This mushroom gruyere grilled cheese sandwich is the perfect combination of the ease of a grilled cheese sandwich and fancy(ish) ingredients that are a surefire way to wow anyone you might prepare this meal for! Be prepared for people to be seriously impressed!
This mushroom gruyere grilled cheese sandwich is the perfect combination of the ease of a grilled cheese sandwich and fancy(ish) ingredients that are a surefire way to wow anyone you might prepare this meal for! Be prepared for people to be seriously impressed!
I learned a long time ago that while I don’t actually love a traditional grilled cheese – white sandwich bread with pre-packaged cheese slices – I adore a fancy-pants grilled cheese. Put some caramelized onion in there, artichoke hearts (recipe coming soon), or this version with sauteed mushrooms are my heart just sings.
These sandwiches are a perfect weeknight dinner. The mushrooms only take about 10-15 minutes to cook down and brown up deliciously, and after that it’s literally as simple as a regular grilled cheese.
And these can be made with regular store-bought sandwich bread, but I highly recommend buying a good loaf of Italian or French bread from your grocery store’s bakery section. The mushrooms need a sturdy bread base. I’ve made these with regular bread, and it just doesn’t hold together quite as well. You can also use sourdough, but I appear to be the only person in the world who doesn’t like sourdough bread, so it rarely makes an appearance in my kitchen.
Another benefit of this sandwich – the veggies are IN the sandwich, so there’s no need to make a side dish! If you want to though, this pairs really well with simple green salad.
Mushrooms:
Did you know that mushrooms are considered a superfood? Aside from tasting amazing, mushrooms are also amazingly good for you. They’re loaded with vitamins and minerals, they help keep your immune system healthy and help with bone health. Studies have also shown links to brain health from eating mushrooms every day, including a significant drop in the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Cleaning mushrooms:
The truth about cleaning mushrooms: Like most things, mushrooms are grown in the ground and therefore come to us usually pretty covered in dirt. The most common refrain you’ll hear is that mushrooms are basically sponges and must be kept away from water at all costs. The “damp paper towel” method, where you wet a paper towel, and rub the dirt of the top of the mushrooms is the predominant theory on the correct way to clean them. But my (hopeful) future best friend and food genius Alton Brown has said that washing mushrooms is no big deal, so I started doing that, and it turns out that everything was fine. Rinse them in a colander, and give them a good spin in a salad spinner to get the water off and you’re good to go.
Making the Mushroom Gruyere Grilled Cheese
Start out by cleaning, slicing, and cooking the mushrooms. In a large skillet over medium high heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil and once it shimmers add the sliced mushrooms, toss them a bit to spread the oil, and then let them alone for about 3-4 minutes. You want the sides touching the pan to sear, just like meat. After a few minutes, toss the mushrooms again, and then let them sit again. Repeat this process 2-3 times or until the mushrooms are as brown as you want them to be. The flavor of a deeply browned caramelized mushroom can’t be beat.
-
Then to make the sandwiches, butter one side of each slice of bread. I don’t give an amount here because a generous amount of butter to me might be scant to you, or vice versa. The most important thing is to have a layer of butter running from edge to edge on the bread. No bit of bread should remain unbuttered.
-
Pile an ounce of cheese onto each piece of bread, then top with ¼ of the mushroom mixture, then add another ounce of cheese and top with another slice of bread. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
-
Place a skillet over medium heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray and add the sandwiches to the pan. Let them sit for 4-5 minutes on the first side, or until well browned. Once browned, carefully flip and let them cook for another 2-4 minutes or until browned on that side as well.
-
Remove to a cutting board, let them cool for a few minutes to let the cheese set up, and serve!
-
A little bit of Dijon mustard or my Balsamic Shallot Jam would be AMAZING spread on the insides of the bread before cooking.
4
Sara Rauckhorst
5 Min
20 Min
25 Min
Mushroom Gruyere Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 slices of Italian bread
- butter for spreading on bread
- 8 ounces shredded gruyere cheese
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 16 ounces portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mushrooms:
- Start by heating a large skillet over medium high heat, add the olive oil and the sliced mushrooms. Saute for 8-10 minutes until mushrooms are dark brown. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Wipe the pan out, and set aside.
- Butter one side of each slice of bread generously.
- Pile 1 ounce cheese on to 4 of the slices and top with ¼ of the mushrooms. Add another ounce of cheese on top of the mushrooms, and place the top slice of bread on the sandwich. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
- Place the same skillet you used to cook the mushrooms over medium heat, and place the sandwiches in the pan. Let them cook on the first side for 4-5 minutes or until well browned. Flip the sandwiches, and let them cook on the other side for 2-4 minutes until that side is browned as well.
- Let them cool for a few minutes, cut and serve!
Notes:
A little bit of dijon mustard or my Balsamic Shallot Jam spread on the insides of the bread takes these sammies to a whole new level.
Leave a Reply