Amazing White Pizza Grilled Cheese
Amazing White Pizza Grilled Cheese- The sandwich version of my favorite white pizza! We're taking unconventional cheeses, piling them between sourdough slices, and toasting them in a homemade garlic/thyme oil.
October 1, 2021 by Nicole Collins
It's question time!
On the surface, this seems like it should be an easy question.
But when you start to think about it, you'll realize it's harder than you actually thought.
You ready?
Here it goes...
What is the best thing about a grilled cheese?
You think you know, but you don't do you?
It could be the gooey cheese. It could be the crispy exterior. It could be that a diagonal cut sandwich can basically cure any problem. Or, it could be the sheer nostalgia that this comforting sandwich brings every time you take a bite.
I don't know about you, but I have some pretty distinct memories of certain grilled cheeses that I've eaten throughout my lifetime. And, every one of those memories brings me joy.
Grilled cheeses are one of those sandwiches that will never let you down. And today, I'm combining this classic sandwich with one of my absolute favorite pizzas.
So today, we're making Amazing White Pizza Grilled Cheese!
One of the earliest Yummy Muffin recipes was a flatbread pizza inspired by Ina Garten, herself. I made a garlic and thyme infused olive oil, just like her. But, I switched up the cheeses and cheated by using naan bread as my base instead of making pizza dough like she did. It's one of my favorite and most made recipes, to date! Well today, that AMAZING white pizza is transformed into a delicious grilled cheese; and honestly, it just doesn't get better than this.
We're going to jump right into it and talk cheese. This is a THREE CHEESE grilled cheese! For cheese number one, we're going to use shredded mozzarella. The mozzarella gives us that stringy, gooey, ultimate cheesepull factor that we all know and love about a grilled cheese. For cheese number two, we're going to use shredded smoked gouda. The smokiness from the gouda adds a surprising dimension of flavor that really amplifies this sandwich. And finally, for cheese number three, we're going to sprinkle in some crumbled feta to add a surprising pop of tang and a nice note of saltiness.
Does that sound like the ultimate trifecta, or what?
For the bread, we're going to use a nice sourdough. I love sourdough, because it's nice and hearty, the slices are typically nice and big, and the natural chewiness of the bread equates to total crunchiness once the bread is toasted. You could make this grilled cheese with any standard sandwich bread in a pinch, but the sourdough slices definitely raise the bar.
To help our bread get nice and toasty, we need to schmear some fat all over the outside of the bread. Traditionally, you slather up a grilled cheese with softened butter or mayonnaise. But for this sandwich, we're going to make that same garlic and thyme infused olive oil that makes the white pizza so epic; and we're going to brush it crust to crust all over our sammies to help them get perfectly crisp and golden.
Making the infused oil is as simple as taking a couple sprigs of thyme, 2 garlic cloves, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and some olive oil then simmering them at low heat together for about 10 mins. That's it! We have a super flavorful sammie crisper in just a few minutes!
Once our sandwiches are assembled and toasted, get ready for your tastebuds to happy dance. You have the creamy/smoky/salty cheese trio literally oozing from every edge. You have a perfectly crispy sandwich on the outside that's perfectly gooey on the inside. And, the whole sandwich is enveloped in this herbaceous garlic oil that delicately adds an unexpected elegance to the sandwich. Plus, every few bites you get a surprising tingle on your tongue from the red chili flakes that were infused into the oil, and that just completes the whole ensemble.
There's nothing that beats a good ol' grilled cheese on classic white bread with neon yellow American cheese. Let's be honest. But, today's grilled cheese? It comes pretty darn close.
Alrighty, everyone! This grilled cheese is sure to become a new favorite for everyone just like the pizza that preceded it.
I hope you all enjoy! And, let's eat!
Amazing White Pizza Grilled Cheese
Serves: 4 Print
Ingredients:
¼ cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 sprigs thyme
1/8 tsp red chili flakes
1 cup smoked gouda cheese, shredded
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
8 slices sourdough bread
Directions:
Make the garlic oil: In a small saucepan over low heat, combine olive oil, garlic, thyme, and red chili flakes. Bring to a simmer, and simmer for 10 mins. Remove from heat, and remove sliced garlic and thyme from oil. Set aside.
Mix mozzarella and smoked gouda together in a small bowl or plate. Take 4 slices of bread, and top with cheese mix divided evenly between the slices. Then, top the shredded cheese with crumbled feta, evenly divided. Place the remaining four slices of bread on top of the cheese to close the sandwich.
Heat a non stick skillet over medium high heat. Brush the top side of each sandwich with garlic oil, crust to crust. Place the sandwich, oiled side down in the skillet. Brush the other side of each sandwich with remaining garlic oil. Cook for 3-5 minutes until the bottom side is golden brown, flip, and cook an additional 3-5 minutes until golden. Repeat as necessary based on the size of your skillet.
Cut on the diagonal, serve, and enjoy!
Recipe notes: .
*Make sure you get smoked gouda and not regular gouda. The taste is totally different!
*For ultimate meltability, buy blocks of cheese and shred it yourself. That's how you'll get the best cheesepull.
*Since I don't use the whole block of smoked gouda for this recipe, I like to wrap the leftover cheese back in its wrapper, place it in a sandwich bag, and store it in the freezer. When I want to use it again, I just remove it from the freezer the day before I need it. That way, I don't feel bad about splurging on specialty cheese, because it doesn't get wasted. And, the texture stays the same even after being frozen!
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