Take Grilled Cheese Inspiration From Fall Flavors And Ditch The Tomato Soup For This

With a gooey, warm, comforting cheese filling between hearty bread, grilled cheese is the perfect fall lunch, especially paired with a bowl of steaming tomato soup. That said, there's one autumnal ingredient that ups the fall flavor of your sandwich even more, and it's well worth trying as a substitute for the soup. Sweet, fruity apple butter is one of the best condiments to elevate your grilled cheese, and it's ideal to serve on the side during the autumn season.

At its simplest, homemade apple butter is made by cooking the fruit down with spices and sweeteners like sugar and honey, creating a smooth, thick spread that screams fall. Apples already pair perfectly with savory cheese, cutting through the dairy richness and adding a delectable sweet-and-salty contrast. When you add in crunchy griddled bread and a hint of warm spices, you get a cozy and flavorful grilled cheese that's far more exciting than a plain version with soup.

While you could create an apple butter grilled cheese by spreading the condiment on the bread before assembling it, a different approach is to dunk the sandwich in it. It's recommended that you warm up the butter and thin it with a bit of water or apple cider to make it better for dunking. To improve your fall grilled cheese even more, use cheeses and other ingredients that complement the apple butter.

Pairing complementary cheeses with apple butter takes your grilled cheese from tasty to an irresistible fall delight. Cheddar is widely regarded as the best cheese pairing for apples, with the fruit's sweetness cutting through the cheese's sharp, savory profile. A stronger, saltier cheddar will stand up to the extra sugar in apple butter. Another excellent choice is a nutty Swiss or gouda cheese. To take your sandwich in a milder, sweeter direction, try gooey Brie or a young Camembert.

As for other grilled cheese fillings, the most obvious choice is thinly sliced, raw apples, which add a fresh crunch to the rich cheese and apple butter. Work the condiment into Alexa Mellardo's easy apple grilled cheese recipe for a simple yet stunning sandwich. Caramelized onions or shallots may be the second most popular add-in for apple butter grilled cheese. Sweet, savory, and gooey, they amp up the cozy autumnal vibes even more. Try swapping the pears for apples in Miriam Hahn's pear and gouda grilled cheese recipe with onions, and serve apple butter on the side. To make your sandwich even richer with smoky, meaty notes, add crispy bacon. 

Lastly, switching up the bread can make a big impact on your grilled cheese. This classic sandwich is better on pumpkin bread, and cinnamon swirl bread is also a great choice to reinforce the spices in the apple butter. Bread with herbs like rosemary or thyme adds even more flavor and aroma, as well.