Grilled Cheese Is A Creamy Flavor Bomb When You Go For This Southern Cheese Over American

We all have our own go-to grilled cheese recipes, but I'm going to ask you to move a smidge outside your grilled goodness comfort zone — trust me, you're going to thank me after you give this a try. Swapping out your standard American cheese filling for pimento cheese creates a luxurious-tasting sandwich that's creamy, salty, and even a bit spicy, depending on the pimento cheese recipe you follow. You can also buy it premade at the grocery store, and if you're not sure what kind to buy, Palmetto Cheese is a Southerner's favorite brand. If you're not familiar with it, pimento cheese is a salty, savory Southern spread made of shredded cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, seasonings, and pimentos. When you use it for grilled cheese, it gives the sandwich a more flavorful, creamy filling with a slight kick. 

Making a grilled pimento cheese sandwich won't take any extra effort compared to a normal grilled cheese sandwich, assuming the pimento cheese is already prepared. Simply spread a generous layer of pimento cheese between two slices of bread and grill away as normal. While this is uber-simple (and just as delicious as it is easy), let's take a look at a few tips to keep in mind to elevate the savory flavor explosion that is a grilled pimento cheese.

Before you start assembling your sandwich, you'll need to choose the right bread. Pimento cheese can get a little bit messy, especially when it's melted, so it's key to choose something that can hold up to a softer filling. While you can certainly make standard white bread work if it's all you've got, choosing something with a little more chew and structure — like a flavor-packed sourdough — makes sense. This makes your sandwich more likely to stay intact bite after bite, rather than disintegrating into a gloopy mess. No matter what type of bread you use, you'll want to make sure you get a solid crisp on the exterior of your grilled cheese. 

If you'd like to elevate the flavor of your grilled pimento cheese, you've got a few different options. You can try mixing in different seasonings, like cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes if you'd like to add a bit of extra heat to the mix. You can also up the spice factor by layering a few thinly sliced jalapeños on top of your pimento cheese (or dice them and mix them directly into the cheese blend). Finally, you can add some serious spark to this flavor bomb by sprinkling some bacon crumbles over the cheese before it starts to sizzle on the griddle. No matter how you dress it up, grab some napkins, kick back, and enjoy every bite of your super-savory, Southern-inspired sandwich.