Upgrade your grilled cheese sandwich with a Pimento Cheese Grilled Cheese! Make this with a delicious homemade pimento cheese spread layered on thick buttered bread and crispy bacon. Tastes like a diner grilled cheese with the perfect blend of buttery crisp bread and tons of melty cheese.
This is the grilled cheese that’s worthy of sitting at the grown-up table. The pimento cheese spread is perfectly seasoned with garlic powder and smoked paprika to make sure there is no shortage of flavor.
And the slices of bread don’t get ignored. Spread softened butter on each side of the slices of bread, then sprinkle a little salt, smoked paprika, and garlic powder. Trust me on this, seasoned buttered bread is going to add so much more flavor to your grilled cheese experience.
ALL ABOUT PIMENTOS
Even if you’re not familiar with pimentos, you’ve probably seen them before! If you’ve ever seen a green olive with the little red pepper in the center…that’s a pimento!
Pimentos are a type of small red pepper. They’re a sweet pepper, kind of like a red bell pepper is, and totally not spicy at all! They’re flavor is very similar to that of roasted red peppers.
The pimentos you need for this recipe you won’t find in the produce section though! They actually come in little jars like these, sometimes found near the capers, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, or pastas. You can find them diced or sliced. If you buy the sliced ones, you’ll just need to use a large knife to dice them smaller.
Once you combine all the ingredients for the pimento cheese spread it should turn out looking like this.
You can just see all the flavor in here that the smoked paprika adds!
After you’ve got the cheese spread then you’re ready to make the grilled cheese.
Butter the bread, season it, and starting toasting it up in a large pan! I added bacon to mine, but these are just as delicious without the bacon too.
Looking for more grilled cheese ideas?
Oaxaca and Bacon Grilled Cheese
French Onion Grilled cheese
Grilled Cheese Bites
Italian Grilled Cheese
And for more easy dinners, check these out!
Penne Vodka
Baked Penne Vodka
Stovetop Mac and Cheese
Cajun Mac and Cheese
Chicken Parm Meatballs
Here’s my full collection of dinner recipes to browse!
Pimento Cheese Grilled Cheese
A fun spin on a grilled cheese, this sandwich is made with a flavorful homemade pimento cheese! Grilled crispy, you can add cooked bacon for additional crunch.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 sandwishes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Saute
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
4 slices Sourdough or other thicker cut bread
4 strips of bacon, cooked (optional)
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons diced pimentos
3 tablespoons mayo
2-3 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt
Instructions
1. To make the pimento cheese, combine the Cheddar cheese, mayo, pimentos, garlic powder and smoked paprika. Mix well.
2. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Using as much butter as you’d like, butter one side of each slice of bread and sprinkle with salt, garlic powder and a dash of smoked paprika. Place this buttered side down in the pan, then repeat this process on the face-up side of the bread (butter, then season). Cook until browned, then flip the slices of bread, top one of the cooked sides with the pimento cheese and optional bacon. Top with the other slice of bread and continue cooking until both sides of bread are nice and browned.
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