Cheese Sandwich (Grilled & On Skillet)

There’s nothing more simple to make and satisfying to enjoy than a warm, crisp and gooey cheese sandwich. Here I share two ways with step-by-step photos for how to prepare an easy grilled cheese sandwich recipe in less than 20 minutes. Try your preferred recipe for a quick and yummy breakfast, lunch, or even dinner.

About Cheese Sandwich Recipes

Grilled cheese sandwich is one of our favorite quick and simple vegetarian recipes that only requires a few key ingredients. It’s made with a good loaf of bread (fresh or day old) a tangy block of cheddar or mozzarella cheese, a bit of softened butter, and flavorful spices and herbs.

Below I share with you two different but equally easy and delicious recipes and tips for how to make a tasty cheese sandwich at home.

1. The first recipe is a skillet method for making a very classic and tasty grilled cheese on the stovetop. You only need a large pan plus a spatula.
2. Our second recipe uses an electric grill, also known as a panini press. The grilled cheese sandwich made with the electric grill are spiced with Indian spices – roasted cumin powder, chaat masala and freshly crushed black pepper powder.

Both of these methods will make perfect grilled sandwiches with crispy toasted bread and warm, gooey cheese in every bite.

Simply choose whichever recipe you prefer based on whether you have an electric grill or not; or give them both a try and see which you like best!

Classic Cheese Sandwich

This cheese sandwich recipe uses the skillet to grill the sandwiches. Make sure to use a heavy cast iron skillet or pan, so that your sandwiches are grilled beautifully golden with a lovely crisp texture on the toasts.

1. First, slice your bread loaf in ½ inches slices. You want about 8 to 10 slices total, depending on how many cheese sandwiches you are making. Here I have used homemade Whole Wheat Bread.

2. Spread softened butter on the slices of bread.

3. Top half of the slices with 3 to 4 tablespoons or more (depending on the size of the bread slices) of freshly grated cheddar or mozzarella cheese, or a mix of both. For 8 to 10 slices you will need a total of about 1 cup of grated cheese.

4. Sprinkle with a pinch or two of various dried herbs, red chilli flakes and crushed black pepper. Here I’ve used parsley, thyme and oregano with bits of chilli pepper flakes. Feel free to add your favorite herbs.

5. For a bit of an elevated grilled cheese sandwich, top the cheese lightly with some chopped fresh basil and finely chopped celery. You can use dried basil in place of fresh basil.

Sprinkle with one to pinches of salt (to taste) evenly all over. If you don’t have fresh celery you can swap with celery salt, and omit the salt.

6. Cover the cheese topped bread with the buttered slice.

7. Heat a heavy or a thick bottomed skillet, or a frying pan, on low to medium-low heat on the stovetop. Spread some butter in the skillet, and allow it to melt. Then place the cheese sandwich in the skillet.

8. Spread some more softened butter on top of the bread.

9. Gently press the sandwich with a spatula so that you can get nice, evenly toasted and crispy texture. You can even place a heavy object, like a clean plate, on the sandwich.

10. When the bottom is crusty and golden, flip over gently with a spatula. I like my sandwiches to be more browned, toasty and crisp.

Grill the second side for another few minutes until crisp and golden, pressing with the spatula for even cooking.

11. Remove the grilled sandwich and transfer to a chopping board. Cut in two and serve hot with Ketchup, Mayo or any dip of your choice.

Make all the cheese sandwiches this way on the skillet. If you use a large skillet, grill two to three sandwiches at the same time on the skillet.

With Panini Press

Here we use the sandwich maker a.k.a panini press to grill the sandwiches. Remember to preheat your sandwich maker prior to placing the prepared cheese sandwich in the sandwich maker.

1. Spread butter on all the bread slices so that the surface is completely covered.
Note: For this recipe I don’t add salt as the butter, cheese and chaat masala already contains salt. If using unsalted butter, then you can sprinkle some salt.

You can slice of the edges if you prefer. Top half a portion of the slices with freshly grated cheese.

2. On each slice of cheese-topped bread sprinkle 2 to 3 pinches of roasted cumin powder, chaat masala powder and black pepper.

3. Cover the cheese-topped slices with the remaining buttered slices, and spread more softened butter on the top of the slices.

4. Preheat the grill and place the cheese sandwich carefully, with the buttered side facing down, onto the grill.

Make sure your hands don’t touch the hot grill. If you are able, spread more butter onto tops of the sandwich. Be careful when doing this.

If you cannot safely do this then just skip the above step. Instead spread butter once the cheese sandwich are grilled.

5. Close the panini press and grill for 2 to 3 minutes, or until each cheese sandwich is crisp and golden.

6. Serve the grilled cheese sandwiches hot with a dipping sauce like tomato ketchup or Coriander Chutney or Mint Chutney.

Expert Tips

• Bread: Use a good fresh loaf of bread or even a day old to make your cheese sandwich recipe. Feel free to use bread made with either whole wheat, multi grain or oats for a healthier option. If using Homemade Bread, then don’t slice the bread too thickly or thinly.
• Cheese: Use a cheese that melts when grilled. Basically we are looking for a crisp golden exterior with a smooth melted cheese within. I generally use cheddar cheese to make these sandwiches.
• Types of cheese: You can use processed cheese or even mozzarella cheese or a mix of cheddar and mozzarella. However, I always use (and recommend you use) a block of cheddar cheese, which I then grate and add to the bread. Pre-shredded cheese or slices of cheese typically have starch or thickeners, additives and preservatives in them. The starch gives a different taste to the sandwich, so I personally prefer to shred the cheese.
• Butter: The butter has to be applied evenly and on the whole slice of the bread. I always use salted softened butter at room temperature and not melted butter. A generous amount of butter not only adds a lot of flavor and taste but also helps the bread slices to grill and brown evenly.
• Toasting Options: Instead of grilling the sandwiches you can also toast the sandwiches in an electric toaster or a hand held stovetop toaster. You can also check out this Mumbai style Grilled Sandwich.
• Herbs and Seasonings: Feel free to customize the seasonings and herbs to what you prefer or have in season. Fragrant herbs like mint, cilantro, basil, parsley are some nice options. Choose to add spices like cayenne or paprika or white pepper for that bit of heat and pungency. Swap with dried herbs if you do not have fresh herbs – 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh herb = 1 teaspoon of dried herbs
• Grilling in Oven: To bake and grill these cheese sandwiches in the oven, first preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius/356 Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. Place the sandwich in a baking tray. Make sure that both the top and bottom elements of the oven are heated. Place the tray with the sandwiches in the middle rack of your oven. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius/356 Fahrenheit for 15 to 20 minutes or until the sandwiches become crusty and golden from top. Turn over half way through the baking time if you see that the top has not become crusty or golden.

This Cheese Sandwich recipe from the archives first published in Jan 2014 has been updated and republished on April 2023.