The classic grilled cheese is a veritable pot of gold in terms of versatility. There are those who swear by good old butter to get it sizzling, and others who insist that only mayo makes a grilled cheese taste like heaven. Tomato and bacon, of course, are among the top accoutrements, but less expected sweet ingredients can make a killer grilled cheese, too. And even when you think you’ve cycled through every potential fat swap or filling in creation, there are still even more ways to upgrade your grilled cheese from the outside in.
Parmesan-crusted grilled cheese is just the crisp, salty, grown-up treatment that will transform your toasty sandwich from a comforting childhood favorite to something you might see on a restaurant menu with the sophisticated flavor profile to match. It also makes a tremendous impact with minimal extra work. When gathering your usual ingredients, you’ll need to grate enough Parm into a flat, even layer to cover the outside of two slices of bread. About one cup should be plenty. Butter the bread like normal and press each of the two buttered sides into the grated Parmesan to coat. You can then sandwich the cheese and grill it in a skillet as you would any everyday preparation.
Things to consider when making a Parmesan-crusted grilled cheese
Parm is pretty salty, so if you typically reach for a great, but also salty melter like iconic yellow American cheese, you might want to consider a mellower pick. Swiss cheese is just the mild, slightly sweet slice to pair with the more assertive Parmesan, and it, too, gets a nice, melty pull.
To minimize sticking, you should also leave the Parmesan-crusted exterior mostly undisturbed as it cooks to give it time to crisp up and adhere to the bread, not the metal of your pan. This is also the one case when even the most ardent non-stick avoiders might want to break out the Teflon. Low and slow is also the way to go with Parmesan-crusted grilled cheese, so set your flame or burner to medium and don’t start checking for doneness until around the three minute mark. And keep the fillings to a minimum in this case; the Parmesan can begin to burn if cooked for the length it requires to melt the interior cheese with ancillary ingredients extending the time the sandwich requires on the stove.
