Bacon pimento grilled cheese is the ultimate comfort food sandwich. Homemade pimento cheese and bacon is stuffed between buttered bread slices and cooked until golden brown and melty.
We all know and love a classic grilled cheese sandwich. Sliced cheese is sandwiched between two pieces of buttered bread and cooked until golden brown and melty.
Want to mix things up? Give this bacon pimento grilled cheese a try. It's gooey, rich, and extra melty from the addition of my homemade pimento cheese spread.
Serve this melty grilled cheese on its own or with a side salad or a bowl of soup. It's sure to satisfy your comfort food cravings!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Cheese - I used a combination of sharp cheddar cheese and extra sharp cheddar cheese. I recommend a high quality cheese since it's the star of the recipe. I highly recommend grating your own cheese from the block because it has a better texture and isn't coated in anti-clumping powders like bagged cheeses.
- Cream cheese - You'll need a half block of regular, block-style cream cheese for this recipe.
- Mayonnaise - Adds creamy texture and tangy flavor to the spread.
- Pimentos - Pimentos are often found near the pickles at the grocery store - they're sold in small jars. If you have whole or sliced pimentos (long strips), give them a quick dice before adding to your spread.
- Onion - The minced onion can be omitted, but adds a great amount of flavor and texture to the pimento cheese.
- Hot sauce - Adds just enough flavor without making the pimento cheese 'spicy'. You're welcome to add more hot sauce to taste.
- Seasoning - Salt, pepper, and garlic powder enhance the flavor of the cheese spread.
- Bread - Use your favorite sandwich bread. A simple sliced white bread works great in this recipe.
- Bacon - Needs to be cooked before assembling your grilled cheese.
Tips and tricks
Bring cream cheese to room temperature - Before beginning, soften your cream cheese to room temperature. This ensures the cream cheese incorporates evenly with the rest of the ingredients and you aren't left with large clumps of cold cream cheese throughout.
Freshly grate your cheese - I highly recommend using freshly grated cheese from a block for best flavor and texture. Pre-grated bagged cheeses are often coated in anti-clumping powders that can add a grainy texture to your recipe.
Use the tools you have - Pimento cheese can be mixed with a stand mixer, hand mixer, or a wooden spoon. A mixer makes quick, easy work of a batch of pimento cheese, but it's not necessary if you don't have one on hand.
Storage
Prepared pimento cheese will keep for up to 2 weeks in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. Since dairy products don't tend to freeze and thaw well, I don't recommend freezing pimento cheese.
Frequently asked questions
The base ingredients of pimento cheese include shredded cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, and diced pimentos. It's kind of a mix between a spread and a relish. Pimentos are a sweet, aromatic cherry pepper, and one of the lowest peppers on the Scoville scale. Another common ingredient includes cream cheese, which adds a rich, creamy, and smooth texture.
Other optional flavor additions include ingredients like worcestershire sauce, horseradish, jalapenos, hot sauce, onions, or diced pickles.
Pimento cheese spread is creamy and tangy, with a sharp cheddar cheese flavor. Other flavor notes in this recipe include onion, mild pimento flavor, and a hint warmth from the hot sauce.
Sure, feel free to substitute the pimento cheese ingredients in the recipe card with a store bought pimento cheese instead.
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📖 Recipe
Bacon Pimento Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 ounces jarred pimentos, diced
- ½ teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced onion
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 8 slices cooked bacon
- 8 slices sandwich bread
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add your pimento cheese ingredients: shredded cheese, mayonnaise, cream cheese, pimentos, onion, hot sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Using a hand mixer, stand mixer, or a wooden spoon, mix until evenly combined. Taste and add more hot sauce, salt, and pepper as desired.
- Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat. Spread butter onto one side of each bread slice. Place bread slice, buttered side down, into skillet. Top with ½ cup of pimento cheese, spreading into an even layer. Top with bacon and another bread slice, buttered side up. Repeat for each additional sandwich.
- Cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 2-3 minutes. Flip, and cook another 2-3 minutes on the second side, or until golden brown and melty.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Prepared pimento cheese will keep for up to 2 weeks in a sealed container in the refrigerator and can easily be made ahead of time.
- Serve grilled cheese paired with a side salad or soup for a complete meal.
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