Transform Classic Grilled Cheese With This Taco Ingredient For A Hearty Boost

Grilled cheese is a classic sandwich that offers endless possibilities to showcase your favorite breads, cheeses, and other additional ingredients. If you want to give your next grilled cheese a protein boost, one tasty way is to add cooked taco meat to the filling. Not only does this provide additional nutrition for your grilled cheese, but it's also an excellent way to use up leftover taco meat. The flavors in your sandwich will easily mesh with those of cooked ground beef seasoned with a taco-style blend of herbs and spices. The gooey cheese in the sandwich will also help to temper the heat from the spicy ground beef. All you need is about two to four tablespoons of taco meat per grilled cheese sandwich, so as not to overfill it. You'll also want to use a hearty bread that can handle the heft of this beefy addition.

The taste and texture make taco meat a satisfying addition to elevate your grilled cheese, but you don't have to stop there. Lean into your favorite taco toppings and ingredients to fully transform your grilled cheese into the ultimate fusion food. It can be as simple as changing up the cheese in your sandwiches or as complex as creating a homemade spice blend to season your meat or sprinkle on the outside of the bread for a crispy crust.

Taco meat isn't the only ingredient that can give your grilled cheese a taco-inspired twist. Whether store-bought or a homemade taco seasoning recipe including ground whole spices like cumin and black peppercorns, this upgrade will go far to make a mouthwatering sandwich. You don't have to limit yourself to just ground beef, either. Try adding taco seasoning to ground chicken, turkey, or pork and use the cooked meat in your grilled cheese sandwiches if you're not too keen on beef.

Beyond adding taco-seasoned meat, you can give your grilled cheese extra spice by including sliced-up pickled jalapeños, canned green chilies, or chipotle peppers. For a milder flavor, sliced black olives will still give you that taco night vibe, but without the heat, as would a blend of Mexican-style shredded cheese. You'll also want a thick, load-bearing bread, like sourdough or Texas toast, to house this hefty grilled cheese. Alternatively, you can ditch the top piece of bread for an open-faced, fork-and-knife style sandwich, should your grilled cheese prove too hearty to be handheld. 

For a riff on the traditional pairing of grilled cheese and tomato soup, try using salsa as a dip instead. A side of seasoned sour cream would also make a delightful dairy ingredient to accompany your taco grilled cheese sandwich. This simple grilled cheese transformation will quickly become a favorite meal, whether it's taco night or just your average evening.