Although Ina Garten is known for her more refined recipes that are just as beautiful as they are delicious, Garten sometimes likes a simple meal like the rest of us. And her grilled cheese sandwich recipe is about as simple as it gets — however, this three-ingredient lunch has a sweet twist you wouldn’t expect.
Like any good grilled cheese sandwich, Garten starts by preparing the main ingredient: cheese! And she uses a box grater to break it down so it melts like butter once in the panini press.
Related story
Ina Garten Warns of the 2 Host Gift Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make
“I love extra sharp Vermont cheddar,” Garten said in a clip from Barefoot Contessa shared to Food Network’s Instagram page. “I just think it has great flavor. It’s got a sharpness about it that’s really good in a grilled cheese sandwich.”
When the cheese is grated, Garten then prepares the bread. She likes to use a classic white bread which she brushes with melted butter on one side (this is the side that meets the pan). She then loads one of the slices up with the grated cheese and then adds a surprise special ingredient to the other slice — a fruit chutney.
“This is my secret ingredient,” Garten said about the chutney. “I love cheddar and chutney together. I’m using mango chutney…it’s kind of sweet and savory. It’s really surprising, but it’s so good.”
You could also use a jam of your liking, too. Think of it like serving cheese with jam on a charcuterie board. The combo is a little sweet, a little savory, buttery, crispy, and overall just delicious.
And that’s all there is to this sandwich! Garten likes to cook her grilled cheese in a panini press, but she noted you can also just cook the sandwiches in a regular pan with a heavy skillet on top to get that pressed action. Cook the sandwiches until the cheese is melted and oozing out from the sides and until the bread is nice and toasted.
Take the sandwiches off the heat, cut them in half, and lunch is served! Grab Garten’s full grilled cheese sandwich recipe here and get ready to change your mind about adding chutney to grilled cheese. Once you have it, you won’t be able to eat grilled cheese without it!
Before you go, check out Garten’s best dinner recipes below:
