Bacon, Brie, and Apple Grilled Cheese

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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 (à la our blackberry grilled cheese), or peaches. This grilled cheese is also excellent with a bit of leftover cranberry sauce.

Swap the protein. Use prosciutto, grilled or shredded slow cooker 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:

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.

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

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.
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.
Turn the heat to medium.
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.
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.

Nutrition

Serving Size:
Calories: 717
Sugar: 7.2 g
Sodium: 1236.1 mg
Fat: 32.7 g
Carbohydrates: 77.8 g
Protein: 28.3 g
Cholesterol: 89 mg

Keywords: fall, autumn, sandwich

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

Bacon, Brie, and Apple Grilled Cheese

Riffs & Substitutions

Pair it with a creamy fall soup

A few grilled cheese FAQs