Ultimate Gruyere Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Fig and Apple
If you think grilled cheese is just bread and cheese, think again. This Gruyere grilled cheese combines sweet, salty, melty and toasty for the perfect bite. Crisp sourdough toasted to golden perfection, gooey melted cheese, a thin layer of fig butter for sweetness, tart apple slices for crunch, smoky bacon for savory depth, and a peppery pop of arugula tucked inside at the very end. It’s the grilled cheese upgrade you didn’t know you needed.
Erica’s Thoughts
Hello and welcome to Embarrassingly Easy Dinners episode six. Or episode one of part two? Wherever we’re at, we are making easy weeknight dinner recipes that feature a few shortcuts. Part one featured Costco shortcuts and now we’ve moved on to Trader Joe’s shortcuts! Admittedly, this dinner is a little… well, lunchy. But it is fancier than regular grilled cheese and I am all about normalizing lunch for dinner.
So here’s what you do:
- Grab some fig butter, mustard aioli sauce, sourdough bread, and gruyère cheese from Trader Joe’s. You can also find these items at a regular grocery store.
- Assemble sandwiches for just you or the entire fam and toast them on a griddle pan if you have one. Pair with soup, fresh fruit, raw veggies, and potato chips, and dinner is served.
- For my girls, I make regular grilled cheese sandwiches and serve the apple slices and bacon on the side, as well as a side salad and snap peas.
If you are a fall lover like me, you are going to be allll about the combination of flavors in this sandwich. Crispy buttery crust, nutty cheese, sweet apple and fig, oomph. Go forth! The perfect grilled cheese sandwich is calling your name.
What You’ll Need to Make Gruyere Grilled Cheese Sandwiches:
Sourdough bread: Get a good bread that you love. I personally love sourdough but nearly any type of bread will work here.
Mayo: a little secret for ya, mayo > butter for toasting the outside of the bread. Trust me on this one, the smoke point of mayo is higher than butter so, less risk of burning/over toasting.
Gruyère cheese: Aged gruyère is nutty, melty, punchy, and the best grilled cheese cheese. I find it in the fancy cheese section of our grocery store by the deli (not the cheese aisle). At TJs it’s with all of the other cheeses.
Apple: thinly sliced for crunch and a little tart sweetness – I love Fuji, Cosmic Crisp, or Honeycrisp apples.
Fig butter: Fig butter is not butter at all, but a sticky fig jam that adds an incredible layer of depth and sweet flavor.
Dijon aioli: I get this from Trader Joe’s but you can find something similar in the condiment aisle of any major grocery store. You can also mix Dijon mustard with mayo.
Bacon (optional): This sandwich is amazing either way, but if I have a few slices of leftover bacon, it is an incredible addition here.
Arugula: Gotta have some greens of course! I love the peppery addition.
How to Make this Gruyere Grilled Cheese Recipe:
Spread mayo on one side of the slices of bread. Flip the bread and spread fig butter on one slice, Dijon aioli on the other.
On the fig butter side, layer apple slices and nutty Gruyère cheese. Sprinkle bacon on top of the cheese if using. Top with the second slice of bread, Dijon side down.
Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat and spritz with olive oil or nonstick spray. Cook the sandwich 2-3 minutes per side, mayo side down, pressing gently, until golden brown and the cheese is melted.
Open slightly and revel in the cheese pull, tuck in the arugula, close, slice, and devour. Perfect lunch or family-friendly dinner, that’s what I’m talking about.
Variation Ideas
- Fig butter thoughts: if you can’t find fig butter (also called fig jam) you can sub apricot jam, pepper jelly or homemade cranberry sauce.
- Types of cheese: melty, gooey cheeses like Fontina, Havarti, monterey jack, white cheddar or sharp cheddar cheese are all great subs for Gruyere.
- Kid-friendly: leave out the arugula and bacon for a sweet-cheesy apple melt. You can serve the greens and bacon on the side for them!
- Higher protein: add bacon and thin slices of roasted turkey to make a balanced panini-style sandwich.
- Other add-ins I think would be delicious: sweet caramelized onions, spice-infused honey, cranberry sauce, prosciutto or sliced turkey.
Expert Tips
- Grate the Gruyère instead of slicing, it melts faster and more evenly.
- Don’t crank the heat too high! Medium-low heat gives you that perfect crispy bread without burning it before the cheese melts.
- Press the sandwich down gently while toasting to get everything really well-cohesed.
- If you’re making multiple sandwiches, keep the finished ones warm in a 200°F oven while the others cook. I have this large indoor griddle pan that covers two burners that works so great for making many sandwiches at one time.
FAQs
Sub apricot jam, blackberry jam or pepper jelly.
I’m partial to good sourdough, but a soft and squishy country white bread would be delish as well.
I love fresh fruit, simple side salad, cup of soup and/or classic potato chips.
I have an idea – you have a grilled cheese party and invite me. Mmkay bye.
If you try and like this recipe please don’t forget to leave a comment and star rating down below! If you love more lifestyle, behind the scenes and ‘eating in real life’ type of content come find me over on Instagram, @itsaflavorfullife, I love connecting with you all there!
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Ultimate Gruyere Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Fig and Apple
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: varies – however many you need it to!
- Category: Sandwiches
- Method: Griddle
- Cuisine: American
Description
A gourmet twist on the classic grilled cheese- this gruyere grilled cheese is a combo of sweet, savory, creamy, crunchy, peppery, salty, melty perfection!
Ingredients
Single Sandwich
- 2 slices sourdough bread
- 1 tablespoon mayo
- 1 1/2 oz Gruyère cheese, grated
- 1/4 apple, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon fig butter
- 1/2 tablespoon Dijon aioli (or 1 heaping teaspoon each Dijon mustard and mayo mixed together)
- 1 slice cooked bacon, chopped (optional)
- handful of arugula
For the Fam (4 Sandwiches)
- 8 slices sourdough bread
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 6 oz Gruyère cheese, grated
- 1 apple, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup fig butter (aka fig jam)
- 2–3 tablespoons Dijon aioli (or 1 tablespoons Dijon mustard mixed with 2 tablespoons mayo)
- 4 slices cooked bacon, chopped (optional)
- 1 cup arugula
Instructions
- Spread mayo on one side of each slice of bread. Flip the bread over and spread 1 tablespoon fig butter on one slice and 1/2 tablespoon Dijon aioli on the other (for each sandwich).
- On the fig butter side, layer apple slices, Gruyère, and bacon (if using). Top with the second slice of bread, Dijon side down.
- Heat a nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat and lightly coat with nonstick spray. Place the sandwich in the pan and press down gently. Cook 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown and the cheese is melted.
- Carefully open the sandwich just enough to tuck in the arugula. Serve with fresh fruit, arugula side salad, potato chips and/or cup of soup for an unexpectedly spectacular meal.
Notes
Refer to above blog post for step-by-step photos, ingredient information and substitutes and frequently asked questions.
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 sandwich
- Calories: 461
- Sugar: 14.6 g
- Sodium: 1224.6 mg
- Fat: 21.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 47 g
- Fiber: 2.9 g
- Protein: 17.8 g
- Cholesterol: 47.4 mg
Best sandwich of my life!!!
Yaaaassss. Love to hear it, thanks Emma!
Hello my new hyperfixation lunch!! This sandwich is SO GOOD. I’ve had it four out of the last five days! It’s so easy and tastes so fancy like a sandwich I would order at a restaurant. Obsessed!!
Yaaaay! This made my day, thanks McKenzie, glad you love it!