BLT Grilled Cheese
Sometimes, it’s OK to settle. Unless we are talking about a BLT sandwich—in which case, please never ever agree to anything less than a BLT Grilled Cheese.
The word “settle” does not have a particularly positive connotation. If we settle, it’s because we’ve given up, we’ve decided we don’t deserve the best, and we lack a certain measure of self worth.
Certainly, I wish the best for everyone, but the truth is, in my own life, “the best” is not always the most practical (or affordable) solution. I’m OK with that. My coffee isn’t freshly roasted, my socks don’t always match, and I probably should have washed my hair today, instead of opting for the dry shampoo again. I settled for Trader Joe’s medium roast and put my hair in a ponytail.
Daily survival demands settling and compromise. Maybe it’s the movies we rent or where we go out to dinner. Maybe it’s the discount brands we buy or the pizza toppings we choose to avoid household mutiny. Some sacrifices are bigger than others. Many are worth it.
In a world that demands compromise, we can find refuge in the BLT. I know it sounds odd, but I believe there is comfort in the fact that, no matter what the universe hurls our way, we never need to settle for a sub-par BLT.
Classic BLTs have never particularly appealed to me. Where’s the messy sauce to moisten the bread? The greens hearty enough to stand up to the salty bacon? (Sorry iceberg lettuce—you are not up to the task.) And the biggest question of all, where is the cheese?
Today’s BLT Grilled Cheese is everything a BLT sandwich can and should and must be. It has all of the best parts of a BLT—the thick cut bacon, the juicy tomato—but none of the drawbacks.
Instead of iceberg lettuce (which I find adds nothing to the sandwich but a half-hearted watery mush), I used feisty arugula, which adds peppery boldness. For the bread, I skipped the ho-hum white slices in favor of a multigrain sourdough. It’s slightly tangy, thick, and hearty, perfect for toasting and capable of containing the sandwich’s hot, melty interior.
Since my biggest beef (er, pork?) with BLTs are that they are too dry, I slathered the bread with Dijon mustard. It’s zippy and keeps the sandwich moist.
The final essential: sassy sharp cheddar cheese. Pile that baby high! Making a no-settle BLT is not the time to be skimpy with the good stuff.
April is National Grilled Cheese Month, and while I’m not usually one to plan my dinner schedule around food holidays, grilled cheese is a culinary genre I feel deserves the recognition. After all, when a meal is this easy, cheesy, and flavor-packed, we’d be settling if we missed it.
Go forth and griddle!
BLT Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon — cooked
- 4 slices sourdough bread
- Softened butter — for grilling
- 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 large ripe tomato, — cut into 1/2-inch slices
- 2 ounces freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 small handfuls arugula
Instructions
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If necessary, cook the bacon according to these easy steps. Set aside.
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Heat a large skillet over medium low. To make each sandwich, spread one side of a bread slice with butter, ensuring that you cover all the way to the edges. Spread the other side of the buttered slice with 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, then layer on half of the cheese, 2 strips of cooked bacon, tomato slices, and a small handful of arugula. Spread another slice of bread with Dijon mustard, then place it mustard-side down on top of the arugula. Butter the remaining topside of the bread. Repeat for the second sandwich.
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Once the skillet is warm, cook the sandwiches on each side, until the bread is golden and the cheese melted, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Be patient and resist the urge to turn up the skillet heat—low and slow will ensure a golden toast and gooey center. Transfer to a plate, let cool a few minutes, slice, and enjoy.
Did you try this recipe? I want to see! Follow Well Plated on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag it #wellplated. I love to know what you are making!
More tasty ways to celebrate National Grilled Cheese Month:
- Raspberry Chipotle Bacon Grilled Cheese
- Roasted Tomato and Egg Grilled Cheese from Naturally Ella
- Roasted Eggplant Ricotta Grilled Cheese
- Dark Chocolate Berry Brie Grilled Cheese from Ambitious Kitchen
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
About Erin Clarke
I’m fearlessly dedicated to making healthy food taste incredible. Wearer of plaid, travel enthusiast, and firmly convinced that sweets and veggies both deserve a place at the table. MORE ABOUT ERIN…
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So um… I’d like a lunch invitation asap. These BLT grilled cheese sammies are right up my alley :)
I can never resist a great grilled cheese and this is definitely it! Count me in on that lunch invite too! :-)
Oh yeah, this is definitely a keeper! I want one of these right now!
Can I just say that I love that we are on the same BLT wave length today? Also, I will gladly trade you a bite of my burger for a bite of this sammie!!! Deal?
DEAL!!! (but I’m going to need two bites of the burger…just warning you).
That sandwich looks amazing Erin!! Yummy for my tummy!! My Mom makes a great BLT!! Nothing fancy. But made with Love!!
Brilliant! Never thought to make a BLT into a melt. I’m salivating. Also LOVE arugula in all sandwiches. xo
Erin, oh my gawd, this is like the best grilled cheese sandwich EVER!!! I’m thinking of entering the WI Cheese Grilled Cheese showdown thing again . . you know, because we’re Wisconsinites. . and it’s our duty. . as good citizens. :P
This BLT grilled cheese looks amazing! BLT’s are my favourite, I love the flavours mixed with all that gooey cheese goodness! Definitely craving one of these right now! Thanks for sharing, Erin! :D
“Where is the cheese?” perfectly sums up my feelings about traditional BLTs (as well as, er, most things without cheese), and is probably why I’ve not had more than 2-3 of them my entire life! These look fantastic – and I bet they’d be a great dinner when I’m not looking to make anything too involved. Yum!
What a brilliant idea for grilled cheese! Wish I had one in front of me right now!
Oh yum! This sounds amazing. I am a huge fan of grilled cheese the original but I would always take a jazzed up version too.
I spy a pretty blue background board! ;) But more importantly, I spy a sandwich that I want — no, NEED — to get into my belly ASAP.
Hehehe! I finally took the plunge and ordered two, two sided boards. Happy early birthday to me!
Although I do adore a classic BLT, you’ve made it infinitely better with melty cheese and spicy dijon. Grilled cheese heaven.
Mmm, a BLT grilled cheese sounds SO delicious right about now! And it looks so utterly amazing too!! Pinned :)
This is a beauuuty!! I’ll have 3 :)
Jillian
How about four? :-) Thank you Jillian!
Finally a BLT I can get behind. I feel exactly the same as you…I have never understood the appeal of the BLT for all the reasons you mentioned. It is just always missing something for me. I love the idea of a grilled cheese blt because let’s be honest, just a grilled cheese is amazing so add some BLT love to it and it has to be amazing. Can’t wait to try and thanks for posting.
Thank you so much Chelsea! Amazing how cheese makes anything better right?
This is the best looking BLT that I’ve ever seen. I don’t eat regular bacon, but I’d totally substitute in some turkey bacon for the recipe. I want it all. YUM!
Yes. Thank you. THIS is how you make a BLT. I like the argulua a lot better on the sandwich as well because it adds flavor and the cheese… you must have the cheese. And mustard. And don’t get me wrong, I’m okay with the standard BLT… but this is sososo much better.
Amber I can see that you appreciate a nice gooey sandwich too! Thank you so much :-)
Can it be? Have I entered grilled cheese heaven? This sandwich looks absolutely indulgent. . .the kind of lunch I crave for those special occasions when I’m wanting to treat myself with something cheesy and not so skimpy on the calories. I also like the idea of throwing a couple of slices of hard boiled eggs on this. . .now that would be heaven X2.
Girl. First off, new background board? I’m loving it! Second, this sandwich is everything. Not only is it a BLT, but it’s a beautiful vine-tomato-arugula-dijon BLT. Aaaaaaaaand zippy cheddah cheese.
Nailed it.
You have a sharp eye and YES! I’m so happy to finally have some variety of backdrops around here :-) Thanks so much for your kind words about the sammie too!
I like how you think! While I’ll never pass up a classic BLT, I can appreciate a fancy BLT with cheese and an upgrade from iceberg. And the dijon! Love that.
This is my type of sandwich! It’s perfect when you are hungry and are walking around the house looking for something to whip up :D
Can’t wait to make breakfast tomorrow!
BLT Grilled Cheese for breakfast? You da man!
I know what you mean about BLTs – I always make BLTAs instead (avocado). But look what you did here!! Marrying BLT with grilled cheese is brilliant!
I love everything about this post and recipe. =D The only thing I noticed was the “T” part of the sandwich wasn’t mentioned in the ingredients. It does have tomatoes on it, correct?
Hi Kori,
The “T” definitely should be there! Thanks for the reminder, and I apologize for the miss. It’s all updated now :)
This looks great, BUT…! I stand in defense of the classic BLT sandwich. Iceberg lettuce and mayonnaise – yum. Homegrown tomatoes. Crispy bacon. Toasted white bread. What’s not to love?
To each their own, so stand proud! If you love a classic BLT, then enjoy every bite. The beauty is that no one needs to choose just one or the other for life. We can have them both :-)
:) I hope I didn’t come across rudely, but I just thought I was missing something. Thank you for the awesome recipes, & have a great Monday, Erin!
Hi Kori, oh my goodness, not at all! I so appreciate your telling me. I try to be really careful, but sometimes I stare at these recipes so long, I see what I think is there, instead of what I typed!
Totally in love with this sandwich! Thanks for linking up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!