Happy National Grilled Cheese Day! I wish I was one to prepare for days like these in advance, but I’m not. I’ve turned into a sort of fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants girl lately. I’ve been busy with this, busy with that but I paused just long enough today to photograph these beauties. I mean, a girl’s gotta eat, right?
This is my absolute favorite way to make a cheeseburger. It combines the beefy, cheesy goodness of a burger, with the crisp, buttery goodness of a grilled cheese sandwich. I’ve taken it up a notch by adding some garlic and basil to the butter. Believe me, when you make a grilled cheeseburger with that butter, you’ll never want to make it any other way!
I’ll add a recipe card at the bottom of this post but honestly, you don’t need it. It’s so simple to throw together. You can also use lots of imagination on what you add to it. Personally, I like them kind of plain. No condiments for me. While I’ll pile a regular burger with loads of things, I want to taste the butter for this sandwich. It might be really good with some mustard or pickles though, or, add some tomato and lettuce after you’ve grilled it.
For four sandwiches, you’ll need to prepare four 1/4 lb. burger patties. I buy ground beef from a local Amish farmer and it’s the most beautiful meat I’ve ever seen. It’s grass-fed and reasonably priced. I’m hoping to do a post soon on the difference between local grass-fed beef or grocery store “grass-fed” beef. You won’t believe the color difference in the meat!
For the burger patties I add some salt, pepper and herbs then cook them in a skillet on the stovetop. If you are using cheese that melts quickly, then wait until you grill the sandwiches before you add it. If it takes the cheese a while to melt, add it right after cooking and cover the patties for a few minutes with a large lid to allow it to melt.
I’m gluten-free so obviously, I use gluten-free bread. I used to be a hardcore Udi’s Whole Grain bread fan but they’ve since discontinued it. Without even asking me! Can you believe that? So, I’ve been trying other brands lately. I’ve not settled on one yet but the one I used for the photo is Little Northern Bakehouse, Seeds & Grains Bread. It’s small but it grilled up beautifully and it’s egg-free for those of you with sensitivities.
Speaking of sensitivities, if you’re living dairy-free, there are some “cheese” options out there that will work for this. Daiya has a few dairy-free cheeses that also avoid soy.
- 4 cooked beef burger patties
- 8 pieces gluten-free bread
- 2 Tbls. butter, softened
- 1½ tsp. minced garlic
- 2 tsp. minced, fresh basil
- Cheese of your choice - cheddar, American, Swiss or dairy-free
- Combine butter, garlic and basil and set spread on each slice of bread.
- Place burger patty on bread and top with cheese and another piece of buttered bread.
- Grill until browned on both sides, flipping carefully half way through.
- Serve immediately.