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    Home » Recipes

    Bacon, Brie, and Apple Grilled Cheese

    Published: Sep 28, 2021 · Last Updated: Sep 28, 2021

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    This easy brie and apple grilled cheese sandwich is perfect for fall! Creamy brie, crispy bacon, and fresh apple slices make this simple sandwich feel fancy and gourmet. Perfect with tomato soup!

    Three grilled cheese sandwiches on small white plates, next to small bowls of green salad.

    These bacon grilled cheese sandwiches are the perfect fall-into-fall food.

    Fresh apple slices give this sandwich juuuuust the right amount of crunch and sweetness, and the smoky, salty, buttery blend of crispy bacon and brie cheese takes the whole thing right over the top.

    Overhead view of grilled cheese ingredients in separate small bowls.

    Riffs & Substitutions

    This brie grilled cheese is an amazing blank canvas – mix it up with whatever you have on hand!

    • Add veggies for a heartier sandwich. Add fresh spinach, arugula, or kale for a pop of color. Add sliced or mashed avocado for extra creaminess. If you have the time, this bacon brie sandwich is also excellent with a spoonful of caramelized onions.
    • Mix up the cheese. We love the flavorful punch of white cheddar with the creamy, buttery texture of the brie here, but this recipe is pretty flexible! Goat cheese and mozzarella are both good substitutes for some or all of the cheeses in this recipe. You can also use a bit of whipped goat cheese or whipped feta!
    • Use seasonal fruit. We love fresh apple slices, but these sandwiches are great with pear slices, fresh blackberries (or blackberry jam!), or peaches. This grilled cheese is also excellent with a bit of leftover cranberry sauce.
    • Swap the protein. Use prosciutto, grilled or shredded chicken, a slice of ham, leftover Thanksgiving turkey, or a fried egg instead of (or in addition to!) the bacon here.
    Assembling grilled cheese sandwiches in a large black skillet.

    Pair it with a creamy fall soup

    This brie grilled cheese was maaaaaade to be dunked into a warm, cozy soup. A few of our favorites:

    • Roasted Tomato Soup (vegan)
    • Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
    • Creamy Apple Tomato Soup (vegan)
    • Roasted Red Pepper Soup (vegan)
    Hands pulling two halves of a grilled cheese sandwich apart.

    A few grilled cheese FAQs

    Can I make grilled cheese sandwiches in the oven?

    Yes! Grilled cheese is SO easy to make in the oven (perfect for a crowd!) Butter your bread slices, assemble each sandwich as directed, then lay sandwiches on a large sheet pan and bake at 400° F for 5-7 minutes (or until the tops are lightly toasted), then flip the sandwiches over and bake another 5-7 minutes or so until toasty.

    Can I make these without the butter?

    Yes! If you have a few extra minutes, you can use leftover bacon fat to fry these sandwiches. Fry the bacon in a skillet until crispy, pour off all but a Tablespoon or so of bacon grease (save the rest for later!) and fry the grilled cheeses in the hot grease instead of spreading butter over each piece of bread. You may need to add more bacon fat as you go (and just make sure it’s nice and hot so it doesn’t soak into the bread before the sandwich starts to crisp up!)

    A stack of sandwiches on a wooden cutting board in front of a white surface. this recipe
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    Hands pulling two halves of a grilled cheese sandwich apart.

    Bacon, Brie, and Apple Grilled Cheese

    ★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
    • Author: Jessie
    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Cook Time: 15 minutes
    • Total Time: 25 minutes
    • Yield: Makes 4 Sandwiches 1x
    • Category: Main Dish
    • Cuisine: American
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    Description

    This easy grilled cheese recipe is perfect for fall!


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • ½ lb. bacon, cooked until crispy
    • 8 slices crusty bread (we like using our crusty artisan bread or a nice sourdough!)
    • 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
    • 4 slices sharp white cheddar cheese
    • 4 thick slices brie
    • 1 apple, sliced (we like a tart variety like Granny Smith, but use whatever you like to eat!)

    Instructions

    1. Generously butter one side of each bread slice, then place half of the bread slices butter-side down in a large skillet (reserve the other half of your bread slices for the top of your sandwiches!) You may have to work in batches depending on the size of your skillet.
    2. Lay a piece of white cheddar cheese on each slice of bread, followed by 3-4 apple slices, a few pieces of crispy bacon and a slice of brie (note: it may help to tear the cheeses into small pieces so you can spread them across the surface of the entire sandwich). Top with the last four pieces of bread, buttered side up, to form your sandwiches.
    3. Turn the heat to medium.
    4. Keep an eye on the sandwiches as they cook. When the bottom piece of bread has browned up nicely (about 5-7 minutes, depending on how hot your pan is – I like to keep mine on medium-low so the cheese melts slowly and evenly) flip the sandwich to toast the other side of the bread.
    5. Remove grilled cheeses from the pan, slice in half, and serve immediately.

     


    Notes

    Additions and Substitutions. Add fresh spinach, arugula, kale, or sliced avocado for a pop of color. Add caramelized onions for extra flavor. Use sliced pears, blackberries, or peaches in place of the apples. Swap some or all of the cheese for mozzarella or goat cheese. Use prosciutto, chicken, turkey, or ham instead of bacon if you like.

    Serving Suggestions. These grilled cheese sandwiches are perfect for dunking into your favorite fall soup! Try our Roasted Tomato Soup, Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, or Apple Tomato Soup.

    What kind of apple should I use? We love the bright, tart flavor of something like a Granny Smith apple here, but you can use any variety you like! We’ve made these sandwiches with Honeycrisp, Red Delicious, Sansa, Fuji, Cortland, and Golden Delicious apples – they’re all good! The sweeter the apple, the sweeter the sandwich will be.

    Keywords: fall, autumn, sandwich

    Did you make this recipe?

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    The photos for this recipe were taken by Casey at The Mindful Hapa!

    I'm Jessie, and I like to talk about food. Tag your recipes #LifeAsAStrawberry on social media to share your creations! Learn about our team!

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    Discussion

    1. Casey Colodny :
      October 19, 2021

      Grilled cheese have never been better!! Skipped bacon and added some mushrooms to mine and WOW – delicious!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Team Life As A Strawberry :
        October 19, 2021

        We LOVE the addition of mushrooms!

        Reply
    2. Rachel Fields :
      July 6, 2020

      I would recommend using Granny Smith Apple. Fantastic sandwich

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    3. Elaine :
      September 25, 2014

      I love all the apple recipes for Fall!

      Reply
    4. Annette :
      September 25, 2014

      My favorite fall recipe is roasted veggies (olive oil + salt + pepper + thyme). I especially like using root veggies for this.

      Reply
    5. Elaine :
      September 23, 2014

      These look so good!

      Reply
    6. Brian Joos :
      September 23, 2014

      Have you experimented with candying the bacon for this recipe? I’m curious whether that would take it over the top or make it too sweet…

      Reply
      • Jessie :
        September 23, 2014

        I haven’t tried it, mainly because I’m really not a big fan of candied bacon. It might make it a little too sweet to just put candied bacon into this exact recipe, but you could counteract that by using tart apples (like Granny Smith) and adding some goat cheese in place of some or all of the brie.

        Reply
        • Brian Joos :
          September 25, 2014

          Thanks for the reply. I think I’ll try the goat cheese and granny smith idea. I’ll let you know how it turns out!

          Reply
    « Older Comments

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