket, and the other time added chopped brisket to the onions to make a kind of hash. I think the hash option worked best, and you could add just about anything that way if you want additional flavors in this sandwich. Served it with some tomato soup with macaroni once, and with some fresh crab bisque once. Amazing either way, or alone. Enjoy!
David Stone says
This recipe is simply amazing. The onions really make this grilled cheese delicious. The only difficult part is being able to cook these in bulk.
Anita W Stockton says
Buy a Blackstone griddle. There are several different sizes.
Audrey Osburn says
This is SO good! So ooey gooey and we had canned tomato soup with added basil, garlic, and pepper.
John the Dish Washer says
Perfection!
Shelia says
I made some Keto Rosemary Bread and then made these sandwiches with that bread and a few tweaks to make them Keto friendly and they were very filling and very yummy!!
Eryka says
Wow! I will never make grilled cheese any other way. My boyfriend and I could NOT stop raving about it. I give this recipe to everyone!!! We actually just put butter on the bread instead of mayo (neither of us like mayo).
MATT says
Incredible!!!! This is how a grilled cheese should be done. Great recipe! I used Trader Joe’s Organic Rosemary bread and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to use anything else. Seriously, I feel like Joe made that bread because he saw this recipe. Thanks chunky chef!
Wayne A. says
I tried this the other day. I found out I’m not a fan of white cheddar. I do love the French Swiss though so I’m going to make it again with some alterations. Its a fairly easy recipe but I am curious why mayo cause my family has always just put the butter on the bread and grilled it that way.
The Chunky Chef says
Mayo can withstand a higher heat without burning, and adds a slight tang to the bread, but you can do butter if you prefer.
Melissa K says
Made this tonight for my husband and son. I added a homemade bacon jam in place of the onions. They absolutely loved it!! Fantastic recipe!
Catherine says
Ummm hellz yes. Came out so good. Worth all the work. Make sure you use good quality cheese and i used brioche slices and herbs from my garden.
Laura B says
Super easy to prepare and fix (for those that hate to cook). Omgosh-amazing-taste. You will not be disappointed. My husband loves to cook (I do not) and he said that this grilled cheese is in his top 10.
Ellen says
Has anyone tried this recipe in the oven? I wanted to make it for a lot of people…
Debra Wilson says
This recipe looks really good. It’s cold in Seattle right now, so a perfect time for grilled cheese sandwiches.
I have a suggestion for a fabulous cheese to use, but you can only find it on the East Coast. It’s a Gruyere called Challerhocker. Not cheap, but really a really good nutty flavor and it melts so nicely. It was rated 2018 Cheese Champ at DiBruno Brothers in Philadelphia.
That’s my two cents.
Kylie says
Worst grilled cheese recipe I have ever seen. It stuck to the pan horribly and I ended up with a falling apart, sub-par sandwich.
Jennifer says
So delicious! My husband and teenage boys asked for seconds! This recipe is going in my permanent recipe notebook.
MM says
Awesome sandwich!
Rebecca Swann says
Absolutely delicious!!!
Lisa Mitchell says
Fabulous! Thank you. I’ve never liked at-home Grilled Cheese. The mayo on the pan, slow melt did it!
Erin Finley says
Made these the other night for my adult kids along with Ina Garten’s tomato soup. Soup was ok. Grilled cheese was the bombb!!!! Used sour dough bread. We can’t eat a grilled cheese any other way, ever again! Used fresh rosemary, no thyme. Making them again tonight with leftover soup! I will try your tomato soup next time! Thanks for sharing!!!!
Lisa says
Even my teenager loved this. Her exact words, “Oh my god, this is legit!”
The onions were genius. The next time I try this I might have to add some bacon.
Brieanne says
Very good! I love this grilled cheese sandwich! Great idea to have caramelized onions in the recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Pam says
This is so good! We’ll be making it again…and again…and again 😋